Psycho (1960)

User Rating:

8.7/10   

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Robert Bloch (novel)
Joseph Stefano (screenplay)

Release Date:

16 June 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

A new- and altogether different- screen excitement!!!

Plot:

A young woman steals $40,000 from her employer's client, and subsequently encounters a young motel proprietor too long under the domination of his mother.

Plot Keywords:

Director Cameo | Highway Patrol | Stabbed To Death | Beauty | Stabbed In The Chest

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Anthony Perkins	...	Norman Bates
Janet Leigh	...	Marion Crane
Vera Miles	...	Lila Crane
John Gavin	...	Sam Loomis
Martin Balsam	...	Milton Arbogast
John McIntire	...	Sheriff Al Chambers
Simon Oakland	...	Dr. Fred Richmond
Vaughn Taylor	...	George Lowery
Frank Albertson	...	Tom Cassidy
Lurene Tuttle	...	Eliza Chambers
Patricia Hitchcock	...	Caroline (as Pat Hitchcock)
John Anderson	...	California Charlie
Mort Mills	...	Highway Patrol Officer

Also Known As:

Wimpy (USA) (fake working title)

Runtime:

109 min | Germany:108 min (cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Chile:14 (re-rating) | Chile:18 (original rating) | Germany:12 (re-rating) (2006) | Portugal:M/12 | West Germany:16 (original rating) | Netherlands:12 | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1965) | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1969) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1960) | South Korea:15 | Brazil:14 | Argentina:13 (re-rating) | Argentina:16 (original rating) | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | France:-12 (re-release) | France:-16 | Israel:16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1960) | Peru:14 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (re-release) | UK:15 (video rating) (1986) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:Approved (original rating) | USA:M (re-rating) (1968) | USA:R (re-rating) (1984)

Filming Locations:

4270 Lankershim Boulevard, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Shamley Productions

Trivia:

For a shot right at the water stream, Alfred Hitchcock had a six-foot-diameter shower head made up so that the water sprayed past the camera lens.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the police officer backs in behind Marion's car on shoulder of the highway, no tire tracks from his vehicle are visible in the soft dirt.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Sam Loomis: You never did eat your lunch, did you?
Marion Crane: I better get back to the office. These extended lunch hours give my boss excess acid.
Sam Loomis: Why don't you call your boss and tell him you're taking the rest of the afternoon off? Its Friday, anyway - and hot.
Marion Crane: What do I do with my free afternoon? Walk you to the airport?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Best! Movies! Ever!: Hotels (#1.10)" (2007)

A horror masterpiece

This is one of the most well-crafted horror film of all time. I can't say much about this film that hasn't already been said, so I'll just say it is eerie, suspenseful, and well-told. With this, Hitchcock became one of the best directors ever. 5/5 stars.