Title Psycho
Year 1960
Date December 19, 2024
Psycho is the set standard for horror movies these days. The prolonged suspense–perfectly set up and brought to a climax–is only expected from the supposed master of the medium, Alfred Hitchcock. Even the tiniest details, for example, how, even after North by Northwest and Vertigo were shot in color, they chose to shoot this movie in black and white, speaks to this film’s drive to be solely frightening.
Looking past the horror and intrigue of the antagonist, it’s interesting to think about the ethics of the protagonist. Marion Crane is a thief and a criminal, stealing $40,000 from a client working with her employer. Now, there is more reason for thought beyond the obvious plot device that this acts as. This becomes a question of whether or not she received her “just desserts” at the Bates Motel. Now, maybe “just desserts” is too harsh. After all, no-one deserves to be killed. But maybe she slightly, just slightly, had it coming. The whole thing is a fascinating rabbit hole of thought.
The master behind Psycho is undoubted. As a first watch, I enjoyed the step-by-step unfolding of the madness that is Norman Bates. While maybe not as cinematically genius as Rear Window, its concept and storyline has prevailed in the genre to this day. Psycho V when?