Classic Hitchcock. Maybe won't impress the MTV generation though.

Rating: 7/10 (17 July 2007)

Psycho starts in the town Tuscon in Phoenix where secretary Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is given $40,000 to deposit by her boss George Lowery (Vaughn Taylor) but she decides to steal it, Marion drives off across California where she stops at the Bates Motel run by Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) & rents a room although it would turn out to be the last thing she ever did...
Produced & directed by Alfred Hitchcock Psycho has become one of the most well known films ever & it's iconic & often imitated shower sequence one of the most recognisable few minutes in cinematic history, does this automatically make it the classic the whole world & it's brother claim though? I liked Psycho for sure but I think it was a film of it's time, it was a groundbreaking film by all accounts but I wasn't even born when this was originally released & I would imagine Psycho would have more impact back then than it does now. The shocking plot twists, the way the star of the film is suddenly killed, the psychology behind Norman's motives & it's realistic approach to violence & murder probably made Psycho a groundbreaking cinematic event when it came out in 1960 but viewing it for the first time in 2007 it's undeniably a good film but one I didn't cream my pants over, unlike some it seems. I think it's a very good film, a film which I would call a thriller more than a horror & I thought it was entertaining but not outstanding. Because the shower scene is so well know it's not going to shock anyone the way it did back in 1960 & the other aspects of the story are so well known the same thing applies. Don't get me wrong as that isn't Psycho's fault in itself but, well I just knew what was going to happen & that can't be good.
Director Hitchcock does a great job here, he keeps the camera right in people's faces which gives it a claustrophobic feel. This is pretty stylish & is very atmospheric which the black and white photography really helps. He keeps things moving along, the character's & dialogue are good & it passes the time harmlessly enough. The violence is tame by todays standards.
According to the IMDb Psycho had an estimated budget of $806,947 which seems like a very specific number for an 'estimate' don't you think? It's well made with good production values throughout. The acting is also very good from all involved.
Psycho is a great film & I'm not saying it isn't but I didn't think it was the absolute classic many say it is & to an extent it's become a victim of it's own success as everyone knows the story already, definitely worth a watch all the same. Followed by Psycho II (1983), Psycho III (1986), the made-for-TV Bates Motel (1987) & Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990) & it was remade virtually shot-for-shot in colour as Psycho (1998).