THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
In society, one glance at somebody can confirm what they are deep down, a Saint or a Psycho.
PLOT
Based on the titular novel Robert Bloch novel, the 1960 film follows Phoenix real estate secretary Marion Crane who steals $40,000 from her employer when her boyfriend Sam Loomis complains of being in debt preventing them from being married. She drives from Phoenix to Fairvale, California, to surprise him that his troubles could be over. Along the way, she swaps cars when a policeman senses suspicion about her. When it starts to rain, she chooses to stop a motel a few miles from Fairvale, the Bates Motel. There, she meets the proprietor Norman Bates who lives alone with his mother Norma. They have dinner at the office where the man shares his hobby of taxidermy where he analyzes it as a private trap to escape, but Marion suggests his mom to be institutionalized since she overheard her scolding him. He defends her though as he claims she only acts such due to being ill since she had to raise him on her own after the passing of his dad and doesn’t imagine actually leaving her, no matter how many bad days they’ve had. Just as he then claims everyone goes a little mad sometimes, she becomes inspired to go back to Phoenix and return the money she stole. By the time she declares taking a shower, the rain has stopped but horror occurs when Norma comes from the shadows and constantly stabs her to death. When Norman discovers what happened, he chooses to protect his mom by disposing of Marion’s body, her car and the rest of her belongings in a swamp nearby. With days going by, she is reported missing which worries not only Sam, but also her sister Lila. They meet a private detective named Arbogast (Martin Balsam) who informs them he’s come to collect the money she stole on behalf of her (and his) employer. When he stops at Bates Motel, he notices how nervous Norman behaves and confirms suspicion when spotting Marion’s handwritten signature on the guest register. When he plans to question Norma if she saw her, only for her to emerge from the shadows again and stab him repeatedly after pushing him off the stairs. With no word from him after announcing he would check out the motel, Sam checks it out for himself from afar where he sees who is assuming to be Norma from the master bedroom window. He and Lila then reach out to sheriff Al Chambers (John McIntire) of the possibility that the mother is responsible, but he and his wife don’t believe it to be true since she died of a murder-suicide that involved her and her boyfriend. Because of this, they suspect Arbogast must’ve just taken the money. Still suspicious something must’ve happened to the detective, Sam & Lila visit the motel as guests as an excuse to try questioning Norman. Sam distracts him while Lila sneaks in the house and when Bates gets a suspicious feeling, he knocks Loomis unconscious and pursues the other Crane inside. When she reaches the basement, she’s shockingly find Norma’s mummified body. Norman would then appear in her mother’s clothes and a wig, trying to stab her until Sam recovers in time to intervene. With the situation being reported, Norman would be incarcerated and psychiatrist Fred Richman (Simon Oakland) explains what exactly is wrong with the man. Based on his conversation, it appears that he developed an alternate personality of his mother after he killed both her and her new lover he was jealous of. Becoming guilty in the process, he mummified her corpse and acted as if she was still alive. With the personality of Mother submerging him for so long, he doesn’t even realize he has been responsible for murders of other women before Marion and Mother takes over whenever he’s aroused of a woman. With Marion’s car being retrieved from the swamp, the film ends with the personality of Mother thinking to herself how Norman will be let go since his actions were her doing.
THOUGHTS
Many doubted Alfred Hitchcock can keep the ball rolling once he turned 60 years old after being a consistent filmmaker since the 1920s. He knew he can do more than what he’s already given and he was all about topping himself in quality terms of directing/storytelling and it is this film that has lived on to be his absolute best. I may have not seen every film from his career, but I’ve seen enough to have the opinion where I say I identify this as his best just as much as many do because it felt like it set the bar defining suspense as we know it. The second you hear Bernard Herrmann’s score, you’re so compelled you’re sure that everything you’ll see is going to shock you. Thanks to John L Russell’s cinematography, you feel the clock ticking before things go as wrong as one can worry. And it is George Tamasini’s editing that makes the movie peak in the feeling of horror because you start feeling all the dread that’s hiding in the basement. And all the tension is just relentless from top to bottom. I mean I don't know if I were to show so many angles, about 33 shots, of a murder happening in a shower, but it's so effective because it's like the trauma is passing onto you as it's happening. With such violence that was unheard of at the time, you start to wonder what is the whole point of this movie. To me, when I choose look back at every chance I can, I think it is a twisted way to show us duality of good & bad because each decision is a domino effect that effects everyone just as much as it effects you and you can never guarantee the outcome the way you think you do. I felt this dynamic from such an impressive ensemble. Janet Leigh was well established in the 50s, but her Golden Globe winning performance as Marion has now been the role to define her for eternity the same way Halloween will forever define her daughter Jamie Lee Curtis. I wouldn't call it fair to dislike her for her impulsiveness that gets the story in motion because people do stupid shit when they're in love. She wanted to settle down with Sam and didn't want any more excuses to hold them back from being together the way they want. Surprisingly, it was her encounter with Norman that had her realize she went too far for the goal she desired to complete and had she thought of something different, she likely would've gotten to live another day. And it's safe to say her death wasn't in vain because her loved ones ensured justice was achieved from the answers they uncovered. We all know Sam was a good guy because John Gavin showed him to be stuck in a rock and a hard place. He didn't even expect her to do something about his financial problems not because she's a woman, but solely off of how he was sure he can deal with it himself. However, I don't think he'd be motivated to find the truth had it not been for her sister. Vera Miles was incredible as Lila because she's got all the compassion to reunite with her knowing she's not a bad person despite doing a bad thing. She and Sam both had the urge to know what happened to her and boy were they unprepared as much as we were because the can of worms that were unleashed remain shocking to reminiscence. Anthony Perkins is a show stopper as Norman because he's such a timid guy he doesn't even doesn't realize what he's capable of. If you encounter someone who is unaware of their own actions, then that is someone to be deeply afraid of because you can't predict what'll come next. He was so guilt-ridden in killing his mom that he basically brought her back in spirit to feel better about himself, which only led to him losing control of his mentality. I think it's fair to call his situation a polar opposite compared to Marion because her actions could've been reversed if she had a better chance but for Norman, his mistake was so severe he found a bad compromise. Even hearing the voice of Norma aka Mother thanks to voiceovers by the likes of Virginia Gregg, Paul Jasmin & Jeanette Nolan, it was easy to be unsettled because we couldn't guarantee her actions either until they've already happened. With such an unpredictable antagonist, it's not a true surprise to see why Hollywood wanted more of such believable tension that he becomes the star of the franchise once the time was right. Since Norman was let go, it would only be the beginning of his cinematic reign of terror far past his control. In conclusion, Psycho is one of the best movies ever made for reinvigorating horror as we know it. If you want to find one of the backbones in slasher horror, this is the one you're looking for.
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