The perfect combination of everything = a masterpiece.

Rating: 10/10 (6 February 2006)

HUGE SPOILERS
Whenever someone mentions "Psycho", the first thing that comes to mind is Anthony Perkins' performance as Norman Bates. But "Psycho" is more than Perkins' extraordinary performance and Hitchcock's masterful direction. The movie offers a great plot of mystery and horror. It all starts as a dramatic situation but turns into a story of horror and beyond reason.
Marion Crane escapes from his routine life and steals $40,000 from her work in order to start a new life with her boyfriend. Marion knows it's wrong but her moral won't stop her from doing her purpose. Everything seems to work on wheels until she stops in the Bates Motel where soon she will find her cruel fate. At this point of the movie you don't expect that it will be the main character's last scene!. This is where "Psycho" turns into a shocking movie, and at the same time the viewer is slapped in the face by Hitchcock's unique way of creating a suspenseful/creepy atmosphere. But it's until the audience meets Norman Bates (played masterfully by Mr. Anthony Perkins) when things start to get a new point of view. The story gets rid of the angelic heroine that turned bad and now focuses on the mysterious Motel's owner. Norman seems to be a shy guy with a dark vibe that makes his presence uncomfortable. His major problem is his over-protective mother than won't allow him to do anything that she considers is against moral. As Norman talks about his mother and how he's affected by her "madness", the viewer can determine that he is mentally disturbed but knows perfectly how to behave. Anthony Perkins acting is terrific because he knows how to create an uncomfortable atmosphere whenever he's on screen and mainly because he seems to be the kind of guy that is silent but dangerous at the same time. This is where the real suspense of the movie begins. And after Marion's murder things seem to get out of control for people who are used to scripts that don't get out of the standards. The main character is dead by half of the movie and from then, the situations become more interesting (in the point of view of a general audience) and you don't know what's gonna happen next, not even from a guess. This 180 degree twist has to be the most important in terms of contribution to any genre (being in this situation the Horror genre). What will happen to the people trying to find Marion? what about the $40,000? Who is behind Marion's murder? And most important of all, what's behind Norman Bates' behavior? Watch "Psycho" in order to witness one of the most important movies of all time. Even if you don't like the Horror/Mystery genre, this movie will leave you satisfied because it offers everything a good movie needs : Good acting, masterful direction, excellent script, and a perfect score.
Anthony Perkins delivers a performance that needs special mention. The man knows how to portray a psycho like no other can. Thank you Mr. Perkins for the performance that most people respect in the genre. Janet Leigh also delivers a believable performance. She showed that she is a great actress.
The death scenes are beyond great this time. You don't see coming Mother ! whenever she raises the knife! Excellent scenes. Always copied, never matched. Also, the score deserves a honorable mention. This is probably the best score in any Horror film! Followed by Carpenter's in "Halloweeen" maybe.
Please, do yourself a favor and watch this movie in order to witness why this is the most influential movie of all time. The story is excellent and it's backed by solid acting and a wonderful direction by the master of all; Alfred Hitchcock.
The shower scene is one of the most important scenes of all time, not to mention the shocking ending. This is truly a scary movie on it's own. No need of gore, f/x, or abuse of twist situations.