A disturbing masterwork

Rating: 10/10 (13 March 2006)

In most films we participate as passive voyeurs. Not in Psycho which is a brilliant study of suspense, horror, paranoia, mood and evil hidden under a mask of innocence. From its very beginning to its shocking and ironic ending, we have Alfred Hitchcock directing the audience and in his own words, playing the audience "like a piano"  leading us exactly where he wants. To call this a chilling masterpiece is a cliché but it is no further from the truth.
The film is filled with unforgettable sequences. From Marion's (Janet Leigh) escape always with the company of the police that seems to be following her  a great way of sinking us into Marion's paranoia to her arrival at Bate's Motel where we the audience believe are safe from all danger; the conversation Marion maintains with Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) about his hobbie as a taxidermist; and of course, the shocking shower sequence. The horror of this scene comes from the fact that it takes part at a moment of extreme intimacy and vulnerability and also due to Hitchcock's craftsmanship: the screeching violin and the camera which does not focus on the wounds the stabbing causes but rather, leaves it to our imagination which is much more effective than any graphical representation. But even before we arrive at the famous Bate's Motel, where the key events take place, Psycho already feels disturbing perhaps because we fear for Crane's plight, perhaps because of the chilling score, perhaps because we fear the police's intentions, perhaps because Hitchcock gives us minimal vistas except those of suspicion therefore we feel trapped in Crane's guilt and paranoia. Whatever the reason, Psycho has already established itself as a film that is more than anything else about our paranoia and uneasy feelings.
Another key element is Hitchcock's character control. We never expect the death of Marion (the film's main character) so early on. But what could have been a dangerous move is handled brilliantly as Hitchcock shifts our sympathy from Crane to Bates so that when he attempts to sink he care, we fear for him (we know that if the car does not sink we will be jabbed by fear and we also feel that Bates is too innocent a character, to suspicious a person that he would inevitably be accused of the crime if the car is discovered), just as much as we feared for Crane. The performances are worthy of mentioning especially Anthony Perkins who embodies innocence but at the same time, a disturbing presence. The ending, a close-up of Crane's assassin is chilling, highlighting this character's evil.
The genius of this film is that it is always in full control of the audience, always feels visceral and chilling. We are lead to feel disturbed and uneasy even when there is nothing visible on screen to disturb us.