The master director's most important film?

Rating: 9/10 (7 October 2005)

There's no denying that Alfred Hitchcock is one of the true geniuses of cinema, and Psycho is his most popular film. Whether or not it's his 'best' is up for debate; but no matter what; it's definitely up there. Psycho is the film that inspired the entire 'slasher' sub-genre, and is also a textbook example of how to make a thriller. Every shot in the film is perfectly orchestrated, and by keeping the immediate action simple; the master director is able to fully focus on the proceedings, making the resulting film more thrilling. The influence that Psycho has had on cinema overall is astounding, and it's hard to imagine cinema now without this film. The fact that over forty years on, Psycho is still better than every film it influenced is no coincidence. The plot follows Marion Crane; an office worker who is entrusted with $40,000. Seeing her chance to escape her mundane life, she takes the money and runs. Unluckily for her, she stops at a small roadside motel; The Bates Motel. Managed by a quiet young man named Norman, the remote motel has more secrets than it's appearance suggests.
Alfred Hitchcock creates a superb macabre atmosphere around the central location. Just the motel itself is frightening, without the rain effects and the psychopath that inhabits it. The master director has proved time and time again that he knows how to handle a movie; and the way that he orchestrates the surrounding here shows that implicitly. Everything about the plot is well worked, and the twist right at the centre of the film shows that. It's hard to carry off a twist like the one here and make it work, as the audience have put so much time and effort into the central character; but Hitchcock is more than equal to the challenge, and the way that he shifts the focus and still manages to retain all the intrigue is awesome to watch. The pivotal scene of the movie is, of course, the shower scene. The technicalities of this scene warrant the seven days that it took to film it, and the resulting montage represents some of the best footage ever to come out of Hollywood. I don't subscribe to the idea of 'less is more' usually, but the shower scene is so skilfully done that it's hard to not respect it.
The central character of Norman Bates is, without doubt, one of the most frightening characters in cinema history. Unlike many of the resulting slashers' killers, Norman isn't overblown or even unrealistic; you can really imagine this character being real. Of course, the excellent performance by Anthony Perkins really adds to the character. There are some actors that were made by one role, and Perkins is one of them. The rest of the ensemble work brilliantly together, with Janet Leigh providing the central character until mid-way through, when Vera Miles steps in. It's a shame, really, that Psycho is so well known because now everyone knows it's twist, so it's hard to really enjoy the movie the way that it's intended. I knew the twist already before I saw the film for the first time - so it's lucky that the movie is so good, because otherwise, already knowing what happens could have spoilt it. Overall, there's a very good reason why Psycho is one of the most respected movies of all time. There are some films that you cant be a cinema fan without seeing - and this is one of them.