Psycho Film Review

PSYCHO

Psycho, an old, classic, horror movie, filmed in black and white. How could anyone possibly expect much from a film like this? Well, what I expected to watch, and what I did watch, are two very different films.

This film certainly surprised me. I simply couldn’t expect much more than a few jump scares, from the 1960’s black and white film. However, it was more than just that. Psycho managed to not only just give me jump scares, but it played with my mind with incredible twists and turns. Although the special effects are outdated compared to those currently used to make todays blockbusters, Alfred Hitchcock’s Horror thriller, creates a fiery suspenseful cinematic experience, which will leave you on the edge of your seat.

It all starts when Marion crane (Janet Leigh) is a secretary in a real estate office in Phoenix. When she is given $40,000 to put in the bank, she runs away to start a new life with her boyfriend Sam Loomis (John Gavin). When she is too tired to continue driving one rainy night, she stops in at the Bates motel. There, she meets Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) a mysterious, yet polite and welcoming young man who runs the motel, and he lives in an eerily creepy house behind the motel with his elderly mother.

From the moment that Marion stole the money and attempts to attract as little attention to herself as possible, the audience is trapped in the sensation of fear, and suspense, wondering what is going to happen next. The moment the audience meets the mysterious Norman Bates, suspicions arise, but the politeness to him makes the audience curious to whether Norman Bates is one to be trusted or not.

Something I noticed in this film, was the careful construction of each and every one of the characters leading the audience into curiosity and emotions toward the characters mannerisms, speech, and behaviour. This is especially evident in Norman Bates, and Marion Crane.

Hitchcock maintains the high amount of suspense throughout this classic horror/thriller, by the use of screeching violin music. This eerie music creates suspense and temptation. Another tool that Hitchcock has used, is all the different camera angles, which are evident throughout the duration of the film. These different angles are designed to make each scene creepier and more effective.

This film had many interesting aspects and scenes, but the scene that I enjoyed the most was toward the very end when there is a major plot twist, which Alfred Hitchcock created brilliantly. The lead up to this moment was perfectly set up, leaving you unsuspecting and truly surprised. He leads you down a suspecting path, only to throw you completely off with a major plot twist, and you realise that he has simply been playing with your mind the whole film, predicting what you are going to believe, and leaving you truly surprised and amazed about how such an old film could fool you so much. When the film first came out, it would have simply just blown everyone away and scared their socks off.