Halloween Film Friday Special: Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho'

After completing North By Northwest, Alfred Hitchcock went off in a new direction, making his only true horror film. He rejected everything that made North By Northwest and his other 1950s films so great. Gone were the flashy lead stars and the lush color. Instead, he looked to Robert Bloch's 1959 novel Psycho for inspiration. He cast just one star, Janet Leigh, and picked some of the finest supporting actors he could find, including Martin Balsam (12 Angry Men) and Vera Miles (The Searchers). Next, he decided to go black and white and produce the film on a shoestring budget at Universal Studios, even thought it was made for Paramount.

The making of Psycho is famous simply because Hitchcock went against every rule of Hollywood at the time. Even though the studio system had already begun to decay, there were still some rules, but he ignored all of them. The film's production is even the focus of the upcoming Hitchcock. All that attention focused on the production and the famous “shower scene” often overshadows the film itself. Its effortless pacing, fantastic performances and shocking twists are the reasons we should really remember Psycho 52 years after its release.

Marion Crane (Leigh), a secretary working in Phoenix, and Sam Loomis (John Gavin) are having an affair. She wants to run off with him, but is in need of money. Marion decides to take the $40,000 that her boss has told her to take to the bank. Hitchcock ratchets up the tension as she tries to get away. In her desperation, she picks the closes motel to spend the night at, the deserted Bates Motel. There, she meets Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), the shy, young and oddly handsome man who runs the motel. Heck, she might even fall for the boy but she's much too tired for that. During their conversation, she begins to realize that Norman might not be all there, especially after she hears about this overbearing mother he has stuck in the house.

That set up takes Hitchcock forty minutes to get through and we're already a third of the way through the 109-minute film. Then, he has Norman kill the character we've grown to care for suddenly...so, what's next? Hitchcock then concerns the audience with the aftermath of Marion's death and the investigation. At first, Sam and Marion's sister, Lila (Miles), put their trust in a detective (Balsam), but when he doesn't return, they take it upon themselves to visit the motel to discover the truth.

I think much of the innovation of Psycho has been taken for granted in the year's since its release, much like Jaws' creation of the summer blockbuster. Psycho was a rare film where the audience 'got it' right away and the critics didn't. Hitchcock requested that no one be admitted after the film began, which really started the notion that people have to see a move from the beginning (although based on my own experiences, some people still don't understand this). This likely contributed to the film's box office success and subsequent re-appraisal from critics. It's now widely considered among the greatest horror films ever made and it is easily one of the Top 5 best Hitchcock films.

This film also wouldn't work if it wasn't for Anthony Perkins. What did he have to do to get an Oscar nomination for this? I doubt he would have beat Burt Lancaster's amazing performance in Elmer Gantry, but his role as Norman defined his career. Perkins was the latest actor to go against type for Hitchcock, as he had created this gently persona for himself since his Oscar-nominated performance in Friendly Persuasion. The final shot of Norman – now completely taken over by his mother persona – remains one of the most haunting final shots in film history. The dissolve to Marion's car being recovered only adds an intense period to the proceedings.

Psycho earned just four Oscar nominations including Best Director, Best Black & White Art Direction and Black & White Cinematography. Leigh also earned the only Oscar nomination of her career for Best Supporting actress. Amazingly, this was Hitchcock's last shot at a competitive Oscar. The Academy tried to rectify that by giving him the Thalberg award in 1968, but how one of the best directors in history never won is mystifying.

What more can be said about Psycho that hasn't? It remains shocking to this day, with so many focusing on the genius of the “shower scene.” But it is much more than that. It is a psychologically terrifying film that continues to surprise and shock viewers. I've seen it more times than I can count and I'll continue to watch in amazement.

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