Psycho (1960)

Alfred Hitchcock’s classic horror film Psycho unnerved an entire generation not quite familiar with the more unbalanced mind and remains a favorite among generations a bit too familiar with the concept. Rarely in film has the act of murder been portrayed so honestly and gruesomely. And rarely has a film carried a twist more bizarre and unexpected than the one we find waiting us at the end of Psycho.

Plot summary for Psycho:
A young woman (Janet Leigh) steals a large sum of money and makes off into the night, bound for a later rendezvous with her lover. She pauses for a stay at the Bates Motel, a small place run by a congenial, quiet boy named Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). He seems nice at first, but alone. So alone. Soon, the woman is killed, and Norman is left to clean up the mess. The woman’s sister joins with her worried lover to find her. They enlist the help of a private investigator. Soon, it becomes clear that things are not what they seem at the Bates Motel. You check in, but you don’t check out.

Memorable scene from Psycho:
Well, duh! Of course it’s the shower scene, stupid! Girl goes into shower. Girl starts to clean herself. Mother opens door. Mother approaches shower. Mother pulls back shower curtain. Girl screams. Mother stabs girl. And stabs. And stabs. Girl screams. Mother stabs. Girl falls against wall. Mother leaves. Girl grabs shower curtain. Shower curtain snaps from its rod one connection at a time. Girl slumps to floor. Water and blood swirl down to shower drain. Girls lifeless face stares at us from the bathroom floor.

Memorable quote from Psycho:
“A boy’s best friend is his mother.”

Why we love Psycho:
Psycho is as timeless as it is creepy. No amount of time can diminish the horror we feel when a shower becomes a bloodbath, when an overnight stay becomes a final stop, when a boy becomes his mother.

Frightening Fact:
Alfred Hitchcock would have been surprised to see his classic Psycho remade in the 1990s in color. He filmed his film in black and white because he believed it would be too gory to show the scenes unfolding in color.