Psycho (1960)

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:

Smiling | Stairs | Dead Woman Car Trunk | Stabbed To Death | Boyfriend Girlfriend Relationship

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	...	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:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (cut) (1965) | Netherlands:12 | Germany:12 (re-rating) (2006) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1960) | Brazil:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Chile:18 (original rating) | South Korea:15 | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1969) | Chile:14 (re-rating) | West Germany:16 (original rating) | 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:

Every theater that showed the film had a cardboard cut-out installed in the lobby of Alfred Hitchcock pointing to his wristwatch with a note from the director saying "The manager of this theatre has been instructed at the risk of his life, not to admit to the theatre any persons after the picture starts. Any spurious attempts to enter by side doors, fire escapes or ventilating shafts will be met by force. The entire objective of this extraordinary policy, of course, is to help you enjoy PSYCHO more. Alfred Hitchcock"

Goofs:

Continuity: As Marion approaches the restroom at California Charlie's used car lot, the door hinges on the left with the doorknob on the right and has dark (painted?) glass in the upper half. In the interior shot, the hinges and knob are just the opposite and the door is a solid slab. In the exterior shot as Marion exits the restroom, the door is solid with no glass, and hinges on the right and latches on the left, consistent with the interior view.

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:

Spoofed in The Art of Dying (1991)

Perkins Is Remarkable

Most modern-day horror films make the killer to be an absolutely inhuman, grotesque, unimaginable monster in order to scare the audience out of its wits. Most of the time, however, these stereotypes create a generic murderer a raving, ranting, clearly demented psychopath. One of the few memorable cinematic killers that does not adhere to these restraints and cliches is, of course, Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter, whom manages to effectively cause the audience to recoil without such drek as the aforementioned devices.

Anthony Perkins' skillfully crafts his performance as Norman Bates, avoiding a ranting, raving, drooling, murder-happy, manic characterization; instead his performance as Norman is subtle, creepy, cool, and unsettling. He is brilliant; from his quiet conversations with Marion Crane amidst the stuffed birds, to his weasling wimpiness when confronted by Arbogast, his performance is so exact that it chills the viewer, all without the unnecessary disturbing images prevalent in more modern films (read The Cell, Henry: Portrait of A Serial Killer).

Perkin's fine performance, a tight script, and Bernstein's classic score make Psycho a film that is now and will always be remembered as one of the pinnacles of the horror genre.