great but dated and NOT alfie's best by any means

Rating: Null/10 (26 November 2001)

***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** "psycho" is a great movie just for the atmosphere and the superb acting on the part of janet leigh and anthony perkins, but it is not hitchcock's best. this movie shocked people when it was released because of the shower scene, and it seems pretty obvious to me that everyone pretends the whole thing is more frightening than it really is out of a false reverence for the initial shock and scandal it generated at the time of it's release. what is it that makes people see this movie as so scary? i could pick more than a few horror movies off the top of my head in five minutes that are undeniably more frightening than this one. if you're actually *scared* by this movie, you must be either pretty sheltered or have a heart condition. as a thriller and a mystery it is also not exactly at the top of it's game, since anyone who doesn't live in a cave knows that norman is dressing up as his mother and killing people. don't get me wrong, "psycho" is a must see just for the utter dread that pervades every scene, but hitchcock made far more effective and gripping films than this one. if you want to see a horror movie from the 1960's that is actually terrifying, rent "the haunting", and if you want a better and more entertaining example of what makes hitchcock hitchcock, see "rear window" or "vertigo".