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Psycho (1960)

Directed by:
Alfred Hitchcock
COUNTRY
USA
Genre
Horror/Thriller
NorWEGIAN TITLE
Psycho
RUNNING TIME
109 minutes
Produced by:
Alfred Hitchcock
Written by:
Joseph Stefano
Based on a novel by:
Robert Bloch


Cast includes:

CHARACTER ACTOR/ACTRESS RATING
Norman Bates Anthony Perkins
Marion Crane Janet Leigh ½
Lila Crane Vera Miles
Sam Loomis John Gavin ½
Milton Arbogast Martin Balsam
Sheriff Chambers John McIntire ½
Man Outside Office in Cowboy Hat Alfred Hitchcock ½

 

Review

Hitchcock's number one trademark film is still ingeniously terrifying after all these years. Even though mainly having been a prank from the master of suspense's point of view, Psycho is the quintessential horror movie. It's easy to forget the impact this film had on an entire genre (depicting knife-stabbing psychotic young men), and it's also easy to overlook how fundamentally different this was to anything Hitchcock had made before. His previous movies had been thrillers, but Psycho rejuvinated a genre that had been limited to B-movie status and recurring performances from fading performers. In addition to being a brilliantly accomplished horror movie, it's also an unparalleled psychological study, with Anthony Perkins arguably giving the performance of a lifetime. Psycho is as chilling as any of the horror classics, and it holds its own against any of today's special effect vehicles.

Re-reviewed: Copyright © 24.09.2004 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang
Original review: Copyright © 21.08.1996 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang