Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece of horror

Rating: 10/10 (2 September 2005)

Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece of horror, this is the landmark film that stretched the boundaries of what could be shown in a suspense film. It's the story of Norman Bates, a momma's boy who runs a decrepit motel with his invalid mother. When Janet Leigh steals a bundle of cash that she is supposed to deposit in the bank she has no choice but to split town. Unable to continue to drive in a blinding thunderstorm, she loses her way off the main road and ends up having to spend the night at the Bates Motel.
The infamous shower scene has been talked about ever since it scared the heck out of everyone who saw it and some women were so frightened they couldn't take a shower for days afterward. Even after all these years there are still some people who haven't seen this film and refuse to see it.
The house behind the motel where Norman lives with his mother is a masterpiece of set design built at 3/4 scale to make it look more ominous, and it sure does look ominous.
Anthony Perkins is totally convincing as the loner mama's boy.
The movie was filmed by a TV crew in black and white which was a total departure from Hitchcock's widescreen VistaVision color films such as Vertigo.
This is a movie that you can see many times and always take away something new. Once again Hitchcock creates a film that can be read on different levels.
If you like Hitchcock's films and think Psycho is just another horror film, read the excellent analysis of the movie in Daniel Spoto's "The Art of Alfred Hitchcock." It'll open your eyes to what Hitchcock was doing and immensely increase your appreciation of his films.