Hitchcock at his finest

Rating: Null/10 (8 November 2011)

Up until a few days ago, the only version of this film I had seen was the contemporary version with Vince Vaughn. That being said, after viewing this original, and obviously much better version, it is safe to say that Hitchcock would roll over in his grave if he could see what his work had become. This film,(the original) is a stunning piece of visual and visceral beauty. It deals with a myriad of issues that affect the human condition, namely greed, love,psychosis, and fear, just to name a few. This film, more than being a first rate horror movie, is at its core, a story about people. Granted, in this instance, we are talking about some truly screwed up people, but people none the less. The film had a gritty, intense feeling, yet a smooth and refined look. Those two contrasting elements went a long way to truly sucking the viewer into what he or she was watching. Additionally, the music was downright eerie; this was so much the case that when I was viewing the movie at home, I paused it to turn on more lights in my house. That music just had some supernatural way of sending chills down my spine. For the characters themselves, Perkind does what one could expect him to do when tasked with such a mentally taxing role, he shines. Perkins plays the part of Norman Bates very well, as does he Norman's mother. Janet Leigh also brings a strong presence to the screen in her role of the misguided heroine. If I had one major critique of this film, it would be that it ended almost too abruptly. There is this slow creeping buildup to the action, to Bates having a showdown at the climax, and then, poof, its over. Norman is jail, clearly still crazy, and thats that. I would have liked to have seen a little more in that realm. Understandably, Hitchcock was a particular man who believed in less being more, but I feel that way all the same. In regards to Hitchcock, not much needs to really be said. This film is cinematic genius that has yet to be rivaled in terms of cinematography and overall mis-en-scene. Everything is modern, yet still very creepy. That is an especially nice touch. So in summation, Hitchcock and his cast delivered a stellar film that I would definitely recommend to any fan of horror films.