- This review pertains to the Psycho: Special Edition DVD-

WARNING: This review may contain spoilers!

Perhaps the greatest thriller of them all was released in June of 1960. Psycho, which was directed by the legendary Alfred Hitchcock, quickly became a cultural phenomenon. Hitchcock shot the film in exhilarating black and white, but he only did so because he wanted to make a horror film on a small budget. Using much of his crew from his television series, Hitchcock was able to hire competent and highly skilled people without having to spend a fortune. He re-teamed with Bernard Herrmann, the brilliant composer, who had done the scores on many of Hitchcock's films. This score, in particular, became so iconic, so famous that it's impossible to separate the music from the movie. Utilizing an all-strings orchestra, Bernard Herrmann's score heightened the suspense so much that many scenes of the film were unbearably tense for audiences at the time. But that was Hitchcock's goal, to unnerve audiences to the best of his ability. Aiding Hitchcock with this fiendish task was ingenious graphic designer Saul bass, who not only created the opening title sequence but also played an integral part in the planning of the notorious "shower scene".
The film's screenplay was written by Joseph Stefano and was loosely based upon the novel by Robert Bloch. However, the film's screenplay is far superior to the novel, which is not only contrived but also shallow and manipulative.
Starring a superb cast headed by Janet Leigh as Marion Crane and Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates, the film also featured Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, John McIntire, and Pat Hitchcock (Alfred's daughter). Perkins' performance as Bates is electrifying in its intensity and Leigh is wonderful as the desperate Marion Crane.
Anyone who's ever seen Psycho will find it damn-near impossible to forget the level of tension that's created by the combined talents of the director, cast, and crew.
Upon its release Psycho was a huge hit, in part because of Alfred Hitchcock's clever marketing gimmicks. He specifically told theatre managers not to allow audience members into the movie theatres once the film had begun and he insisted that audiences didn't reveal the plot twists of the film. By doing this Hitchcock intentionally created a media buzz about Psycho, which only brought audiences to theatres in droves. Although given mixed reviews by critics, Psycho was received very well by filmgoers who had never seen anything quite like it. Not only has Psycho become Hitchcock's most commercially successful film, it also ushered in the age of the modern thriller.

The story follows Marion Crane, a financially struggling secretary at a real estate firm, who steals $40,000 in cash in order to marry the man she's having an affair with. As Marion leaves town, her guilt and her paranoia take a tremendous toll on her nerves. She begins to act suspiciously and attracts the attention of a police officer and a used car salesman, but she continues her travels troubled by her conscience. She imagines the reactions of her boss, the firm's clients, her relatives, the police officer, and the car salesman. During an intense rainstorm she decides to top at a small motel. The Bates Motel seems pleasant enough. The manager, Norman bates, seems like a decent fellow, though he has an odd relationship with his demanding mother. He and Marion have a discussion about the trials and tribulations of life and the feeling of being trapped by your position in society. Norman's humility and honesty are disarming, and Marion is weighed down by the burden of her guilty conscience. She decides to return the stolen money and then takes a shower to cleanse herself, symbolically, of her sins. But then the silhouette of an old woman with a butcher's knife appears through the shower curtain. Marion is brutally murdered, and dutiful son Norman is forced to dispose of her body and her car. After Marion's bizarre disappearance her lover, Sam and her sister, Lila along with a private investigator named Arbogast, begin a search for her. But are they prepared for what they'll discover at... the Bates Motel?

This psychotically good DVD includes an audio commentary with film historian and Hitchcock expert Stephen Rebello, The Making of Psycho feature-length documentary, In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy documentary, Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Lamb to the Slaughter episode, Alfred Hitchcock / Francois Truffaut interview, Newsreel Footage: The Release of Psycho, The Shower Scene: With and Without Music, The Shower Sequence: Storyboards by Saul Bass, The Psycho Archives image gallery, Posters and Psycho Ads image gallery, Lobby Cards image gallery, Behind the Scenes image gallery, Production Photographs image gallery, production notes, and trailers.

Also recommended:
Psycho by Robert Bloch
Shadow of a Doubt
Rear Window
Vertigo
North By Northwest
The Birds
Frenzy
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Season One
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Season Two
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Season Three

Perhaps no movie in history has been copied more than PSYCHO. Often considered the original "slasher", that title doesn't do it justice. Saying simply that PSYCHO is "slasher" film alone puts a tag on it that says teenagers with low IQs, having sex, using drugs and alcohol, and are either baby sitting or going camping are going to get slaughtered the whole movie. Basically putting this masterpiece in the same sentence as HALLOWEEN or FRIDAY THE 13th alone is certainly a put down to the movie that the American Film Institute ranked as it's number one thriller of all time.

Now, I am not knocking the movies mentioned above. I LOVE THEM!! But no movie in history has shocked and awed as this movie did on opening night. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE would possibly rival PSYCHO in that aspect. But even TCM is based on the same person that PSYCHO was, Ed Gein. Loosely based that is. With that said, TCM was a slight copy of PSYCHO. Before PSYCHO, there hadn't been a movie like it really. The ever brilliant HITCHCOCK kept a tight lid on the storyline leading up to the opening. Even during the making of the movie, the actors were given only a small portion of the script at any given time. This was HITCHCOCK'S idea in order to keep the storyline from leaking to the public therefore ruining the integrity of the movie.

Recently I purchased this blockbuster DVD and viewed it at home and realized how amazing this movie is, again. I hadn't seen the movie in years, and I was certainly not disappointed. Of the nearly 400 movies I have on DVD(many purchased from Amazon.com!), this ranks near the top as one that I am most proud to have. I wouldn't trade it for anything. The brilliant directing job by ALFRED HITCHCOCK and the uniquely innocent performance by ANTHONY PERKINS that some how seemed to mix melancholy and madness.

I wish that movies today could be made like this movie was made. It opened our eyes to a genre that still wouldn't catch on for another nearly 20 years. At the very least giving us a glimpse of the future of horror and thriller movies. A truly American classic. See it, own it, BUY IT!!!

After his 1958 masterpiece "Vertigo" and the chase thriller "North By Northwest", director Alfred Hitchcock wanted to see if he could make an inexpensive Black and White movie that would scare the pants off of the audience. Apparently at this time period, low-budget, but poorly done, scary movies were doing quite well at the box office. Hitchcock wanted to make a low-budget scarefest that was well done. He apparently found the plot of "Psycho" (based on a pulp novel by Robert Bloch; and inspired by the gruesome exploits of serial killer Ed Gein; who subsequently also "inspired" the original "Texas Chainsaw Masacre" and "The Silence Of The Lambs") quite humorous. Paramount Studios, however, wanted nothing to do with it. So, Hitchcock paid for "Psycho" out of his own pocket, and used the film crew from his TV series "Alfred Hitchcock Presents." Although initially perceived by disgruntled critics as an ultimate sick joke, "Psycho" succeeded in scaring the pants off of the audience beyond Hitchcock's wildest dreams; by entering into our nightmares.
Watching "Psycho" again after all these years, I have to say it holds up extremely well. It is still a profoundly disturbing and unsettling film. It holds up because Hitchcock cleverly and continually deceives the audience; always keeping us off balance just when we might be feeling momentarily safe. Bernard Herrmann's music score helps tremendously. Saul Bass' title credits are cracked in half; instantly foreshadowing the fractured psyche of Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) and also perhaps the psyche of Marion Crane (Janet Leigh). Thus, the audience is thrown off balance before the film's plot has even begun.
We begin by thinking the plot is going to be about Marion, who steals $40,000 from her boss to help solve her disasterous love affair with Sam Loomis (John Gavin). That is Hitchcock's biggest "red herring", but he throws in a few others as well. After driving through a rainstorm, Marion experiences the original "motel hell" when she winds up at the Bates motel and meets manager Norman Bates.
In Bloch's novel, Norman is forty-something, fat, balding, alcoholic and unsympathetic. Another masterstroke of Hitchcock and screenwriter Joseph Stefano is transforming Norman into the image of actor Anthony Perkins, then age 27. Anthony Perkins gives an amazingly subtle performance. Norman is a loner. He's shy, but attractive. He stammers and smiles; all his boyish charms hiding deeper levels of secrets and deception, of course. He tells Marion, "We're all in our private traps. Clamped in them, and none of us can ever get out." Clearly, Perkins was deeply invested in the character of Norman (and later, unfairly trapped by him). One can only guess at how well Perkins understood about "Private Traps." Marion has overheard Norman's mother, Mrs. Bates, being very cruel to him. But he defends her: "It's not as if she were a maniac-- a raving thing. She just goes a little mad some times. Haven't you?" Norman is trapped by his mother on several levels, and Marion is soon a victim of the Norman/Mother trap. In the "Making Of" Documentary, Joseph Stefano reveals he was in Freudian therapy for his own "Mother Issues" while writing the "Psycho" script; and that puts yet another spin on the film's many twists and turns.
Marion is brutally murdered in the shower; in what is probably still the most terrifying 45 second sequence in cinema history. This infamous, brilliantly edited, sequence is also another example of Hitchcock throwing the audience off balance. Marion has been our sympathetic protagonist; and we have seen things through her point of view. When she is murdered approximately 49 minutes into the film, her "point of view" ends. The "point of view" now shifts to Norman, and he becomes the "protagonist", as a dogged detective (Martin Balsam), Sam and Lila, Marion's spunky and spirited sister, (Vera Miles) all eventually arrive at the Bates Motel--and it all works brillantly. At the end, when the secrets of Norman and Mother are revealed, a psychiatrist (Simon Oakland) explains it all rather glibly. But Hitchcock felt the psychiatrist's speech was necessary in getting the entire film past the strict censors.
"Psycho" is and always will be very much a "Hitchcock picture." But, in addition, the film ultimately belongs to Anthony Perkins. We are terribly sad and disturbed by Marion's horrid murder, but we also feel sorry for Norman. That may be the slickest of "Psycho's" bag of tricks, but it is also a tremendous tribute to Anthony Perkins' riviting performance. "Psycho" has often been imitated (Anthony Perkins returned for the much later "Psycho II", "Psycho III" (Perkins directed), and the intriquing "Psycho IV: The Beginning), but it will most definitely never be surpassed.
DVD EXTRAS: A fun Featurette shows how Hitchcock "sold" "Psycho" to audiences, and how he kept its "secrets." "The Making Of Psycho": Wonderful feature-length Documentary includes interviews with Janet Leigh, Joseph Stefano, etc. Documentary: "In The Shadows Of Hitchcock: Hitchcock's Legacy", (25 minutes), and an episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" titled "Lamb To The Slaughter" with Barbara Bel Geddes (from "Vertigo") and much more.

PSYCHO Hitchcock USA 1960

"My main satisfaction is that the film had an effect on the audiences;...[it] made the audience scream. I feel it's tremendously satisfying for us to be able to use the cinematic art to achieve something of a mass emotion. And with PSYCHO we most definitely achieved this. It wasn't a message that stirred the audiences, nor was it a great performance or their enjoyment of the novel. They were aroused by pure film ."

That's Alfred Hitchcock talking to Francois Truffaut about PSYCHO, in the latter's book-length interview with the British-turned-American director. Hitchcock is famously dubbed "the Master of Suspense." Fair enough. But it would be a more accurate label to add "and Manipulation."

Hitchcock had developed a style of manipulating audiences, but never to the degree he did in PSYCHO.

"I was directing the viewers," the director told Truffaut. "You might say I was playing them, like an organ."

It was, in 1960, the most shocking film its original audiences had ever seen. I know. I was in one of those audiences. My parents were Hitchcock fans, having seen "North by Northwest", "Rear Window" and "Vertigo."

On a very cold Sunday afternoon, after church and Sunday dinner, they were going to see PSYCHO. Like millions of other Americans, they had no idea that it was probably not what you would or should take a 10-year-old to see. But I already loved movies, I wanted to go and they didn't refuse my request.

Fortunately--because it was so cold on that Tennessee Sunday--I was wearing a car-coat as millions of kids did in those days. Luckily for me, the hood had a drawstring. When PSYCHO's violins began to shriek during the infamous shower scene, I pulled the hood almost shut, leaving myself just enough peephole to see the center of the screen. If things got worse, I could always pull the hood completely shut--or close my eyes altogether, which, by the way, I never did. (Fascinated by film even at that age, I knew I was in the presence of something remarkable. I just didn't know what. And even if I had, I wouldn't have been able to express it.)

( SPOILER ALERT! IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW KEY PLOT DEVELOPMENTS, STOP...READING... NOW !)

Good grief! I couldn't believe what was happening to this poor woman. Yes, she had stolen $40,000 from the bank where she worked. But hadn't she made up her mind to return the money the next day? But even if she hadn't, nobody deserves to be sliced to death in a shower--or anywhere--like a cantaloupe!

Hitchcock intentionally made PSYCHO look like a cheap exploitation film. He shot it not with his usual expensive crew (which had just finished the expensive "North by Northwest"). Instead he used the crew that filmed his weekly television show. Even by 1960 standards, his budget was cheap--a mere $800,000. The Bates Motel and aging Victorian-style Bates house on the hill behind it were built on Universal's back lot. Also, to give it that quickie, exploitation look, he shot in black-and-white. This was not going to be--nor was it supposed to be--another elegant Hitchcock thriller a la "Rear Window" or "Vertigo."

Yet, to this day--almost half a century after it was made--no other Hitchcock film has had a greater impact, on moviegoers or on filmmakers, than PSYCHO.

First, Hitchcock sets up the movie in such a way that we root for Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) to successfully get away with theft. We want to see her wind up with the man she loves, Sam Loomis (John Gavin). We root for her when a policeman stops her on her way to her lover's hometown. We pray that he won't see the envelope full of stolen money by her side in the front seat.

Hitchcock has thus made her sympathetic. When she pulls off the road in a heavy rainstorm to spend the night at the off-the-beaten-path Bates Motel, then begins her association with Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins).


Norman brings her supper, which she eats in his motel office. Their late-night conversation makes them both sympathetic characters. We think their relationship will be developed during the remainder of the two-hour film.

But no. Less than forty minutes into PSYCHO, Hitchcock throws a curve-ball at the audience, something you simply don't see coming: he kills off his heroine. Hitchcock not only kills her off, he does so in what was--and remains today--the granddaddy of all slasher-movie sequences. Movie directors have tried to top it, but no amount of gore, of up-close-and-in-your-face graphic detail has ever come close. Hitchcock doesn't use gore. (He filmed in black-and-white, thinking audiences would be too squeamish to withstand so much blood in color.) The era, of course, would not have allowed it. But this master filmmaker didn't need gore. He used artistry to make us "think" we were seeing more than he was actually showing us.

We never see the knifepoint pierce the skin * --although people will swear they do. That's the power of montage: with quick-cut editing--and Bernard Hermann's shrieking violins--our mind "completes" what is merely suggested. Is Hitchcock making us see what perhaps we want to see? (Again, "manipulation.")

Once Marion Crane is dead, Hitchcock shifts our sympathy. Right before our eyes, he shifts our sympathies for her to sympathy for Norman, whom Hitchcock has already established as a kind, if a bit odd, young man. We've sensed from the beginning there is something not quite right about Norman . But during the motel office conversation, when he elicits the sympathy of Marion--with whom we have already identified--he elicits ours as well.

Employing a sort of bait-and-switch sleight of hand, Hitchcock has now transferred our attention--and sympathy--from Marion to Norman . So--when Norman starts mopping up the blood from the murder, we feel sorry for him now having to protect his mother who, at this point, we think is the killer.

With no one else to care about, we pull for Norman. We root for him to mop up all the blood (actually, chocolate syrup), to leave no trace of evidence. When he puts Marion's corpse in the trunk of her car, we pray it will sink into the pond. For a moment, the sinking car stops, half of it still above water. Our hearts stop. We're as nervous as Norman as he nervously chews on candy-corn (a nice piece of business Perkins himself suggested and which Hitchcock allowed the actor to incorporate into his performance.) Finally--thankfully--the car sinks below the pond's surface. Whew! Norman is safe.


Once again, we've been manipulated.


All this manipulation, of course, has a single purpose: Hitchcock wants to shock us again. And he does when it is ultimately revealed that Marion Crane's killer wasn't Norman's mother, but Norman himself; that Norman is a matricidal maniac who not only killed his mother but has kept her corpse stuffed like one of the taxidermied birds mounted on his motel office walls.

Hitchcock, indeed, played us "like an organ." I remember adults literally screaming--"Oh, no!", "Oh, God"--during the brutal shower sequence. I never screamed. But I sure as heck stayed hunkered down in that car-coat every time those violins began to screech.

In theaters across 1960 America, Hitchcock reduced us to our last nerves and wickedly sawed away on those nerves like a violin bow scraping--staccato--on a very taut string. ---Hoyt Harris

* The popular "myth" about the PSYCHO shower scene is that the knife is never seen to penetrate the flesh. This is not true. A frame-by-frame examination of the shower scene shows that the knife point disappears against the actress' torso just below her navel for the last three frames of one eight-frame sequence. But In order to see the penetration, the movie must be run in slow-motion, but it actually happens, albeit only once and briefly. Because film runs at 24 frames-per-second, a mere three frames (one-eighth of a second) is brief, indeed. ----H.H.

Everyone who reviews this movie on here rehashes the plot. So I wanted to comment on one scene. The scene near the ending, where Simon Oakland, the psychiatrist, explains what just happened in the movie. I have never read a positive review of this scene and I honestly cannot understand why. Simon Oakland was a very good actor who later appeared in "The Night Stalker" on ABC in the 1970s. It's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. It's interesting to see what in 1960 people thought a transvestite was. Who in 1960 thought about transvestites other than seeing Milton Berle on television? It doesn't take away from any of the mystery of the movie. As anyone knows from watching "The Sopranos", psychiatry can do some things, but it can't provide a moral or ethical absolution for evil. Norman Bates is still guilty. This scene is so widely derided that Brian DePalma even used it as an example of mediocre filmmaking, when describing his disappointment that "The Black Dahlia" was not going to be one of the great movies of 2006.
Also, did anyone know that Vera Miles supposedly think it is a shame that Hitchcock is remembered chiefly for "Psycho" because she thinks he did so many better movies?

Coming of North by Northwest was a massive high for Alfred Hitchcock his next project was always going to be difficult in matching North by Northwest's brillance, it is with great joy that Hitchcock made Psycho, based on the novel by Robert Bloch.

One of the greatest Suspense Horror films ever made it is of a simple story of 2 geners's coming together to create a frightening shocking experience, plot is of a young woman called Marion Crane played by Janet Leigh wants to get away with her boyfriend so when Marion is at work and her boss comes in with $40,000.00 Marion steals it and takes off.
She takes her car to a local garage one morning and exchanges it for a new car under the nose of a suspecting Police officer, Marion uses some of the stolen cash to purchase it, she pays the owner of the garage who seems to notice that something is wrong she then takes of in a hurry

With heavy rain pouring down on her as she drives Marion needs to stop for the night and sees a sign of a motel called BATES MOTEL, from the welcoming Vacancy light there is rooms available she sees that there is someone by the Motel and stops for the night!.

Played brillantly by the late great Anthony Perkins Norman Bates is probably one of the scariest characters in movie history he is cool , friendly and kind to start with but what Marion Crane does not realise is that Norman Bates is a monster who has killed his mother and thinks that she is still alive in him anyway, a scary monster in the form of Man which equals Hannibal Lecters monster played by Anthony Hopkins.

What the viewer does not realise is that they are not watching a crime movie but are watching a horror movie after Marion stops of at Bates Motel, then the Suspense and shocks kick in as Marion gets to know Norman Bates.

Adapted from the book of the same name by scriptwriter Joseph Stefano amd with a haunting musical score by Bernstein, great acting performances by Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh, Alfred Hitchcock made one of the most scariest, shocking, and suspensefull film of all time, simply put in words this film is a masterpiece truly a great entertaining scary experience equal to Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, George Romero's Night Of The Living Dead, John Carpenter's Hallowee etc etc

The DVD
There have been a couple of DVD versions available here in the UK, but after buying this new 2 Disc Special Edition from the USA, I think that it is the best version for some time.
On Disc one you have the Main Feature with Commentary with Alfred Hitchcock Author Stephen Rebello
The Shower Scene
The Shower Scene Storyboards
The Psycho Archives
Production Notes
Production Photographs
Lobby cards- Psycho Poster Ads
Disc Two
On this second Disc you will find the meat of the package with a 94 minute Documentary called the making of Psycho, this feature explains how every aspect of the film was dealt with and brought to the screen.
Next is In the Shadows- Hitchcock Legacy which runs at 25 mins, present directors such as John Carpenter, William Friedkin, and Eli Roth discuss there influencefs rom Hitchcock.
Last is a episode of Alfred Hitchcock presents " lamb in the Slaughter".

Picture and Sound
As the cover of the DVD says Digitally Remastered after watching the film i can say that it is, very sharp Black and White transfer is displayed on screen, Audio is very good as well with Dolby Digital Mono 2.0 sounds roar from the TV especially the Score.

Overall
Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is one of the greatest Suspense Horror movies of all time, great story, characters, acting Hitchcock's direction is flawless, as near a perfect movie as there will ever be.
The 2 Disc Special Edition set is also brillant, the set is packed with a lot of revealing extras abot the film, writer and Director, with Digitally Remastered Picture and Sound Universal Legacy Series has done a fine job with this DVD.

How many times have I seen this classic movie? I am thinking 45 would be a low estimate. This low-budget Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece is what I consider his best movie. There are many great scenes in here for a cinematographer/director to study if they had a class in Movie Production 101. They have been copied many times in sincerest flattery, but never duplicated. They are: Janet Leigh's driving along with the embezzled money in the hammering rain. The windshield wipers are keeping time to the eerie background music as we study her facial features. Janet Leigh getting pulled over by the highway patrolman and her nervousness at the stolen money being discovered. We watch as she has to move the bundle of money out of the way to retrieve her driver's licence in her purse for the patrolman. Her arrival at the Bates Motel, and the forboding appearance of the building, the foreshadowing. The stuffed wildlife on display and the mannerisms of Norman Bates, played brilliantly by Anthony Perkins. Perkins' voyerism of Leigh as she is in the motel room. The eye through the peephole shot as a parallelsim to Leigh's later eye shot. The famous shower scene. The ethereal form of the slasher behind the shower curtain. The eerie music, mimicking the slashing movements, Leighs' terror and clawing and grasping at the shower curtain. The "dead-eye" shot of Leigh in the bathtub, the "blood" running to the drain, the drain mimicking the round eye, the symbolism of the life ebbing, going down the drain. Janet Leigh's discovered car being pulled out of the boggy water with a rope. The "fall" of Martin Balsam down the huge staircase in the big house. The pained conversations of Bates with his mother. The scene of the taxidermied mother in the chair in the basement and finally Norman Bates conversations with self as a fly buzzes around him at the police station. We must also mention John Gavin, simply for his ability to project gorgeous male-ness, of the tall, dark and handsome variety. If you need a Halloween Treat and have not seen the movie, this would be "it." Of course if you have, nothing is ever ruined by seeing it again. It never gets old.

I am not a techno wiz so I have no idea what it takes to remaster an older movie, but this was NO different than the collector's edition that came out several years ago. I was very disappointed as there is still a ton of specs during the movie and it's very grainy. In fact I am not sure this isn't WORSE than the one before. If they can take a movie from 1940 (It's a Wonderful Life) and make it almost flawless, why couldn't they do it to Psycho, which was made 20 years later. Very disappointing. The special features are all fine but half of them were on the other disc too. But regardless, you buy a dvd for the film and this is a major let down. I want my $20 back.

Love this film--and have for 35 years since I first saw it. No commentary from me would add to that which has been already written about it.

One of the extras was about Hitchcock's legacy. Two of the directors discussing their influence by Hitchcock were the directors of recent films "Smokin' Aces" and "Hostel."

To me these films are abominations and against everything that Hitchcock stood for. Any influence is superficial at best as these recent films are the main staple of an audience who wants mindless, gory action.

For these mindless directors to appear in this documentary homage to Hitchcock who would have found these films horrible movie-making was an insult to those of us who crave something more from our movies--and aren't finding it anymore!!!!!!!

The thing about a Hitchcock film is that it gets better with each viewing. Universal Studios Home Entertainment realizes this, since they've just rereleased the ultimate terror film "Psycho" (1960), which broke cinematic ground in depicting on-screen violence. Before "Psycho," murders on screen were sanitized, scrubbed of the bloody and visceral. Hitchcock changed all that in the tale of a strange motel keeper and his homicidal mother. Based on a novel by Robert Bloch, "Psycho" is easily one of the most frightening films of all time.
Shot for a modest budget of $800,000, "Psycho" was to become Hitch's most popular and financially successful movie. It is the ultimate haunted-house saga, with outstanding performances by Anthony Perkins as the odd Norman Bates, a man who covers up the crimes of his deranged mother, and Janet Leigh as secretary Marion Crane, who steals $40,000 in order to run off and get married.
If you've never seen "Psycho," now's the time, because the current Universal Legacy DVD Edition fills you in on lots of juicy background info, including newsreel footage of the theatrical release of the film, behind-the-scenes production photos, a making-of featurette, and extensive analysis of the famous shower sequence. A nice treat is the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" TV episode, "Lamb to the Slaughter," directed by Hitchcock, which sardonically illustrates how best to dispose of a murder weapon.

No dispute that Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" is a masterpiece. No argument that Bernard Herrmann's score is also brilliant, iconic. BUT, in searching here on Amazon I found this alternate music soundtrack by this group called JoKr. I was listening to the mp3's on their page on Amazon here, and it's pretty cool. It sort of reminds me of that old stoner thing they say you can do with Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" and "The Wizard of Oz." The name of the 2 disc album is "PSYCHOsync." Check it out!

No dispute that Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" is a masterpiece. No argument that Bernard Herrmann's score is also brilliant, iconic. BUT, in searching here on Amazon I found this alternate music soundtrack by this group called JoKr. I was listening to the mp3's on their page on Amazon here, and it's pretty cool. It sort of reminds me of that old stoner thing they say you can do with Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" and "The Wizard of Oz." The name of the 2 disc album is "PSYCHOsync." Check it out!

How I envy those who saw "Psycho" when it was originally released in the theatres in 1960. How shocking it must have been for them to learn the true identity of the serial killer. To this day, "Psycho" continues to frighten even the most jaded of horror fans. It has influenced directors around the world for decades. It established the blueprint of what would later be called the "slasher flick." It gave birth to countess imitations throughout the sixties such as "Dementia 13" and "Paranoiac." Three sequels were made. Despite it being a low budget production, it earned millions at the box office. It is no wonder that my favorite web site for historical horror, The Terror Trap, lists "Psycho" in its top ten horror movies of all time. It is a masterpiece of gothic horror.

Having the world famous director, Alfred Hitchcock, didn't hurt "Psycho." Theatre patrons saw it for that reason alone. Let's not forget that it also boasted a beautiful cast that included Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin, and Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates. "Psycho" "Norman Bates," and "Bates Motel" became household terms. They became the fodder of innumerable jokes and cartoons throughout the media world. One of my favorite Far Side cartoons is the one where Norman Bates introduces Elvis to his mother. The caption reads somewhat: "What really happened to Elvis." Only in Far Side could two legends be brought together. In the hit comedy, "National Lampoon's Family Vacation," Chevy Chase pretends to stab his wife in the shower in "Psycho"-style fashion.

It was "Psycho" that made me fear large, abandoned houses, especially on Halloween night. At the same time, I was also drawn to them with a perverse, morbid curiosity. Numerous haunted houses at amusement parks were designed to be replicas of that old, decaying, fog enshrouded house on the hill.

The characters in "Psycho" feel trapped. Many of us feel that we are trapped in worlds that are not of our own design. How many times have you wanted to quit your job, withdraw all your money from the bank, and flee? Just run and keep on running? I know I've wanted to escape from the tedium of a nine to five job. Poor Marion does just that. She steals $40,000 (a small fortune in 1960) and runs to her lover. Unfortunately, she never makes it to him because she meets Norman Bates who is also trapped in his own world. He can not leave his overbearing, dominant mother. How many of us are trapped in loveless, abusive relationships?

Who can forget the creepy music that accompanied each killing? And the world famous shower scene that was imitated in countless movies? Instead of a shower stall, it is an elevator that Brian De Palma uses in his slasher film "Dressed To Kill," starring Angie Dickinson and Michael Caine. Even the Italians imitated the shower scene in their world famous gialli (murder mystery). A young girl is stabbed to death in the shower in Sergio Martino's "The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh." Also, a girl is stabbed to death in an elevator in "The Case of the Bloody Iris."

"Psycho" is recommended viewing for all horror fans. It is the granddaddy of slasher fare. Other groundbreaking horror movies include: "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," "Halloween," "Friday 13th," "Suspiria," "Rosemary's Baby," "The Omen," "Black Christmas," "Carrie," and "The Exorcist." They all belong in the collection of anyone who loves good horror fare.

While i dont like the "slasher" films that i see coming out these days, I found the archtypal slasher film "Psycho" to be quite good. A few complaints aside, i can see why the film is considered a classic. Im actually quite new to Hitchcock's films but i quickly took notice to his signiture style. The film builds tension extremely well. The muisc is key in developing this. Even in scenes where the dialouge seems innocent enough the music made me apprehensive to what would come next. Hitchcock's unique cinematography is appealing to me as well. I think my favorite aspect of the film is Anthony Perkins' acting. He pulles off both sides of Norman Bates' dual personality extremely well. My only qualms with the film was that it was hard for me to follow Marrion's "motivation". In other words i didn't realize her intentions to steal the money untill she met Bates. Also, i think the psychiatrist gave to much information away at the end, taking away all the mystery that Hitchcock had so masterfully built throughout the film.

Psycho is a classic. But my gripe is with the way Amazon takes the entire cast list, orders them in alphabetical order, then lists the first few actors from that list. And they tend to do this for a lot of movies here, not just this one.

So in this case the "stars" of the film are Frank Albertson, Martin Balsam, Francis de Sales, and George Eldredge (as listed when you search Movies and TV for the film). And according to IMDB the last two were uncredited! Nice going, Amazon.

On October 7th 2008, consumers will be treated to the first modern horror film in a new "Special Edition" DVD. This will be a 2 disc set, included in the special features are:

- THE MAKING OF PSYCHO: Feature-length documentary on Alfred Hitchcock's most shocking film ever.

- NEWSREEL FOOTAGE: THE RELEASE OF PSYCHO: Vintage newsreel on the unique policy Alfred Hitchcock insisted upon for the release of the film.

- THE SHOWER SCENE: See the impact music played in the infamous "shower scene".

- THE SHOWER SCENE: STORYBOARDS BY SAUL BASS: Original storyboard designs of the infamous "shower scene".

- THE PSYCHO ARCHIVES: Gallery of on-set photo stills from the film's production.

- POSTERS AND PSYCHO ADS: Gallery of original posters and ads from the film's theatrical campaign.

- LOBBY CARDS: Gallery of promotional lobby cards from the film's theatrical campaign.

- BEHIND-THE-SCENES PHOTOGRAPHS: View some rare photo's showing the cast and crew hard at work.

- PRODUCTION PHOTOGRAPHS: View publicity photos featuring the cast.

- PRODUCTION NOTES: Read an essay on the making of the film.

- THEATRICAL TRAILER: Watch the original promotional trailer from the film's theatrical campaign.

- RE-RELEASE TRAILERS: Watch the promotional trailer created for the re-release of the film.

- IN THE MASTER'S SHADOW: HITCHCOCK'S LEGACY: Some of Hollywood's top filmmakers discuss
Hitchcock's influence and why his movies continue to thrill audiences.

- HITCHCOCK / TRUFFAUT INTERVIEWS: Excerpt's from a 1962 audio interview with Alfred Hitchcock .

- AUDIO COMMENTARY: Feature-length audio commentary with Stephen Rebello (author of "Alfred Hitchcock and the making of Psycho")

- ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS "LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER": Full-length episode from Season 3 of Alfred Hitchcock's TV series "Lamb to the Slaughter" featuring Barbara Bel Geddes.

Being the proud owner of the "Psycho Collector's Edtion" for many years, I am excited to finally see this film come alive with the many extras it deserves.

I would say I want the version as the director intended, not a censored print. Hello Universal?

As detailed here http://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=1921

One piece of footage was even included on the previous Universal CE dvd, in the making documentary as 'censored footage'. It's in the vaults...

Alfred Hitchcock wired Anthony Perkins to apologise on behalf of his film-making colleagues, after Perkins was denied an Oscar for his portrayal of Norman Bates. Perkins's performance is indeed remarkable, mature and haunting.

The shower sequence is a masterpiece, but I think the scene in Bates's parlour where he and Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) discuss life - including Mother - is a poignant and brilliant performance by Perkins.

Perkins became tragically typecast, but he transformed Robert Bloch's ugly-mannered Bates into a youthfull and tender-natured man. Psycho is an outright classic.

This is one of those classic movies you just wish you could have watched when it first came out in the movie theaters and you or no one else in the audience knew what was coming! Even if you know the basic story outline complete with the big "surprise" and have seen some of the many parodies and copies of the film the original PSYCHO is a very enjoyable viewing experience for any horror/suspense fan. From the memorable music to the perfect casting PSYCHO is truly a masterpiece.

Who hasn't seen this?
Raise your hands and hang your heads in shame.
One of the most important films in history, you must see this.
Too bad the remake is just an unnecessary insult.
The original has withstood the test of time easily.
Brilliant acting, brilliant pacing, amazing directing, and an ending that still blows people away.
Do I recommend this movie?
This movie is REQUIRED VIEWING BY ALL!!!

A slick, taught psychological thriller. Seminal cinema. I had avoided watching this film for a long time after a friend of mine told me it was 'kind of obvious who the killer is'. Well yes and no. From the cautious, careful opening scenes, to the moment the mysterious motel/house location is established, it is clear that this is not the type of billion dollar bloodbath slasher thriller with ludicrous twists, turns, subplots, denouments. It is a closed world - dominated by the disturbed young man Norman Bates: quirky, uneasy, boyishly handsome - and his relationship with his elderly invalid mother who dominates his mind.

Original for its shape (the shower scene is only a third of the way through) and its intelligent and brilliant epilogue of psychological ideas after a thrilling seat clutching climax, Psycho is a must.

I don't think you can call yourself a film enthusiast if you are not a fan of Hitchcock. Part of loving film is finding solace in the technique used to create film, and truly there is no other director who possesses the technique Hitchcock possessed. The famed director was truly a master of his craft, able to generate genuine emotion from his audience, always using every advantage at his disposal and creating authentic and moving pictures that are still unmatched even today. While he has delivered many masterpieces, in my humble opinion `Psycho' is his finest work.

When you watch `Psycho' there are many techniques Hitchcock utilized to the superlative degree to deliver to his audience perfection. First, and maybe foremost, we have the brilliant score. Music can be a key to creating the perfect mood and tone for a film. Think back to the ominous baritone that bubbles from the depths of `Jaws' and even recently, films like `Atonement' and `There Will Be Blood' have utilized the power of music to elevate scenes and cement themselves into our memories. `Psycho' has probably the most memorable of all film scores for I can still hear those screeching violins every time I step into the shower. Secondly, Hitchcock shot the film in classic black and white, even though color was an option. Now while his initial reasoning for the decision may have been to save money, the end result leads the audience down a much more fulfilling path than had he opted for a color film. Having seen Gus Van Sant's remake (which really isn't as horrible as critics labeled it) I can honestly say that color works against this film. The rich grays and blacks help stir the feelings of imminent danger, helping to solidify feelings of fear even when nothing frightening is taking place on the screen. The editing is also ferociously engrossing, especially when concerning the famous shower scene. Hitchcock knows how to keep the audience on edge throughout the entirety of the film; thus the publicity campaign `No One Will Be Seated After the Picture Begins'.

And then you have the plot, filled to the brim with mystery and surprise. Hitchcock takes advantage of these plot twists in order to create a film that is genuinely shocking and unexpected (the first go around) and manages to still deliver shivers upon multiple viewings. I have not read Robert Bloch's novel which served as inspiration for the film (I don't hear many good things about it) but Hitchcock's masterpiece shines brightly from every outlet.

The film revolves around Marion Crane, a young woman who has a lot of things going wrong for her; most notably her affair with a married man. Desiring to find a way to make their lives easier and enable her lover Sam to divorce his wife and marry her, Marion steals a substantial amount of money from her boss's client and flees town. In her haste she stumbles across an old run down motel and decides to stay the night. The manager Norman seems like a nice young man. He's thoughtful and considerate, offering her some dinner and keeping her company. He is a tad skittish and defensive, but nothing too alarming. Then Marion attempts to take a shower, and we all know what happens next.

I can't for the life of my conclude that anyone reading this review doesn't already know the brilliant twist in this film, for even those who have not seen this movie are certainly aware of it, but for the sake of that one person who genuinely has no clue I will remain silent with regards to the plot from that point onward.

Aiding Hitchcock are the phenomenal performances by the cast, especially Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh. There is a pivotal scene when Norman Bates and Marion Crane are eating dinner together that truly reeks with talent. These two actors embody the souls of their characters and ooze forth with such commanding presence. I am shocked that Anthony Perkins was denied even an Oscar nomination for his brilliant performance, creating the perfect villain who is not only fear inspiring and genuinely chilling but also honestly sympathetic. Janet Leigh, who did receive a much deserved Oscar nomination, is also flawlessly enticing as Marion Crane. She commands your attention and draws you into her dilemma masterfully. The remaining cast is superb as well; John Gavin, Vera Miles, John McIntire and Simon Oakland especially delivering strong performances that support and elevate those of the two leads.

When all is said and done there really isn't any fault to be found with Hitchcock's masterpiece. The final frames of Norman Bates' silent madness are forever locked into my subconscious and still haunt my dreams on occasion. Sure, there are films that are scarier and more gruesome than this classic but rarely has a film of this genre been able to reach the levels of truly sustained dread that Hitchcock captured; a dread that never leaves, only lies dormant, waiting for the right moment to unleash itself its victims once again.

I purchased the Psycho Collectors Edition right before it went out of print. When I heard that it went out of print, it felt like I caught a wiff of fresh air. I was glad I had my copy of Psycho, especially considering that it is my favorite movie of all time.

After I heard that they were re-releasing Psycho, I was somewhat dissapointed. I had already spent $15 on the movie, and I didn't want to spend another $20 for another edition. I avoided the special edition for several months, but after reading over the features, I couldn't help myself.

The features include all that was on the Collectors edition (A making of documentary, a newsreel clip, photos, and trailers) along with a new documentary on Alfred Hitchcock's directing career, an episode from Hitchcock's tv show, and an in depth interview. The transfer is also an improvment over the prvious edition.

I bought this movie about a month ago, and I love it. Hitchcock was brilliant, and this has to be my favorite movie that he's done. While others cringe at the "shower scene" and therefore deem it as traumatic or just horrifying, I can't help but to love the movie even more. It can freak a person out, but it doesn't once show the person actually being stabbed. The actors are also very wonderful. Anthony Perkins plays the owner of the motel, and I find him very talented in his roles...I won't tell you more about the movie though, as it may ruin it for you. So, if you are a Hitchcock fan...even if you're not, I suggest you get this movie, because it is one pyschological thriller you won't want to miss.

This is the original and no other can come close to it! Psycho was based on the book but Alfred Hitchcock turned it into a real suspense thriller! A woman embezzles 40,000 from her job, runs away, and encounters a psycho path running an old motel. She ends up missing and those who try to locate her find out about the history of the the infamous Norman Bates, his mother, and their sinister looking house and motel. Psycho is definitely a movie to watch if u haven't seen it yet like I did as a child, and the sequels and prequels too. Thumbs up Sir Alfred Hitchock! The remake was a joke! Can't top Hitch! This DVD has the original trailers and the making of Psycho as well as other extras on it. Good job!

This is one of the great all time classic horror movies. I never get tired of watching it.

Psycho was a film made by Film Legend Alfred Hitchcock in 1960. It was based on the book, Psycho, which was written by Robert Bloch. The book was loosely based on Wisconsin Serial Killer Ed Gein. The film tells the story about a secretary that embezzles money from her employer. She goes on the run after doing so yet, because of weather & fatigue, decides to stop by The Bates Motel. Yet, her stop there proves to be her undoing. Out of all of Alfred Hitchcock's movies, this is the movie he is most fondly remembered for. The movie stars Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh(mother of Scream Queen Legend, Jamie Lee Curtis), Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, & John Mcintire. The Shower scene in the movie has been studied and discussed over and over as to why it is so terrifying and why many has tried to copy it through the years. This collector's edition includes extras like newsreel footage surrounding the making and release of the movie; an archive of production stills; the special trailer in which Hitchcock himself leads viewers around the Bates place; credit designer Saul Bass's original "shower scene" story boards; posters and advertising materials for the movie's William Castle-like publicity campaign (No One Will Be Seated After the Feature Begins!); and, the piece de resistance, a 90-minute documentary on the making of the film!
The movie itself was so succesful that it spawned three sequels(one of which was directed by Perkins himself), a made-for TV movie called The Bates Motel, and a remake that stars Anne Heche-Vince Vaughn-William H. Macy-Viggo Mortensen(of Lord of the Rings fame)-& Julianne Moore. The movie was also the very first movie to start the 'Slasher' Genre of movies.

This movie is a classic that deserves to be in any film lovers' collection.

I received this dvd for Christmas and I was very excited! Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" is my absolute favorite movie and this dvd was more than just suitable. The quality is fantastic, the picture is clear and the sound is crisp. Not only that but the special features are great, with a documentary by the surviving cast and crew, film posters and original trailers. Anthony Perkins will forever be known for his portrayal of Norman Bates, the world's biggest mama's boy and true psycho. This dvd is a must for any classic movie collection!

"Psycho" is a brilliant film, and deserves its permanent status as a classic. But, as with "The Shining," I'm sick of the dismissive attitude towards the source material. Even true-crime writer Harold Schechter, an expert in pop culture and someone who should be capable of fully appreciating Robert Bloch's novel, demeans Bloch's actual accomplishment by referring to it as "a clever but minor pulp chiller." And, as with "The Shining" and "The Exorcist," the movie's greatness - at least in relation to other horror films - has been exaggerated.

I think this needs especial emphasis with "Psycho," because even Hitchcock, notorious for hogging the credit for the success of his films, claimed that his film "all came from Robert Bloch's book." In light of this, screenwriter Joseph Stefano's refusal to credit Bloch and taking public credit for things that Bloch invented is particularly execrable.

A good deal of the dismissal of the original materials by Bloch, King and Blatty derives from a snobbish, condescending attitude towards "popular fiction." When a great film is crafted from such a book, the common wisdom states - sometimes with varying degrees of validity - that the film concentrated the essence of the source material's interesting ideas, while improving on their execution, adding depth to the whole, and jettisoning the "commercial" fluff. This perspective, however, is clung to with knee-jerk insistence, and it is condescending not just towards popular fiction, but towards cinema itself: the flip side of this perspective that I've just described, and which goes hand-in-hand with it, is that a film, when derived from a "serious work of literature," will always remain a footnote to the original text, no matter how great. For example, David Lean's version of Oliver Twist fits the first theory to a tee; and yet, have you ever heard anybody say so? On the contrary, the film, though hailed as a masterpiece, is subjugated in importance to the supposedly greater intrinsic value of Dickens's original, even though the novel is criticized as one of his most immature books. This second perspective says something quite insulting about the intrinsic value of cinema as an art form as opposed to that of literature. Any one who loves the cinema must be sickened by this attitude.

When all is said and done, I'll admit that I think Hitchcock's film surpasses its source. But both book and film are classics - albeit, a minor classic and a major classic.

This is a wonderful classic. Everyone should have this in their collection. Everytime I view it, it keeps me engaged and it's like I'm seeing it for the first time. Thank you.....

Anthony Perkins always feared that he would be typecast because of the popularity of this film. His filmography reads like an actor who did just about everything. Drama, horror, sci-fi, western, thriller, comedy, there wasn't much that he hadn't done. For most people, however, he will be forever known for his role as Norman Bates in "Psycho".

The film really needs no introduction, as it has been in the public domain for almost fifty years. This is for the small minority who, for some reason, have not seen it yet.

The film is essentially about an almost painfully repressed young man who runs a dilapidated motel just off a deserted highway. A woman stops at the Bates Motel one dark, rainy night, and makes an impression on Norman, the young man who runs it. Unfortunately, Norman's Mother does not approve of ANY woman who would come between her and her son.
A number of murders take place, and a relative of the woman comes to see for herself what may have happened to her sister. The woman's boyfriend is also curious as to what may have happened, as well.
As things turn out, Poor Norman is implicated, and the rest is history.

The real story behind "Psycho" comes from a novel written by Robert Bloch, who in turn, got inspiration from the story of Ed Gein, a man who not only killed people in his small Wisconsin town, but made household items from the skin and bones of his victims. There was also talk of his being a cannibal, as well. He was in the final stages of completing a full body suit, made from the skin of a number of his victims, when he was caught (this also served as the inspiration for the character of "Buffalo Bill" in "Silence of the Lambs"). He died in an insane asylum in 1984.

"Psycho" is the most popular and beloved of all of Alfred Hitchcock's films. In it's day, it shocked a great many people. It serves as a model of how to make a horror film, and has also served as an inspiration for Gus Van Sant to lens a remake (which was an absolute bomb at the Box Office). There have been studies (I'm not kidding) of how Hitchcock filmed "Psycho", from camera angles, to cutting (editing), to lighting and panning the camera for a certain effect.
If you happen to be reading this, and have NOT seen this film, boy, are you in for a treat! If you HAVE already seen it, may I entreat you to see it again, as Classics such as this one never get old!!

While Psycho is one of the greatest films of all time, this dvd does no justice. The transfer is horrible. The film seems darker at some points in the film and it makes it hard to know what is going on. I still enjoyed the film just not the transfer.

Psycho starring Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins is a black and white masterpiece to say the least. Great peformances, fantastic direction, and a bone-tingling plot, Psycho is one film not to be missed. This film still gives me goosebumps, probably seen it 50 times and each time I watch it I see something I never noticed before. I highly recommend this "mother" of a movie, enjoy!

Made with a paltry 1960 budget of 1 million and his TV show crew, Hitchcock shows independent filmgoers how to scare people and get great performances. Again, as in all his work, Hitchcock brings together wonderful set designers and locates the perfect locales. He shoots most of it on a sound stage, but you'd never know it. The Bates Motel is really the first slasher movie set and Janet Leigh, a good-girl-bad-girl, is carved by wild-eyed Tony Perkins.

We feel sorry for poor Ms. Leigh, but weirdly, Perkins's character is actually well spoken and sympathetic, a fellow that cares deeply about his poor old mum. The shrink explains the whole thing at the end with lots of 1950's psycho-babble.

This is without a doubt Hitchcock's best and is incredible in every way. There is brilliant acting from Mr.Anthony Perkins as well as Janet Leigh. This was a groundbreaking film that changed the face of movies forever. Although it's old, the story is one the really caputres you and sends a few chills down your spine. and who could forget the famous s hower sequence! supposedly, after the movie came out, there was a 40% drop in shower curtain sales. You know a movie is good when it affects sales!