Psycho

Psycho is the movie that created the slasher genre. No movie before Psycho had ever ventured into such a gruesome realm, at least not in the mainstream American media. Alfred Hitchcock created this movie in as creepy a manner as the story projects on screen. He took extreme measures to make sure no one knew what the movie was about. He kept everything very secretive during production. Hitchcock produced Psycho under a fake production name. He made sure there was a seat on set for the actor playing 'mother', even though there was none. He even paid Marion Crane the salary of a leading role, even though her character dies fairly early in the film. Hitchcock did all of this to keep the plot of the story secret. Like other Hitchcock films, Psycho astonished its audience by crossing boundaries and taking the audience where they never thought they'd go.

Psycho begins with who seems to be the main character Marion Crane, played by Janet Leigh, running out of town with $40,000. She stops to stay the night at a small motel when the rain gets too dangerous to drive in. This is when the audience first meets the story's actual focal point, Norman Bates, played by Anthony Perkins. Marion is then murdered in the shower, naked, which was pushing the envelope back in 1960. Marion's boyfriend Sam and her sister Lila hire a private investigator, who is also murdered during his search for Marion. Once Sam and Lila decide to search the motel for themselves the film gets very intense and the twists towards the end are incredible.

The acting in Psycho was great, all of the people searching for Marion really had no idea what was going on. Norman was by far the best played character. Anthony Perkins did an incredible job making this character seem as odd and strange as possible. It is said that Perkins was very good about staying in character. One of the things I liked most about Psycho was how familiar the audience felt with the motel by the end of the film. It gave me the feeling that I knew where everything was, I knew where Norman's house was, where Marion was murdered, and where the office was. I suppose that the motel was the 'confined space' of the horror film formula. I think Hitchcock did a fabulous job with the presentation of the motel in the film. The other pieces of the horror film formula include a monster and a sin that people are being punished for. The monster in psycho was obviously the deranged Norman Bates, and the sin could be either greed for money, or adultery. These pieces of the formula were perfect in my mind. Another piece of the film I'd like to mention was the lighting, the lighting was always perfectly suited for the mood of the scene. Psycho was incredibly entertaining for me. I can only imagine what it would have been like to live in 1960 and see this film. Everything about this film simply worked, so I give it a 9/10.


Beat Sheet for Psycho
Opening Image: The film starts off with Marion Crane and her lover Sam Loomis making out on a bed

Theme Stated: Tom Cassidy arrives at Marion Cranes boss’s office and says “Just…buying off unhappiness.”

Set-Up: Marion is asked to take the money to the bank for her boss.

Catalyst: She is given the 40,000 dollars in cash to take to the bank but she’s not sure what to do with it.

Debate: She makes up her mind to go live with Sam Loomis in California.

Break into Two: Marion leaves her town to go be with Sam and get away with the money.

B Story: After driving all day and night for 2 days she stops at a Motel that Norman Bates owns and runs to stay the night.

Fun and Games: Norman seems to have social problems and is obedient of his mother. Ultimately this leads to Normans mother killing Marion.

Midpoint: Norman discovers Marion dead on the ground and cleans up the mess and dispossess of the evidence.

Bad Guys Close In: After finding out that her sister has been missing Lila and Sam are confronted by a private investigator that is trying to find Marion. His search takes him to Norman’s hotel and leaves unsatisfied but returns only to die.

All Is Lost: Sam and Lila are distressed that the detective did not come back with news.

Dark Night Of The Soul: They talk to the sheriff of the town and learn that Norman Bates mother has been dead for 10 years.

Break into three: They decide to go investigate the hotel for themselves.

Finale: They find Norman mothers corpse and Lila is attacked in the cellar by Norman in a wig. Sam saves her though and they take Norman to the sheriff.

Final Image: In order for Norman to live the lie that his mother had not died by his hand he put on the illusion that she was never dead in his mind and became a psycho. Norman could not buy off happiness without losing his mind in the process.

-Nicholas