Film of the Day: 34
Psycho (1960)
Towards the end of the 1950s, it's safe to say that most American horror films took place in either a haunted house, a dark foreign land or a castle on a hill. These films usually consisted of a monster, a mad scientist or some sort of demonic powers or curse, and as the times went by, the genre was loosing its shock value and started to become camp.
Hitchcock however took the horror genre to another level, he brought it closer to us, by bringing it into our everyday lives. It was based on a 1959 novel by Robert Bloch with the same title. When Hitchcock decided to adapt the novel, the studio rejected the film stating it was "too repulsive". The same studio in which Hitchcock had made films with in the past. But Hitchcock was persistent and believed in the project, so he decided to go low-budget with the film crew from the his TV show Alfred Hitchcock Presents, using his own Shamley Productions at Universal.
It was shot in black and white for three reasons, one was to keep the cost down of course of under $1,000,000 (horror films were only considered being made low-budget until Friedkin's The Exorcist), second was for the shower scene (in which Hershey's chocolate syrup was used for the blood) and three as he had deep admiration for the use of black and white in Henri-Georges Clouzot's masterpiece Les Diaboliques.
It was released today in 1960 in New York (the same year as the mesmerizing Peeping Tom) and remains an absolute timeless horror classic. I still remember seeing this film as a kid with my father for the first time. We had it on video and one day he decided I should watch the film.
From the beginning, with it's bone chilling score, I knew I was in for a fright. And as it get to the motel, the character himself Norman Bates (played brilliantly by Anthony Perkins) gave me the willies. But when I witnessed the shower scene, I remember grabbing the arm of the couch and squeezing hard. I had never been that shocked before. It is a film that connects with our deepest fears and you may never look at your shower the same way again!
It is not only the shower scene however, that is only the beginning. Norman Bates's relationship with his mom is both shocking and sick, and we see him descend into madness.
The film is widely known as the greatest horror film ever made (and rightly so). It's creepy, it's shocking, it's well acted, it has a master director and the music is just bone chilling. It also spawned two sequels and a remake that is probably the most horrible and pathetic remake I have ever seen.
Click here for the trailer
.
Hitchcock however took the horror genre to another level, he brought it closer to us, by bringing it into our everyday lives. It was based on a 1959 novel by Robert Bloch with the same title. When Hitchcock decided to adapt the novel, the studio rejected the film stating it was "too repulsive". The same studio in which Hitchcock had made films with in the past. But Hitchcock was persistent and believed in the project, so he decided to go low-budget with the film crew from the his TV show Alfred Hitchcock Presents, using his own Shamley Productions at Universal.
It was shot in black and white for three reasons, one was to keep the cost down of course of under $1,000,000 (horror films were only considered being made low-budget until Friedkin's The Exorcist), second was for the shower scene (in which Hershey's chocolate syrup was used for the blood) and three as he had deep admiration for the use of black and white in Henri-Georges Clouzot's masterpiece Les Diaboliques.
It was released today in 1960 in New York (the same year as the mesmerizing Peeping Tom) and remains an absolute timeless horror classic. I still remember seeing this film as a kid with my father for the first time. We had it on video and one day he decided I should watch the film.
From the beginning, with it's bone chilling score, I knew I was in for a fright. And as it get to the motel, the character himself Norman Bates (played brilliantly by Anthony Perkins) gave me the willies. But when I witnessed the shower scene, I remember grabbing the arm of the couch and squeezing hard. I had never been that shocked before. It is a film that connects with our deepest fears and you may never look at your shower the same way again!
It is not only the shower scene however, that is only the beginning. Norman Bates's relationship with his mom is both shocking and sick, and we see him descend into madness.
The film is widely known as the greatest horror film ever made (and rightly so). It's creepy, it's shocking, it's well acted, it has a master director and the music is just bone chilling. It also spawned two sequels and a remake that is probably the most horrible and pathetic remake I have ever seen.
Click here for the trailer
.
Horror films are not exactly my cup of tea...I just never liked the idea of paying somebody to scare me! But when you talk about these films, Alfred Hitchcock comes to mind right away...he represents Awe, Thrill & Screams, which the film Psycho is all about. The one I think I like the most of Hitchcock films is 'The Birds'...horror with murder was always around, but being attacked by crows was different, if not original. Gotta admit though that these types of films are still very popular!
ReplyDeleteAh! where to start? such a great movie! the shower scene, when that big, fat kitchen knife, held by a mysterious old woman, came slashing down, over and over again (kree! kree! kree!) it was particularly disturbing not only for the sheer horror of it but also because it changed the usual routine where the hero or heroine would be protected, or would at least die (usually towards the end) in a way that made some sort of dramatic sense. In Psycho, murder made no sense at all, and that's why i loved it so much and why it was quite innovative for the time.
ReplyDeleteGreat classic!