Finally, A Horror Movie With Actual Brains and Really High Intelligence!

Rating: 10/10 (11 November 2017)

Of all the genres, horror is the one where the amount of truly good movies are few and far between. It is the genre that's taken the least seriously. Its true that this is the single worst genre of all. Horror movies are clad with a over-abundance of blood, death, bad acting and no point. Of course horror is supposed to make people scared, but 95% of them fail. While Psycho is not scary like it was 57 years ago, it is still one of the smartest films ever made. And the type of genre that the genius film is, happens to be horror.
Psycho is best known for the infamous "shower scene," something everybody knows about. That happens to be the turning point. The movie is very good before, and even better after. The "shower scene" is not even the best part in the movie.
Psycho starts off normal drama with a romance story worked in. Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is a secretary whose life could be better. Her fiancée is Sam Loomis (John Gavin) and their wedding is on hold due to his debts. She is willing to start life anew and steals $40000 in cash. This happens minutes into the movie as it turns into a road thriller. She plans on evading Phoenix and use the money to build her new life with Sam in California. She knows what she did was wrong and is scared of being caught. We the audience hold our breath in hopes of Marion not being nabbed. Tired, she stops in the Bates Motel just for the night. She meets and gets to know the timid owner, Norman who has a domineering mother. She sees that Norman has low self-esteem and has a change of heart. Can her self robbery get redeemed?
Then the film REALLY switches gears and becomes the horror movie it promises. There's the "shower scene" that derails the movie away from Marion stealing money and into Norman Bates. The "shower scene" had many cuts and changes of angles, with perfect cinematography so that the figure of Mrs. Bates would not be seen. Norman is devastated, but loves his mother dearly, getting rid of the evidence.
Marion's sister Lila and Sam hire a detective to search for her. Lila and Sam are worried since they haven't heard from Marion, and they found out about her stealing the money. The detective checks out motels, ultimately landing at Bates. Norman's agitation and inconsistency has him suspicious. Lila and Sam make their way to Bates. They discuss Marion's situation with others in the area and wonder who killed for the money. When they find out Norman's motives and who his mother really is, the level of genius that this flick has kicks into overdrive.
When Norman gets sent to an insane asylum, a psychologist explains his mental state. This is the best scene in the movie. One of my 10 favourite scenes in all of cinema. Norman and his mother (who really was domineering) lived as though they were the only two people in the world. She started dating again ten years earlier and Norman killed them both. Unable to cope with her death, he keeps her corpse well treated and acting like she was still alive. But that wasn't enough, he created an alternate personality of his mother and would sometimes dress up as her to maintain the illusion. Since he was jealous of her and her lover, he assumed she would be too. So when moments of passion would arise in Norman's life, the "mother" part of him would take over and kill. Norman fell in love with Marion and "mother" killed her. He had not idea about the money. If Norman felt any real sense of danger, the "mother" part would kill. "Mother" the detective. The "mother" part has consumed Norman's life.
The whole flick is a psychological lesson in the mind of a madman. There are many other instances of intelligence that branch off. Although far from being the scariest film ever, it should still forever remain the best horror film ever.
4/4