Norman Bates.

Rating: 10/10 (13 October 2013)

Alfred Hitchcock directed this smash hit, a terrifying film that begins with dissatisfied Phoenix office worker Marion Crane(played by Janet Leigh) who impulsively steals $40,000 from her employer, and drives to California to meet her boyfriend Sam Loomis(played by John Gavin). On the way, she trades in her car, and stops at a remote motel on a rainy night run by Norman Bates(Anthony Perkins) who is a friendly but strange young man dominated by his mother. Marion decides to return to Phoenix with the money, but a fateful shower will end her chance of redemption...Her sister Lila(played by Vera Miles) enlists the help of Sam and a detective named Arbogast(played by Martin Balsam) to investigate Marion's disappearance, but are in for a shock regarding Norman...
Brilliant horror film expertly manipulates audience expectations, and remains highly unpredictable and shocking. That iconic house is photographed quite menacingly at night(especially after the first murder) and the big reveal and final sequence is mesmerizing. Bernard Hermann's piercing and chilling score is unforgettable. My vote for Hitchcock's best film.