The thing about "Psycho" that is so totally lost on today's viewers is the fact that it's main character (Janet Leigh) is actually murdered at the end of the film's first act. She not only dies, but so brutally as well. This was Hitchcock pulling the rug out from underneath the viewer - no one expected that back during it's first release and Hitchcock did a lot to safeguard that shocking secret when the film was released (anybody ever see the trailer for "Psycho" where Hitch asks the viewer not to tell anyone what they saw?). It's one of the reasons why that scene is considered to be the all time greatest moment in cinema history (in addition, of course, to how well laid out it was). "Psycho" is as good as it gets.

Yes - it's these unpredictabilities that make great films.

Strangely, films not going exactly to the viewer's plan seem to cause upset and even disdain.

Keep fucking with them all I say.

I loved the film, personally. I think that Hitchcock made the pace slow for a purpose. He was leading us into the the darkness and through the darkness bit by bit. People had so many different reactions to Janet Leigh's death... either your heart stopped or it raced...

I remember being a kid and seeing the light swinging back and forth illuminating Ms. Bate's skull. That used to scare the shit out of me. It still really really creeps me out. Not to mention the end, when her skeletal face begins morphing with Perkin's own, and her voice begins blending with his. Creepy, but good stuff.

Also, I wanted to mention another interesting point in the creation of this film. I watched a really old documentary about this film or a "making of..." done by Hitchcock himself. He explained that they had a butcher knife and a table full of different types of melons, pumpkins, and other shit, and what he was doing was stabbing those things trying to produce the closest possible match to a body being stabbed. They either settled on a pumpkin or a very large watermelon.

Does anyone remember that?

All horror fans should see psycho at least once or they can't call themselve horror fans.

Indeed

personally, i think the gus van sant remake is far superior





































oh my god i can't believe i just wrote that . . . i wonder if anyone is stupid enough to believe that i meant it? or, more interesting, i wonder if those words have ever appeared together before???