Psycho

It's time for another Alfred Hitchcock picture. Psycho, is probably one of the mod influential pictures of the twentieth century. t's impact on the thriller and horror genre is to this day still echoing. everything from it's story structure and cinematic techniques have influenced  have been emulated by over films from that day foreword.  Hitchcock's Masterpiece is intense, chilling and knows exactly how to be scary without have shock scares involved with it. 

The story begins with a young woman on the run from the law after she has recently embezzled some money. she finds herself one night, on the door step of the Bates Motel where she meets the Hotel's manager, Norman Bates. Norman Bates is a social recluse who has a very strange obsession with his mentally ill mother. The woman and Norman have dinner together where it increasingly becomes clear that Norman is attracted to her. but soon allows her to return to her hotel room.  Later that night as she takes a shower the vicious mother of Norman arrives and brutally murders her. weeks later the hunt is on for the deceased woman as her family and friends close in on the Bates Motel who knows what will happen when Norman and his mother are pushed into a corner. 

What makes the film work so well is its constant feeling of urgency. The film itself does not play out like your average horror film in that, there isn't constant action. in fact the first twenty minutes of the film plays out more like a crime drama than it does a horror film. But what really makes the film work the audience's complete lack of security. Halfway through the film our female lead is killed off. Audiences didn't know what to do with themselves the fact that a character who is designed to act as a vessel for the audience is dead leave us with a sense of abandon as if there is no security, which brings the film to an even more intense level.  the use of music also brings our a sense of urgency in the film that great theme song which just emulates the stabbing of  knife just feels like you're getting jabbed at. it make you uncomfortable and  a little on edge. The way this film is shot also brings up the urgency i always recall the editing style keeping me invested. there's a scene immediately following the th first murder where we just see Norman meticulously disposing of the body. it runs for nearly five minutes with no dialogue. and it's probably one of the most intense scenes of the film. You almost find yourself rooting for him in a sick way because because for a brief moment everything is against him in the film.

I always found the story behind how this film was marketed almost more interesting than the film itself. Where an ordinary director would have given in to the demand soy the studio in order to please the sensors and the corporate big wigs; Hancock used his own intelligence and negotiation abilities to not only get the film make but to get everything that he wanted. The drama behind this film is legendary. as the film was the first time a flushing toilet was shown on screen. Yeah, that was a big deal to the censors at the time. The over all sexual tone of the film was under fire as well not to mention a certain character possibly being a cross dresser. Hitchcock's  marketing of the film was ingenious. first off he bought up every copy of the novelization so that the ending would not be spoiled and then ensured that if patterns showed up late to any theater featuring the film, that they would not be aloud in. Hitchcock firmly believed the film's impact relied on the twists it offered and he was right. his marketing made the film an enormous success and to this day we're still talking about it. 

All in all I find this film to be a wonder to watch. It's the kind of film that any individual interested in becoming a film maker should watch, as it pretty much lays out all the mechanics of what a good film is and how it should be shot.  I really don't want to ruin the ending for anyone who hasn't seen it because frankly it's worth  the surprise.  Psycho as a whole is a simple film with a very complexed villain that i firmly believe will make any viewer gasp.