2. Psycho (1960)

"I think I must have one of those faces you can't help believing." 

- Norman Bates

Movie Poster

Fun Facts about Psycho:

• First ever movie on the genre of slasher films.
• Alfred Hitchcock bought the rights to the novel anonymously from Robert Bloch for only US$9,000. He then bought up as many copies of the novel as he could to keep the ending a secret. 
• One of the reasons Alfred Hitchcock shot the movie in black and white was he thought it would be too gory in color. But the main reason was that he wanted to make the film as inexpensively as possible (under $1 million). He also wondered if so many bad, inexpensively made, b/w "B" movies did so well at the box office, what would happen if a really good, inexpensively made, b/w movie was made. 
• This was Alfred Hitchcock's last feature film in black and white, filmed November 30 1959-March 1 1960. 
• During filming, this movie was referred to as "Production 9401" or "Wimpy". The latter name came from the second-unit cameraman on the picture Rex Wimpy who appeared on clapboards and production sheets, and some on-the-set stills for Psycho. 
• Alfred Hitchcock produced this film when plans to make a film starring Audrey Hepburn, called "No Bail for the Judge," fell through. 
• Walt Disney refused to allow Alfred Hitchcock to film at Disneyland in the early 1960s because Hitchcock had made "that disgusting movie, 'Psycho'." (Well, that's just mean to come from a perverted guy who puts subliminal messages on his film)
• In the opening scene, Marion Crane is wearing a white bra because Alfred Hitchcock wanted to show her as being "angelic". After she has taken the money, the following scene has her in a black bra because now she has done something wrong and evil. Similarly, before she steals the money, she has a white purse; after she's stolen the money, her purse is black. (Talk about symbolism there)
• First American film ever to show a toilet flushing on screen. (Saw this trivia on my school's bathroom)

Here's the controversial toilet flush

• This was voted the seventh scariest film of all time by Entertainment Weekly. 
• Anthony Perkins was paid US$40,000 dollars for his role, which is exactly the same amount of money that Marion Crane embezzles. (I can say he was not top billed here)
• Alfred Hitchcock originally envisioned the shower sequence as completely silent, but Bernard Herrmann went ahead and scored it anyway, and upon hearing it, Hitchcock immediately changed his mind. 
• You will get more facts about the making of Psycho on the 2012 movie (or is it 2013) Hitchcock which starred Anthony Hopkins as Hitchcock. (I suggest you watch this)

Story line as understood by a fifteen-year-old:



Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), was a normal office secretary who steals $40,000 from her employee and run off to her boyfriend Sam's (John Gavin) California home where eventually she stumbles upon an old motel named Bates Motel where she stayed for the night since it was raining and well, she was kind of fatigued too, due to guilt and stuffs because that was the first time she ever did do that thing. There she met the owner Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) who she believes lives and runs the motel with his mother that does not leave the house behind the motel. She also overheard an argument between Norman's mother and him to which she told him to just abandon his mother, but he angrily said he could not do that.

Knife wielding silhouette

After finally realizing the wrongness of her doing, she then decided to drive back to Phoenix the next day, and (here comes the best part of everything) went to shower where she was butchered to death by a silhouette with a knife. Norman finds the corpse and knew that it was the doing of her mother since she was extremely upset with his attraction towards Marion, so he decided to dispose the body on a swamp like thing with the car and every evidence that Marion was ever there.

On Phoenix, Sam, who was believed to be with Marion, is contacted by Marion's sister, Lila (Vera Miles) and a private detective. Arbogast the detective (Martin Balsam) traces Marion to the motel where he interrogated Norman, who lied to him in a very terrible way and refused to let him talk with his mother. He called Lila and reported everything, then got butchered by the knife wielder silhouette after attempting to go in the Bates's house. Norman then forced her mother to hide in the cellar.

Lila, after not hearing from Arbogast, called the Sheriff of the town and there she heard that Norman's mother was dead long ago. Lila and Sam, who can't get help from anyone, decided to take matters into their own hands and went to check in to the motel. After some interrogation, Norman knocked Sam out, and looked for Lila, who hid in the cellar where she found Mrs. Bates's body and screamed, then Norman appeared in his mother's clothes, wig and a knife in hand, but Sam overpowered him and knocked him out.

Say hello to Mama Bates

At the end it was revealed that Norman has somewhat of a psycho thing going on to which he thought his mother was still alive, even though she's dead and it was because of him.

Epic shot :)))

Feedback of a fifteen-year-old girl:

Being the first one of its kind, Psycho is my most favorite movie of Hitchcock and he proved to the people around him that it was not another Vertigo (which sadly starred James Stewart, The Philadelphia Story). The movie was well directed and the script was very well-written. The choice of score, too, was fantabulous (huh?).

While filming the movie, Hitchcock has got this small resentment towards Vera Miles because she got pregnant before she was supposed to be starring in Vertigo, which Hitchcock believes (I think?) as the reason why it became a connotation of bad film to him. The cast ensemble was good and I like the whole Anthony Perkins's innocent angelic looking face but I agree to Hitchcock when it comes o John Gavin's stiffness, which totally kind of a negative thing. But I love LOVE this film so very, very, very much.

She was scared, literally.

My favorite moments in the film were the shower killing scene with the epic screaming violin music, Vera Miles encounter with the corpse of Mrs. Bates and Anthony Perkins's last scene where he looks so evil and awesome.

Anyways, in this movie you will witness Hitchcock's eccentricity and exceptional talent behind the camera and his love for doing little uncredited cameos.

IMDb gave it an 8.6.

I give it a 9.90, John Gavin's fault that it is not 10.

Bates Motel, TV Series 2013

But anyways, it was a really, really good film which had some kind of sequels and stuffs ranging from TV movies, to a  remake and a TV series, Bates Motel, which starred Freddy Highmore as teen Norman. I haven't really seen the TV movies and remake because I haven't had time but I saw 2 episodes of Bates Motel and all I can say was it is quite decent, and the actress who played the non-corpse Norma Bates (the mama of Norman) was good. I suggest you watch it and tell me what you think. :)

References:

• The movie, of course
• IMDb
• Wikipedia
• Google Images