Review of Psycho (2007) by Norman B — 03 Nov 2013

Wow this is easily the greatest horror film I've seen and without a doubt one of the greatest films to ever grace cinema. In Phoenix, Arizona Janet Leigh plays Marion Crane, a secretary having an affair with a dude named Sam Loomis(Yes John Carpenter did use this same exact name in Halloween. Crane wants more from their relationship, but they depart without resolving their future. Crane returns to her job in a real estate office and encounters a cowboy buying a home for his soon to be wed daughter. She eventually pockets the 40 grand used for this transaction and leaves with it to marry Loomis, but her boss notices her at a traffic light in the city after she asked him for the afternoon off due to a headache. This awkward moment triggers her paranoia and she flees to my home state California.

She is stopped by a police officer that suspects something unusual about her. Languishing in guilt and confusion, she later exchanges her car at a used car lot and settles for the evening in the infamous Bates Hotel, where she encounters the even more infamous Norman Bates, played by Anthony Perkins in one of the staple performances in Hollywood history I finally learned why. There she is murdered midway through the film in arguably the most analyzed scene in film history: the ever so popular "shower scene" An investigation unfolds after Crane's death that is conducted by a detective, Milton Arbogast, he is hired by her former boss to retrieve the 40 grand. Eventually the detective is murdered as well. Crane's sister, Lila and Loomis resume the search for the missing Crane. What they unearth is a complex web of murders taking place within the Bates household full of psychoanalytical angst and shattered identities.

One of the unique qualities of Psycho is that the violence of the narrative is also perpetrated on the viewer. The fact that Crane's murder occurs halfway through the film is a powerful and innovative narrative tool that attacks the viewer's expectations about protagonists. Quite simply they are not supposed to die halfway through the movie! Of course this aspect of the film is part of what makes the legendary shower scene so tragic. Viewed alone the scene is powerful, but for some it may not live up to its hype. But viewed in the context of the film's whole the scene is intensely shocking. The first half of the film is partially designed to lure the viewer into identifying with Crane. Hitchcock admitted this twist was one of the central points of interest he identified with in Robert Bloch's pulp novel of the same name, which served as the story's original source.

The creation of Norman Bates, a kind reserved mama's boy like man who seemingly couldn't hurt a fly was a startling new monster. Sure Bates wasn't the first cinematic psychopath. But after Norman Bates monsters rapidly morphed into real humans. They were no longer exotic others such as vampires, werewolves, or aliens from outer space, they were normal people on the surface bubbling with psychotic serious issues underneath and capable of horrific violence in the blink of an eye.

In many ways Psycho actually laid the groundwork for the modern slasher film. The film also defined the slasher as a young, confused male full of psychological trauma. Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees are direct products of Norman Bates if you really stop and think about it. The film also stamped the genre with another notable trend the killer's only motivation is psychological. The randomness in which these killers murder can only be understood through a psychoanalytical lens.

When Psycho was first released reactions were mixed. Psycho was radically different. Nevertheless the film earned $15 million in its first year alone, which immediately became his most successful film to date after doing some research. And then there is Janet Leigh's performance, also Anthony Perkins's stellar performance, and the crisp editing. And the wonderful set design of the Bates Motel and the house behind it. The list goes on. My definition of a great film is simple, the film may not be the best in any one category example (directing, acting, sound, etc.), but it certainly ranks very high in every category. Psycho is perhaps the greatest example of this definition and is now one of my all time favorite movies after my first viewing of this brilliant masterpiece.