Creating a Sympathetic, Multi-Layered Villain...

Rating: 9/10 (1 July 2006)

Was what Hitchcock did best, and he reached his apex here in 'Psycho'. I suppose one can put the blame on Hitch for the seemingly-relentless cycle of slasher flicks that are churned out today, for 'Psycho' started the rot. Yet what terrific 'rot' this granddaddy of the horror genre is.
So much has already been said about 'Psycho' that adding a comment seems unnecessary, but I'll try and give a brief summary of my feelings towards this film: Hitchcock created one of his most fascinating characters (and one of cinema's absolute finest) in Norman Bates. Anthony Perkins gives a performance that is nothing short of brilliant as the conflicted protagonist, evoking both sympathy for his loneliness and disgust for his actions. Hitchcock manipulates the audiences feelings towards the villain, as he did memorably in the earlier 'Notorious' and 'Shadow Of A Doubt'. Perkins would never break free of this role for the rest of his life, and his Norman is truly haunting. His chilling final scene (his face) will blow you away.
Our supporting cast give varied performances. Miles is excellent as usual in her role as Lila Crane; her and Perkins carry the acting honours away. Both John Gavin and Janet Leigh are reasonably good (Leigh handles the notorious 'shower scene' very well), but noticeably weaker in support (particularly Gavin- he just isn't a leading man).
Hitch shot this in black-and-white for a purpose- the gore of his scenes would not go down well in colour. Also, shooting in black-and-white gives 'Psycho' an even darker, mysterious quality, with Hitchcock's brilliant use of lighting and shadow to create mood and suspense. It has the feel of a low-budget, roadhouse film, and this effect suits it perfectly.
The suspense flows nicely throughout, apart from a rather slow and, at times, frankly irritating, opening sequence. Hitch takes a long time to set this one up, yet once we reach the Bates residence we know that we are in for one hell of a ride- that's when the picture becomes great. The only other significant downer comes near the end where the shocking order of events are explained through some rather (for today) quaint psychobabble. Apparently it was added in to try and explain the horror and motives to terrified audiences in the 60's, yet it comes across as hokey today.
'Psycho' deals with then-shocking elements of theft, necrophilia, incest (you'll look at the term 'Mummy's Boy' on an entirely new level after watching this), adultery and murder. This was shocking on first release and it's content is still powerful today, resonating with a modern audience.
The murders are handled brilliantly- the amazing, classic shower scene that takes everything we have viewed in the first half of the film and distorts it completely. It is brutal, compelling and, accompanied by Bernard Hermann's screeching violin score, quite terrifying. We don't actually see the knife jabbing into Leigh, yet we still see so much. In this, Hitch effectively 'shifted' the role of key protagonist from one character to another.
It's so atmospheric- look at the visual effects used in the Bates Motel, the predatory birds (a recurring Hitchcock motif)that surround Norman as he eats with Marion Crane (another 'bird' from 'Phoenix'). Vera Miles searching Mother's bedroom for clues. The revealing scene with 'Mother' and the swinging light bulb.
To say any more would be to spoil a fascinating cinema experience- just go out and SEE IT.
9/10.