Psycho

Any fan of slasher/ horror films should consider this required viewing. Marion(Janet Leigh) and her "secret" boyfriend Sam(John Gavin) want to be together. Sam, who is divorced and cash poor feels he cannot provide a happy life for the two of them. Desperate, Marion has an opportunity to steel 40,000.00. She flees Arizona and heads to California where she ends up at the Bates Motel and meeting Norman Bates(Anthony Perkins). Stellar cast, with Perkins giving a eerie Oscar worthy performance. Cinematography and the soundtrack are amazing. The iconic shower scene is just as effective today as it was 65 years ago. If I was going to make a criticism it would be the scene at the end where the audience sees everything for what it is. Hitchcock had many requirements for this scene and I felt that it made the scene a little awkward. I am just nit-picking though. The movie is a masterpiece. 10/10

There is so much more to this film than just that famous scene in the shower - and so much of it belongs to the marvellous scoring of Bernard Herrmann. His ability to use those screeching strings, and the pace of his music does so much of the heavy lifting that gives this film a sense of accumulating menace that makes it still, after over 60 years, a masterful piece of cinema. Janet Leigh wants to make a go of things with her cash-strapped hunky boyfriend "Sam" (John Gavin) so when an unexpected opportunity arises at work that puts $40,000 in her lap, she skips town and takes refuge during a thunderstorm at the "Bates" motel where she encounters "Norman" (a very handsome looking Anthony Perkins). The rest you will just have to watch for yourself, but the story has just about everything you could want from a thriller: a fella with a bit of a "mummy" syndrome; some good old fashioned larceny; lust and though I didn't quite love the ending, it is a superbly dramatic piece of well considered and constructed cinema that cleverly builds on what is quite a simple story with a strong and convincing cast. Big screen if you can; that house on the hill looks more eery that way. Great stuff!

Amazingly, this is my first ever viewing, not sure why I waited so long, but finally got around to it. Great movie in every way from the performance by Anthony Perkins to the atmosphere, enjoyed every bit of this even though I basically knew the entire plot at this point since all iconic scenes and lines have been repeated over the years. Not sure this is my *favorite* Hitchcock movie as I still prefer Rear Window, but obvious why it has held up 60 years later. **4.5/5**