The greatest thriller of them all!

Rating: 10/10 (26 July 2018)

Get over the concept that Hitchcock chose to film this in black and white! "Psycho" was made as a bet with Hitch's agent, Lew Wasserman, after both read an article in Variety that pointed out that an upstart company, American-International, was packing them into drive-in theaters to see low-budget horror films directed by Roger Corman. Hitch claimed he could make a better film than AIP for less money than they spent on a film, and Wasserman took him up on the bet. "Psycho" was made for $80,000 using Hitch's television crew instead of his usual cinematic crew. Hitch was always fussy about his leading ladies, and he selected Janet Leigh for the role of Marion Crane, who agreed to play the role for half her usual salary. Anthony Perkins however, as Norman Bates, is the central character of the film, and while his interaction with Marion is minimal, he will forever be remembered for his performance here. Vera Miles, one of Hitchcock's favorite actresses, plays Marion's sister Lila, creating tension over her concern for her sister's well-being. Of Hitchcock's total body of works, "Psycho" is the film that stands out in most fan's minds as his greatest. Everyone involved here did their absolute best, and the results are obvious on the screen. The only flaw in the film is the distortion heard in Bernard Hermann's music score. The score exists by itself without the film and is available on LaserDisc, LP and CD, however it's distorted on every medium. Hermann re-recorded the score as a suite for a 1969 Decca/London Phase 4 stereo vinyl release called "Music from the Great Movie Thrillers." The LP has been reissued on CD as "Great Hitchcock Movie Thrillers" and lacks the distortion of the mono recording in the film. SPOILER: Of note to trivia fans is that the sound effect of the knife used in the famous shower scene was created by using a Cassaba melon, and in no shot of the rapid 45 pieces of film fired at the viewers does a knife penetrate Marion Crane on-camera, and the effect of the blood running down the drain is actually Bosco chocolate syrup.