Hitch's best. One of the best and most memorable suspense thrillers in film history. Well liked for the famous shower scene.

Rating: 10/10 (19 December 2010)

"Psycho" is without a doubt a classic film a suspense thriller that ranks well in memory it impacted cinema and pop culture it's a film that ranks as iconic history. When I first saw it I was even afraid to take showers as a kid! As the famous shower scene impacted me that much, and many people even had a phobia of staying in a motel after seeing this film classic. Later thru the years after countless viewings I adjusted and saw every moment of the film as pleasure as after I learned how the shower scene was shot I learned to appreciate cinema history and the techniques of how the shower scene was shot with superior montage editing.
Alfred Hitchcock the master of thriller suspense had it all in "Psycho" the many themes present are lust, sex, embezzlement, greed, secrets, taxidermy, voyeurism, and a split personality which caused someone to cross dress as their dead mother! Aside from that the shower shower scene is memorable one of the most famous in film history and combined with the performances of Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh, "Psycho" is a memorable classic that a viewer can't get enough of.
Set in Arizona it begins with Marion Crane(played so beautiful and very elegantly sexy by Janet Leigh a 60's screen siren. Plus it was a real treat to see Janet undress and sport that sexy black bra!)a woman who as a lonely secretary only has a hobby of being a sexy and elegant seducer of her boyfriend a man who's divorced. And Marion wants escape so one Friday afternoon after returning from lunch break when she receives a payment for her boss from a rich oil business man an ideal is sprung to mind. Marion will leave town only the money is not put in the bank it will take a journey ride with Marion to California. Interesting and very watchful along the way is the scenes of the deep voiced policeman who follows Marion a little distance, as I think Hitchcock used these scenes to show a viewer that Ms. Crane felt guilt about her exit.
Only one rainy evening in California she drives upon the lonely Bates motel and this place feels different as it's clearly not what it seems. Attending is Norman Bates(wonderfully done and over the top by Anthony Perkins) who's a strange guy a shut in who tends to his old sick mother(supposedly)and Norman has a hobby of collecting dead birds! As he talks and checks Ms. Crane in Norman seems normal, yet he's anything but. Then shocking is when Marion gets settled in she tries to unwind and chill with a hot shower, only this is one shower that will spray out a sliced up death as it will become a blood bath! As Marion will clearly have her secrets washed away in blood.
Many don't know the shower scene was shot from seventy different camera positions. As the montage editing is fantastic as the way the shots were linked together showing a certain form of art. This was adapted from the Soviet Union from the classic director Eisenstein as the clashing of images is graphic as it matches the film's shower scene so well. As each clashing scene the knife is shown going back and fourth from Leigh's body the images clash with blood showing the graphic side of life as this film has a bloody form of art. And most telling and chilling is the final shot when Janet falls as the blood drips down the tub drain showing her dead the drain symbolizes her life has indeed went down the drain! Really this is one scene I can go on and on about as if you know and study film their is always something you can find that the shower scene symbolizes and links to life and a graphic form of death. The scene was just so brilliant.
So did Norman do it or was it mad mother who knows as Hitchcock tries to keep it a little suspenseful. Only you the viewer know the real shock poor Norman is a dressed up guy having a thing for women's wardrobe! Overall great suspense thriller classic from Alfred it proves we all have the right to go a little mad. It proves that you can't run from and hide your secrets. And when you arrive in a strange place you never know what to expect, as hidden secrets are present and they might just be stranger than yours just even mad and crazy! "Psycho" is one of the best films ever made.