a classic and creative film

Rating: Null/10 (20 February 2004)

Psycho has to be one of the best and most classic horror films of all time. Alfred Hitchcock was very smart and creative about the techniques that he used which is why they have become a major part in filmmaking today.
The movie starts out with Marion (Janet Leigh) and her boyfriend Sam (John Gavin) in a hotel room. She wants to marry Sam, but neither of them have the money, especially Sam; he had to give most of his money away in alimony. When Marion goes to work, her boss asks her to deposit $40,000. Knowing that she could start a new life with the large sum of money, Marion takes off with it and the suspense begins. While she is driving down the road, the camera zooms in very close to her face, making it awkward for the audience and the screen seems to get tighter and tighter and with the terrifying music playing it has you on the edge of your seat. Not all of the techniques that Hitchcock uses are technical; a lot of what makes this such a great movie is all the twists in the storyline. When Marion arrives at the hotel she is staying at there is a huge mansion in the background that appears to be very spooky. The camera shoots up at it making the viewer feel very small and intimidated. The shadows that are seen behind the curtains were a great effect and added to the spookiness of the movie. I thought that the music was one of the best techniques. A movie isn't scary unless it has the right music. I'm sure the audience could tell that he must have been a perfectionist; there was so much effort put in to this movie beyond what most would expect.
There is so much to discuss about this movie, especially the end, but I don't want to give it away. I would rate Psycho 10/10. It was truly a classic in it's time as well as it is today.