I guess it's never too late to thrown in your own love and admiration for a classic film...

Rating: 10/10 (27 June 2009)

I have to admit that I have a terrible habit of getting around to watching classic movies when it's really late in the game. I guess my excuse is that I'm only 23, and most of the so-called "classic" movies of the 20th century were made well before I was even born. I'm ashamed to say that I fell in love with both "Jaws" (1975) and "Halloween" (1978) just last year; this year, just about a half-hour ago, I had the great pleasure to see Alfred Hitchcock's classic 1960 suspense-thriller "Psycho."
A lot has already been said about this film, so I won't comment too much on what it's actually about, and instead I'll only comment on significance and my reactions to it. "Psycho" has a plot based heavily in reality: adapted from the novel of the same name by Robert Bloch, the book and film were loosely based on the crimes of real-life Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein. "Psycho" finds its story revolving around Marion Crane (the late Janet Leigh), a lowly Phoenix, Arizona, secretary who embezzles $40,000 from her boss and hits the road, later stopping in at the isolated Bates Motel, and meets the owner and sole employee of the establishment, Norman Bates (the late Anthony Perkins).
The rest of the plot is well-known to anyone who has seen the film, so I won't describe it. Plus, to really describe the rest of the plot in any sort of detail at all will ruin the shocks and surprises that the film has in store for the viewer (most notoriously, the infamous "shower scene," which has to be seen to be believed, and experienced). The "shower scene" itself is one of the chief reasons to see this picture; it's shocking, Bernard Herrmann's theme slices away at your eardrums, and it's one of the iconic death scenes - one of the most iconic scenes, period - in movie history.
"Psycho" is a phenomenal piece of film, from a master filmmaker and an equally talented cast and crew; it's a true cinematic landmark. Most importantly, and the reason why I now hold this film to the high degree that I do now, is that "Psycho" is partially (or is it entirely?) responsible for influencing entire generations of filmmakers, particularly those in the horror genre. "Psycho" has almost single-handedly influenced, and given rise to, the slasher sub-genre of horror, which of course gave rise to, and is populated by the likes of, Leatherface (from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" series), Michael Myers (from the "Halloween" series), Jason Voorhees (from the "Friday the 13th" series), my personal favorite movie slasher Fred Krueger (from the "Nightmare on Elm Street" series), and countless other imitators. "Psycho" would itself become fodder for the slasher genre nearly two decades after its release, when it was followed up by three vastly inferior sequels, with Anthony Perkins reprising his signature role as Norman Bates in all three films.
"Psycho" has also been the subject of a lot of psychiatric and psychological analysis, for those interested in understanding the criminal mind and how it functions. As a criminal justice major in college, in my studies I've across several opportunities to study "Psycho" (but never did) and exactly how it influenced the slasher genre and why it's fascinated criminology experts in the decades since its release, thus having even greater influence outside of the film community and American pop culture.
Alfred Hitchcock proved that he was a cinematic genius with "Psycho," since I understand that it is arguably his best and most popular film. At least now I've finally had a chance to see a movie that I've heard so much about and never previously got the chance to watch.
10/10