This is Psycho, a movie that will scare you when you see it–keeping you on your toes. This movie will look real to the naked eye, as it’s intense, and doesn’t let your heart stop racing. The movie is about secretary Marion Crane, played by Janet Leigh, who steals $40,000 and is now on the run; hiding from the businessman who planned on using the money for his daughter’s wedding. Stress is constantly heightening as Crane is far from her boyfriend Sam Loomis, played by John Gavin. To overcome her heart pounding fear of being caught by the police, Crane stumbles upon a small motel by the name of ‘Bates Motel’. Said motel is run by a polite and kind man named Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), who enjoys taxidermy of birds and has a slight problem with his mother.
This movie is critically acclaimed to be one of the greatest movies ever made according to the excellent American Film Institute. Alfred Hitchcock does a fantastic job of setting up a movie that’s scary because of how realistic it is. The budget of this movie was about $806,947, it wasn’t considered a lot in the past and even currently. Nevertheless, the fantastic acting shines through as Anthony Perkins provides arguably the best performance. Perkins truly gives a professional performance as the man who has child-like qualities, and who has true problems. Janet Leigh, the original Scream Queen, also does a great job to make the audience genuinely feel what she goes through step by step. An additional individual who did a very good job in this movie is an Alfred Hitchcock regular; Vera Miles, the sister of Marion Crane who is nervous for her sister’s life as she could be missing. Reasoning as to why Hitchcock is better than most directors today, and why he’s the inspiration for many(for example, M. Night Shyamalan), is because he filmed his movies mostly in black and white–some in color. He also did not use gore. He makes movies that make you think; you’re looking at the background of where the main character is, as the music makes up the tone, and what they’re doing and how things are said become purely up for audience interpretation. He also films the frightened look of the main character by using close-up shots and utilizes the background and shadows for a desired tonality. I give this movie three Gold Bars based on the overall film, and its longevity and current relevance. Movies such as these are the inspiration for some of the most popular horror movies today. It goes to show that a movie like that has truly made an impact on movie fans and Hollywood itself; this is a major horror movie, not because of gore, but because of what it doesn’t show and what you need to imagine yourself. It’s worth the watch, and I’ll see you the next time you want to come Back To The Movies.