Truly Terrifying

Rating: 10/10 (24 July 2008)

If you go on YouTube there are a number of short films that can be viewed from there. "Psycho" feels like one of those, both in its story and its construction (though "Psycho" is about 10 times longer than most of the shorts you'd find on the internet). That's part of its charm; it's simplicity gives Hitchcock a lot of room to work with, and really develop every last detail to create its greatest impact. The fact that the film survived almost fifty years (and a remake) proves that all the work paid off.
The less said about the story, the better (in fact, the best thing to do is to go into this movie knowing as little information as possible). I will say this: A woman (Marion Crane) has just stolen $40,000 from her boss and skipped town to join her boyfriend, and on the way she stops at a motel.
There are two names (of real people) that are always going to be associated with "Psycho:" Alfred Hitchcock and Anthony Perkins (arguably Janet Leigh would also be mentioned, but she doesn't create the impact that the other two do in my opinion). Both of them work wonders here. Hitchcock has created the perfect film; everything works so brilliantly that I can't even find words to describe it. Down to the last detail, Hitchcock meticulously constructed one of the most awesome and terrifying films ever to grace the screen.
People may not remember Anthony Perkins' name, but anyone who has heard of "Psycho" will recognize the name Norman Bates (which is the point of acting, though the opposite is the case in today's world). That is how effective his performance is. I recently watched "The River Wild," where Kevin Bacon does a terrific job of portraying a character who is sympathetic in the beginning and a total psychopath later on. Anthony Perkins accomplishes the same thing, and his performance is a lot more effective. At the beginning, he's a young, boyish sort of man who is a motor-mouth at the beginning because he is absolutely smitten with the beautiful woman who has just stopped at his hotel. His charming personality slowly turns to being a frightening one as the movie goes on, and this is accomplished with the same effectiveness. It is especially noteworthy that he does this completely in sync with Hitchcock's direction.
The other actors are understandably overshadowed by the Hitchcock and Perkins, but to their credit no one can hold a candle to what they accomplished. Actually, the other performances are very strong. The females are the most successful, especially Vera Miles. Miles is the perfect anchor for the film. She finds a balance between anxiety and determination. Even though she is not given much to work with, she creates a sympathetic sister. Wide-eyed Janet Leigh is also good (though she overacts slightly at times) as Marion Crane, and her scene when she talks to Norman is delicately handled (though even she can't help but be out-shined by Perkins). Martin Balsam brings a noirish feel to his character, but he still fits right in. Like Perkins, John Gavin has a change of character, though he goes from charming to determined instead of psychotic. Gavin makes Sam Loomis easy to sympathize with.
James Berardinelli, a film critic that I greatly respect, said that "Psycho" is not Alfred Hitchcock's greatest film is not his best because it lacks the story and character complexity of "Rear Window" and "Vertigo," the latter of which I have not seen. I respectfully disagree. Why? Because it doesn't need them. "Psycho's" simplicity works to its advantage, and it's clockwork like procession adds a deeper level of fear that a film with more complexity in any area would not be able to create.
I often say that "Halloween" is the scariest movie of all time. Strangely, though, I gave that film an 8/10 and this one a 10/10. The reason is because while "Halloween" is one of the most frightening films I have ever seen (and in some parts scarier than this one), it is not without flaws. "Psycho" is flawless and, maybe because it's been a few years since I have seen John Carpenter's film (and a lifetime before I will see it again), more polished. I also said that "Halloween" creates a high level of suspense with minimal violence, and that is true, but "Psycho" does it with even less.
Earlier in this review I said that it is better to go into this film knowing as little as possible. This is true, though "Psycho" is so well-known that many people already know a lot about it, especially the ending twist. I was one of those unfortunate souls who knew about it, and while I have to admit that a lot of the impact was lost because of this, Hitchock still delivers the goods well enough to warrant a viewing.
"Psycho" was remade shot for shot by Gus van Sant in 1998. It would be interesting to see what difference there is in the two versions (though I've heard the remake is terrible). Still, I'm going to see the remake and be the judge. But maybe I'm making a mistake, for the reported awfulness of the remake may taint the praise I have for the original. That said, nothing, not even "Halloween," can hold a candle to "Psycho."