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Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam ... see more see more... , John McIntire , Simon Oakland , Frank Albertson , Patricia Hitchcock , Vaughan Taylor , Lurene Tuttle , John Anderson , Mort Mills , Francis De Sales , George Eldredge , Sam Flint , Virginia Gregg , Frank Killmond , Ted Knight , Jeanette Nolan , Marli Renfro , Helen Wallace , Anne Dore , Marion Crane

In 1960, Alfred Hitchcock was already famous as the screen's master of suspense (and perhaps the best-known film director in the world) when he released Psycho and forever changed the shape and tone o... read more read more...f the screen thriller. From its first scene, in which an unmarried couple balances pleasure and guilt in a lunchtime liaison in a cheap hotel (hardly a common moment in a major studio film in 1960), Psycho announced that it was taking the audience to places it had never been before, and on that score what followed would hardly disappoint. Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is unhappy in her job at a Phoenix, Arizona real estate office and frustrated in her romance with hardware store manager Sam Loomis (John Gavin). One afternoon, Marion is given $40,000 in cash to be deposited in the bank. Minutes later, impulse has taken over and Marion takes off with the cash, hoping to leave Phoenix for good and start a new life with her purloined nest egg. 36 hours later, paranoia and exhaustion have started to set in, and Marion decides to stop for the night at the Bates Motel, where nervous but personable innkeeper Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) cheerfully mentions that she's the first guest in weeks, before he regales her with curious stories about his mother. There's hardly a film fan alive who doesn't know what happens next, but while the shower scene is justifiably the film's most famous sequence, there are dozens of memorable bits throughout this film. The first of a handful of sequels followed in 1983, while Gus Van Sant's controversial remake, starring Vince Vaughn and Anne Heche, appeared in 1998. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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90% liked it

200,428 ratings

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99% liked it

73 critics

R, 1 hr. 49 min.

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

Release Date: June 16, 1960

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DVD Release Date: March 6, 2001

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Stats: 11,443 reviews

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'Psycho' Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates Vera Miles and John Gavin Martin Balsam and Anthony Perkins Vera Miles, John Gavin and Anthony Perkins Vera Miles as Lila Crane 'Psycho' - poster Psycho Psycho Don't Cheat Yourself! Don't Tell Your Friends Psycho Psycho Psycho Psycho Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates
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Flixster Reviews (11,443)

  • jmanard52
    August 27, 2011
    jmanard52
    What can one say about one of America Cinemas great movies. Classic film from the master of suspense. Iconic scenes and acting abound!
  • paulkoh110
    April 15, 2012
    paulkoh110
    Stop reading the review an watch it now!! Its worth any price for viewing since its actually one of the most iconic horror films. Love it and experience the BATES HOTEL!
  • FiLmCrAzY
    March 30, 2012
    FiLmCrAzY
    I have to say Alfred Hitchcock is my all time favourite director and master of horror!
    He really knows how to make his movies suspenseful and exciting right to the end! For its time this movie is just phenomenal!
    It is the most iconic and remembered masterpiece that deserves ever... read morey little credit it can take! A fantastic horror movie with the most iconic shower scene, amazing soundtrack and mindblowing twist ending!
  • fb1664868775
    March 2, 2012
    fb1664868775
    One of my favorites from one of the all time greatest directors. Looking at the other films Hitchcock made around this time, I love the fact that he made it so low key, no Vistavision (which I do love) and in black and white, with no huge star in it. Seeing this in a theater is a... read moremazing.
  • spielberg00
    February 4, 2012
    spielberg00
    Everything is set perfectly, and so this 1960 thriller still works today.
  • blkbomb
    December 28, 2011
    blkbomb
    Norman Bates: Mother! Oh God, mother! Blood! Blood! 

    "Exploring the blackness of the subconscious man!"

    There is so much to love about Psycho. Alfred Hitchcock dared to take film where it had never been before. He wastes no time in showing the 1960 audience this, when he starts... read more the movie off with passionate kissing, while Janet Leigh lays on a bed in a bra. Today, this is seems like no big deal, but back in the day it was shocking. He also was the first director to ever show a toilet in a film. It's hard to believe in the years proceeding Psycho, that a toilet was never shown or flushed. It is such an average thing, that we see and use daily, yet it had never been shown in a film. Then there is the violence, which is mild today, but not nearly as common back in 1960. But my favorite thing about this movie is how Hitchcock set up his false protagonist, Marion Crane.

    There are possible spoilers here, but you probably know about them already. False protagonist had been used very little, if at all, before Psycho. So the idea of setting up a character as the main character and then finding out that the character you thought was the main character wasn't just wasn't on the audiences mind back then. They had never seen anything like this. That is why Hitchcock was so adamant about not allowing anyone into the theater after it had started, because the first few scenes were so important. He sets Marion Crane up perfectly. He gives her a love interest and then gives her $40,000 to steal and then sends her away. It appears to the audiences eyes that you are going to be with this character to the very end. Then you introduce a new man to the mix. She has dinner with him, could this be a love triangle? This perfect set up is what makes the shower scene so shocking. No one is expecting Marion to die. The movie has only been going forty minutes. How can you kill off the person who the movie is about only halfway through the film!? Oh, the movie isn't about her. So who is it about? Oh, it's about Norman and his mother. Well... that was unexpected.

    When talking about Psycho, you have to talk about the shower scene. It is probably the most famous horror scene of all-time ad one of the most famous scenes period. Everyone knows about it, even if they haven't seen it. The crazy thing about the scene is how well done it is, despite all the precautions they had to take while shooting in order for it not to be shot down by the censors. They can't show too much skin, they can't show too much violence. That's kind of hard, seeing that a naked woman is getting stabbed while in the shower. It takes brilliant minds to come to the conclusion of how to shoot the scene. It came out perfect. Shoot the knife going down at the body then cut. Literally cut to different angles for every stab. They cut takes when there is a literal cut. How fucking brilliant is that? The scene ends with my favorite piece of camera work ever. Janet Leigh lays half in the tub, half out; with her head on the floor. The camera is focused on the eye and slowly pulls out to see her entire lifeless face. From there the camera does a sweeping shot to where Marion had hidden the $40,000 and then to the window where we hear Norman cry out "Mother! Blood!" It's just the single best scene ever made.

    Another thing you have to talk about is Norman Bates. He is one of the greatest screen villains of all-time. It's him, Hannibal Lector, and Alex DeLarge. Anthony Perkins portrayal of the "Psycho" is one of my favorite male performances ever. From his first shy and awkward conversations with Marion to the ending sinister glare and smile, it is one of the creepiest and most chilling of all performances you could imagine. It is a powerhouse performance, that is helped out by some great writing from Joseph Stefano, who brilliantly brought the relationship between Norman and his mother into the audience's mind right from the get go with Norman's dinner with Marion. We know right away that Norman has some sort of twisted connection with his mother:

    Marion Crane: Do you go out with friends? 
    Norman Bates: A boy's best friend is his mother. 

    We get the sense that Norman is a very lonely individual, who's only real friend throughout his life has been his mother. He talks about how his taxidermy isn't really a hobby because a hobby is supposed to "pass the time, not fill it." He has no real life, outside of his mother. 

    What Psycho is, is a landmark film that gave way to just about every single horror film after it. From Halloween to Silence of the Lambs. Every horror, serial killer, psychological thriller film out there owes something to Psycho. It is a masterpiece and my favorite Hitchcock film.

    Norman Bates: She might have fooled me, but she didn't fool my mother. 
  • StarCrossedVoyager
    December 26, 2011
    StarCrossedVoyager
    A brilliant and tense thriller from Hitchcock which sees a murderer disguised. Brilliant performances and direction. Too bad I already knew the 'twist', but despite this it was still a very good watch.
  • fb733768972
    November 25, 2011
    fb733768972
    The premise of this film is what sells me right from the opening scene. As Maria goes off on a trip after stealing the money that a colleague was going to use to buy his daughter a $40,000 home for her wedding gift, she eventually buys a car and stops in at a motel after becoming... read more tired. Once she get's through the first couple hours and a dinner with the landlord, we begin to realize that he is not exactly what he seems. This film brings out classic horror better than any other Film Noir horror that I have ever seen. Hitchcock's thrilling masterpiece is filled with unique cinematography, powerful acting, a very creepy location, and a premise that will take your breath away. Psycho is one of the best, if not the best suspense film that I have ever seen. Hitchcock does it again!
  • fb100002384654145
    October 31, 2011
    fb100002384654145
    One of the most influential horror movies ever made. Alfred Hitchcock at his very best.
  • theoneandonlybg
    October 23, 2011
    theoneandonlybg
    Well, isn't this a good classic! Many people have spoken to me about it and I hadn't seen it, which is apparently a sin for all film reviewers, so I decided to go and borrow a copy from my mate (thanks Matt)! So, now I have seen this classic, I can review it and take out this gap... read more in my film knowledge...

    Psycho is a film about a woman who is asked to cash a large amount of money for her boss. She stops off at a motel, quite a way away from any bank and soon goes missing. Investigations follow, and the mystery of the Bates' Motel is soon uncovered...

    It's a classic piece of film, made by an absolutely brilliant director. The story is quite solid, with a quite clever twist near the end. What I would say a downside of the film is, is that the special effects are starting to age, making the infamous shower scene quite funny, rather than scary!

    Regardless of the aging, the film can still be appreciated, showing that you can make a good film without the need for explosions everywhere or blood everywhere, which is unfortunately something that many modern directors seem to think is a necessity.

    Again, if you haven't seen it, it's worth watching, but it isn't the greatest film of all time. It's above average, and miles above average for a film of it's time!

View All Psycho Reviews

Critic Reviews

October 7, 2008
TIME Magazine

Director Hitchcock bears down too heavily in this one, and the delicate illusion of reality necessary for a creak-and-shriek movie becomes, instead, a spectacle of stomach-churning horror. Full Review

Variety Staff
October 7, 2008
Variety Staff, Variety

An unusual, good entertainment, indelibly Hitchcock, and on the right kind of boxoffice beam. Full Review

Dave Kehr
September 19, 2007
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 masterpiece blends a brutal manipulation of audience identification and an incredibly dense, allusive visual style to create the most morally unsettling film ever made. Full Review

Mary Elizabeth Williams
January 1, 2000
Mary Elizabeth Williams, Salon.com

All those who still get a chill every time they step into a hotel shower, say aye. That, you see, is the power of Psycho. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

What makes Psycho immortal, when so many films are already half-forgotten as we leave the theater, is that it connects directly with our fears. Full Review

Paine Knickerbocker
January 1, 2000
Paine Knickerbocker, San Francisco Chronicle

[Hitchcock] has very shrewdly interwoven crime, sex and suspense, blended the real and the unreal in fascinating proportions and punctuated his film with several quick, grisly and unnerving surprises. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

With the exception of Halloween, no latter-day horror/thriller has been capable of generating as many goosebumps. Full Review

Bosley Crowther
January 1, 2000
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

[Hitchcock's] denouement falls quite flat for us. But the acting is fair. Full Review

Sarah Wenk
January 2, 2011
Sarah Wenk, Common Sense Media

Horror masterpiece definitely isn't for young kids. Full Review

David Nusair
October 28, 2010
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

...lives up to its reputation as one of the most entertaining and suspenseful horror films of all time... Full Review

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Facts

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    • Norman Bates: Mother - what's the phrase? She isn't quite herself today.
    • Norman Bates: [while in drag, screaming] I'm Norma Bates!
    • Norman Bates: It's not like my mother is a maniac or a raving thing. She just goes a little mad sometimes. We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven't you?
    • Marion Crane: Yes. Sometimes just one time can be enough.
    • Norman Bates: I think I must have one of those faces you can't help believing.
    • Marion Crane: Do you have any vacancies?
    • Norman Bates: Oh, we have 12 vacancies. 12 cabins, 12 vacancies.
    • Norman Bates: Mother-blood! Blood!
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Psycho Trivia

  • On American Psycho, what weapon did Patrick drop down the stairwell, that killed the girl at the bottom?  Answer »
  • What kind of fruit was recorded being stabbed to create the chilling sound effect for the shower scene of Hitchcock's masterpiece, psycho...?  Answer »
  • In what film did this music first feature in?  Answer »
  • First American film ever to show a toilet flushing on screen.  Answer »
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