"A boy's best friend is his mother."

Rating: 10/10 (19 May 2019)

I will do my best to relate to you a good review of this film, while not giving away all the juicy details that make this film one of the best films ever made. All I can say is wow and Alfred Hitchcock shows us why he is one of the greatest filmmakers to ever live with this low-budget 1960 shocker.
The beautiful Janet Leigh (whose daughter happens to be Jamie Lee Curtis) plays Marion Crane who is dealing with a boyfriend (John Gavin) whose in need of cash and also the desire to marry this man. Crane is a real-estate secretary and a huge purchase is made in cash. Her job is to take the $40,000 to the bank on her way home. Thing is Marion decides to take the money and drive to her boyfriend in Fairvale. Before she gets there she decides to stop at the Bates Motel for the night. There she meets Norman Bates (amazingly played by Anthony Perkins) and this is where this truly great film gets even better.
Janet Leigh garnered an Oscar nomination for her role which she richly deserved as I thought she does an amazing job really in caring the first half an hour of the film as we follow her and only her. The fact that Anthony Perkins did not even receive an Oscar nomination for his multi-layered in-depth portrayal of Norman Bates is beyond mind-blowing to me.
The music as well by Bernard Hermann is truly one of the greatest not only in the history of horror, but of all-time films. It has been ripped off, attempted to be duplicated a number of times, but when you hear others be inspired by it you can tell exactly where the music is coming from.
Screenplay by Joseph Stefano from a novel (which I have read and did enjoy) by Robert Bloch. Also starring Vera Miles as Marion's sister Lila, Martin Balsam as Arbogast, Simon Oakland as Dr. Richman and look fast for Ted Knight right near the end of the film.
In my all-time list of greatest horror films this masterpiece stands only behind Stanley Kubrick's THE SHINING in my mind. There is so much to look at and dissect and go over in your mind. Probably the most influential horror film of all time.
Followed by three sequels (all of which were never equal to the original), a TV movie, a yucky shot-for-shot remake and a TV show.