RETROSPECTIVE Psycho Starring: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Martin Balsam, Vera Miles, John Gavin Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock Produced by: Alfred Hitchcock Written by: Joseph Stefano, Robert Bloch Distributed By: Paramount Pictures

 

     Psycho. Quite a descriptive title, yet it leaves a large amount of freedom to mold the spectacular production that it has grown to be called.  Created by Alfred Hitchcock, Psycho has become one of the greatest suspense/horror films of all time.  Superb direction, outstanding camera work, and the magic that comes with every Hitchcock film paves the monumental path for the twists and turns of this twisted work of cinematic genius.

 

     This film has been argued over ever since it came out, for no one can really determine whether it’s meant to be a suspense or horror story.  Only Hitchcock could devise such a masterpiece as that.  The story line is chilling, the camera angles, and rapid sense of progression keeps the viewer guessing, and the direction has only been matched by the greats.  Intricate twists and gut wrenching murder scenes are the most brilliant aspects of Psycho.

 

     The gripping picture tells the tale of a woman who steals a large sum of money from her employers and then runs from the metropolis of her city out onto the country roads.  She finds a small inn called “The Bates Motel” and decides to spend the night.  Her stay is extended over a lengthy period of time, as she realizes that her crime carries a severe punishment.  This entire portion of the story is a sidetrack, a diversionary plot that initially confuses many viewers of the film.  While the woman is staying at the motel, she is mysteriously murdered by a strange person.  The viewers only get a fleeting glimpse of the murderer as the killer makes his escape from the scene of the crime.  Later, the sister and boyfriend of the victim come to the motel and only find a lonely taxidermist innkeeper who seems as harmless as a dove.  In the end, however, it is revealed that, in a strange, Hitchcockian way, the innkeeper was in fact the murderer.  However, the ending adds a vital twist that alters the entire plot of the movie.

 

     Psycho has had an everlasting effect on all the horror and suspense films that followed in its footsteps.  This movie is by far the most influential of the Hitchcock movies.  The way it was made has had a great impact on every film in every genre.  The building of suspense is incredibly intense and the final climax adds a piece of terror that has set the stage for horror endings of many different flicks that have followed in its wake.

 

     No matter how many times someone has seen this film, each viewing reveals another exciting and intricate aspect that adds a whole new meaning to its true greatness.  Whether it be a certain camera angle, or the way a shadow is cast upon a wall, or perhaps how subtly it leads into and out of the horrendous murder scene, this work of a master of film production will never leave a person wanting anything more than it provides. 

 

     Never had a movie quite like this one been created, up until its release.  The brilliant story of suspense is rarely equaled, the quality of direction could not have been better, and the portrayal of the sickness of Norman Bates is simply astounding. A few years ago, accomplished director Gus Van Sant tried to remake Psycho, but did not succeed.  This is truly a film classic for the ages, and if a search is made for a more complete suspense or horror film, a match will never be found.

 

-Steven Cipriano, Bucket Reviews