Without serious rivals as the greatest thriller ever.

Rating: 10/10 (31 May 2009)

One of the most famous of all films, so much so that people who have never seen it know about the shower scene, or can quote, "A boy's best friend is his mother." Yet, Psycho is so much more than "that scary movie with the shower scene." In fact, it is not even a horror film by any stretch of the imagination; Hitchcock was too sophisticated for that. This is a mystery thriller, the first part being thriller and the second being mystery.
One of the elements that make this a timeless piece of cinema is the way Hitchcock sets up the back story to the character of Marion Crane and the relationship between her and Norman Bates. From the moment these stories begin, we start to get involved without knowing that Hitchcock is toying with us. I cannot ruin any spoilers, since this is a film to enjoy the first time and then maybe a second time. But, it is important to know that even though this has influenced practically every horror movie since, it is nothing like any of them. Hitchcock shot in black and white to not appear gory and used old-school tricks like music and editing to create images in our mind much scarier than on the screen.
Speaking of music, has there ever been a more perfect score written for a film since this masterful work by Bernard Herrmann? In every scene it is used, it underlies the drama and increases the suspense in a way no modern director could ever do with blood and grotesque imagery.
The cast is wonderful, especially Janet Leigh as Marion and Anthony Perkins as Norman. As good as Leigh is in bringing us to her side, Perkins gives arguably one of the greatest performances in all of cinema. The little details, the stuttering, the twitching, the eyes moving all around go unnoticed the first few times. Then, after awhile you notice it and see that he almost completely makes us sympathize with this character. If you've seen this before, you know what an incredible job it is, although it is a shame Perkins never got out from under Bates' shadow. What is even worse is that they made three sequels to this movie, focusing more on Norman and the violence that I am sure ensued. Forget those attempts to capture your attention and be sure to view this masterpiece at least once. That's all it takes before you will look at your mother a little differently.