PSYCHO

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 2 out of 5

Because of: thematic elements

Rated:

Even if you've never seen Alfred Hitchcock's greatest masterpiece, you've heard of it. The infamous "shower scene" as well as the name Anthony Perkins have become synonymous with psychological horror. The film pushed all the boundaries of censorship when it was first released. By today's standards it would probably receive a PG13 rating by the same MPAA that gave it an R-rating in the mid eighties. It shows how much movie ratings have changed. Though by most standards this movie is extremely tame when compared to other "slasher flicks," it's also not for the faint of heart.

Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is an ideal working girl with a beautiful boyfriend (who's not quite ready to tie the marriage knot), a rock-solid job (with wealthy clients who like to flatter her with their attentions), and a loving younger sister. But one afternoon at the office, something inside of her snaps. A client has insisted on making a mortgage payment in cash -- $40,000 worth. Marion is given the responsibility of taking it to the bank. Leaving under the guise of a headache, she takes the money and skips town. With her guilty conscience nagging at her, she sleeps in her car, attracts the unwanted attention of a highway patrolman, and exchanges her current automobile for another used model, making the payment in cash. In the throes of a violent rain storm Marion misses the correct turn on the highway and winds up at the Bates Motel, a shabby little place off the main road.

Norman (Anthony Perkins), the pleasant, good-looking young man who runs the establishment in place of his invalid mother immediately takes a liking to her. Risking his mother's wrath he makes Marion feel at home. They share pleasant conversation over a plate of sandwiches in his office parlor. Mrs. Bates, she learns, is "a little mad sometimes." Norman can't bear the thought of betraying her by placing her into a mental institution, so instead he cares for her himself. They don't have many visitors anymore -- ever since the highway was re-routed, they're no longer on the main line. "Twelve rooms," he remarks sweetly, "twelve vacancies."

Marion is unable to deal with her conscience and determines to go home the following morning, return the money and hopefully restore her reputation. Little does she know she won't live to see the light of day and her sister Lila and former fiancé Sam must come in search of her... and also brave the horrors of the Bates Hotel. Purely from a psychological standpoint this film is intensely crafted, beautifully filmed, and full of psychotic tension. The fact that Marion is obviously so ill-used to lying to people and makes a regular idiot of herself "trying not to attract attention," gives the audience a sort of empathy for her. After her violent murder, we see the same clumsy efforts to disguise his knowledge in Norman Bates. (However effective he is at concealing the evidence.)

The acting in this film is nothing short of stellar. Anthony Perkins was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of the confused, empathetic and almost sinisterly likable Norman Bates. What makes his character so creepy is how innocent he appears. The horror he portrays when discovering the murder, the cool resolution in his dispatching of the evidence; yet he falters when being questioned by the authorities... as though he wants the criminal to be caught. Janet Leigh is only present for one-forth of Psycho but also was granted a nomination for the emotionally repressed Marion. Other key roles involve the beautiful Vera Miles as her younger sister, and John Gavin as her fiancé. The production was filmed entirely in black and white (both to "enhance the mood" since color distracts the mind and to avoid being too gory); but lends a beautiful tone to a horrific storyline.

The ending twist will surprise most audiences. Unfortunately I knew the ending and so it didn't prove as jarring to me as it might have been. If you do decide to see Psycho, go in unprepared and with as little knowledge about the final half as possible. I've attempted to obscure revealing points in the following, though I'm forced to list objectionable content. Deemed "controversial" when first released and loosely based on actual murders, the movie isn't overly graphic in some respects but arguably disturbing in others. There's a tone of sexual tension throughout, beginning in the opening scenes when we see Marion in a bra and slip kissing her boyfriend in a hotel room. The two engage in some lively banter, intimating they're forced to keep the relationship under wraps and "sneak away at lunch" to be together. We see Marion in a bra twice following; once as she changes clothes in her own bedroom, then again via a peephole through which Norman is looking. There is some discussion of sexual repression and being "aroused." We briefly see a record with the title "erotica" printed on it.

The infamous shower scene depicts no clearly visible nudity but some immodesty. In the forty-five second sequence we see her bare back (and a partial glimpse of her breast from behind as she's stabbed), her torso, and an upper shot of her collapsed in the tub (no visible nudity). Blood spatters onto the shower wall and washes down the drain. Norman later wraps her naked body in a shower curtain (most details are obscured) and carries it out to the car. We don't actually see violent contact, though the audience is given the sensation of being the victim -- seeing a looming silhouette and hearing the sound of a knife piercing flesh. Another person is also killed by being brutally stabbed with slightly bloody results. A hideously grotesque human corpse is discovered and shown in several close ups.

Only fans who have become adapted to Hitchcock's subtle means of inducing emotional terror will fully appreciate the psychology behind Psycho. It's not for younger or unprepared audiences. Janet Leigh hasn't showered since seeing the final cut of the film -- it might have a similar effect on impressionable viewers. The ending is also quite disturbing. Norman Bates and his mother are a fascinating study, but be wary before taking a room at this little out of the way hotel.

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