Set the standard

Rating: 10/10 (15 March 1999)

1960. Alfred Hitchcock is, for his time, king of the world, with a string of hit movies, a hit TV show, and even growing critical respect (from "auteur" critics like Andrew Sarris and Francois Truffaut). Flush with all of this success, did Hitchcock continue making the glossy entertainments he excelled at in the 1950's? No. Instead, he made a low-budget film which was obviously influenced by B-movies (notably the ones made by William Castle) and what he had learned on TV. The result was PSYCHO, and it's safe to say movies were never the same again.
Many articles have been written claiming Spielberg and Lucas have been responsible for the decline of movies today, and have been responsible for more cheap rip-offs than anyone else. It seems to me Hitchcock and PSYCHO have inspired (if that's the right word) more rip-offs than Spielberg or Lucas put together. Not just the obvious ways, like the many horror films which pay homage to it (DRESSED TO KILL, HALLOWEEN), or the films which have spoofed it(HIGH ANXIETY). There's also its influence in narrative(speeding things up, instead of taking time to tell the story), its reliance on fairly thin characters, sparse dialogue, and of course, that music. Someone more qualified than I could go at length at how Hitchcock's technique here has echoed throughout moviemaking today, but that influence to is undeniable. I guess to sum up, PSYCHO does what Spielberg, Lucas, and every blockbuster film have been accused of doing; making a B-movie on the scale of an A-movie(of course, Hitchcock had a lower budget, but he did have stars like Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins, and well-known actors like John Gavin, Martin Balsam, and Vera Miles).
As the rip-offs shouldn't put you off the Spielberg and Lucas films, nor should the rip-offs put you off of PSYCHO(I haven't seen the remake yet, but I still want to). No matter how many times you've seen it before, the shower scene still packs a wallop. So does the climax in the basement, and the final shot of Norman. Perkins avoids the mistake most movie psychos (pardon the expression) make today by hamming it up; although you suspect something, you're prepared to dismiss him until you find out the truth. This isn't my favorite Hitchcock (that honor goes to NORTH BY NORTHWEST), but it's a classic.