"Stop looking at me!!" 😱😱 -- The last scene, with Norman staring right at you, is the BEST. Mother's mummified skull didn't look fake to me at all. A ten year-old mummified body will look pretty nasty!
Addie, as Marian's car sinks into the swamp: "Oh. I guess we're good. [pause] YOU'RE good. I'm not involved in this." Ha-ha! Another victim of Hitchcock's brilliant viewer manipulation and transfer of sympathy to the new protagonist. Love the reaction! 😍
A year later... I'm curious about the manipulation that distracts viewers from the film's title. Going in, everyone SHOULD expect "psycho killer" yet Marion's tale has tricked us into forgettign that. So when most everyone's speculation of The Killer's Identity kicks in, there are some right and many wrong guesses - but no one THEN remembers, "Uh - what's the name of this movie? MARION THE EMBEZZLER? WOMAN ON THE RUN?" None click back to the title as this screaming, neon-lit word: PSYCHO. It's such an odd manipulation... Norman's not happy Marion's dead. He's smiling because HIS plan for disposal has worked. And standing there, hearing Sam should out 'Arbogast', Norman is calm and steady. He doesn't flinch or panic. He's not cheering death - he's congratulating himself on One More Successful Deed - disposal.
What amazing acting by Anthony Perkins. Makes you feel like he is a sensitive soul until she suggests he put mother in a mad house then his demeanor changes. Great acting.
Hitchcock was known as the "master of suspense." This is about as close as he ever came to horror. I agree with you that anticipation of violence is much more frightening than the violence itself. I wish current filmmakers would realise this. I also firmly believe that black and white photography adds to the atmosphere. Frankly, as someone who has actually seen a lot of blood, fake blood in colour never looks as real to me as it does in black and white.
@@44excalibur I definitely find 'The Birds' even creepier because of the randomness. This one is a bit more grounded once you realize the twist. But 'The Birds' is just more chaotic for no reason and there are some drawn out scenes in it where you know something will happen and you have to wait.
The reason fake blood is so much more effective in black and white than in color is because the best fake blood, at least in terms of consistency, is chocolate syrup, which only works in black and white since it's the wrong color for real blood.
'You're good. I'm not involved with this.' 🤣🤣🤣 You are involved since we're seeing the disposal of Marion's body from the point of view of Norman. Whether we mean to or not, we empathise with his situation, and actually worry - on his behalf - that he manages to cover up the crime. Hitchcock was always very good at making us empathise with criminals - take Dial M for Murder or Rope as examples.
This is one of my favorite movies to see people react to. Its such a testament to the film that over 60 years later and it still works for modern audiences. I love that leaning in shot that you got creeped out by. You may have laughed at yourself for being scared there but that was definitely Hitchcock purposely making him look like a creepy bird of prey with that camera angle. And its a shot that stands out to so many other people too, so you're not alone in that :D
It irritates me when modern reactors degrade older audiences: "Oh, I can't imagine how freaked out those simpletons and morons of 1960 handled this!" Uh. Exactly like the modern UA-cam reactors do-!! As you point out, the older films (and books, plays, etc) create environments that our Modern Genius Generation can relate to... jump... flinch... scream here and there. Or, my oh my, even laugh-!
“… then who’s that woman buried out in Greenlawn cemetery” is like the original “why, there hasn’t been a (xyz) here for 50 years!” It always, ALWAYS gives me chills.
This movie is so unsettling in so many ways, but the musical score is truly legendary. A first of its kind soundtrack that, if taken away, significantly reduces the overall effect of the suspense. The sequel is actually surprisingly good. It came out in 1983: 23 years later! Still has Anthony Perkins in it and is done very well, in my opinion. A third one arrived in 1986 and several more followed in the years since including a shot-for-shot remake (why?) and several spin-offs for TV.
Not many people know this: When Anthony Perkins was dragging Janet Leigh's body across the bathroom floor, she made funny faces at him. He busted out laughing three times--and three takes--until Hitchcock got wise and told her to knock it off
Let's give Addie a round of applause for surviving Psycho (1960). 👏👏 This is my all-time favorite Alfred Hitchcock movie that I would watch from start to finish. I own the movie on a new remastered Blu-ray that also includes an uncut version that originally played in theaters back in 1960. I've always gone back to that version because it adds back a shot from the shower undressing scene, a lingering close up of bloody hands, and additional thrusts of the knife for the killing of Arbogast inside the house. The movie itself was edited for content in 1968 when the MPA ratings system was first established (the movie initially went in without a rating in 1960 due to no such system existing yet) to obtain an R rating.
Speaking of Alfred Hitchcock, I also suggest Saboteur (1942), Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Rope (1948), Rear Window (1954), To Catch a Thief (1955), The Trouble With Harry (1955), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), Vertigo (1958), North By Northwest (1959), The Birds (1963), Marnie (1964), Torn Curtain (1966), Topaz (1969), Frenzy (1972), and Family Plot (1976). #MoreAlfredHitchcockForAddieCounts
My personal favourite of Hitchcock's is Foreign Correspondent. Honourable mention should be given to Rebecca. Let's not forget his British films: The 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes. It is actually easier to list the bad Hitchcock films (there are no truly bad Hitchcock films) than the good ones. @@alextan1478
@@treetopjones737 NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD's Oct 1968 release was held up at least a month because film-copy companies didn't want the gore or nudity (that back-shot of the zombie - which I believe was Marilyn Eastman (wife of Russo) - oh horrors!) to 'stain' their production facilities with an "X" rating. One finally did it, producing enough prints to mail around. Of course, film-copying problems would haunt Romero/Russo soon as the film's popularity created such a demand that the filmmakers hired a fly-by-night outfit who neglected to include the COPYRIGHT Leads and Outro's on the film itself. Vicious but learned theatre owners hid those copies, claiming "lost in the mail" issues and then, the next year, they were re-showing those without any payments into Romero again, thus creating the 'public domain' nightmare that robbed the film's producers and crews of shared revenues. Hence the 1990 remake WITH good film-print manufacturers employed.
I think the skull-overlay pf Norman's leering, threatening grin drove the stake into the audiences' memories. This was not expertly done, either - the teeth are imperfectly aligned over Norman's lips. But in almost all of Hitch's films, "expert" and "perfection" were never demanded... all those awful, backdrop motion scenes, and his use to backdrop mattes, are simply horrible when so many other peer-age films were produced using 'expert' or 'more perfect' techniques. BUT IT NEVER MATTERED. I think this makes Hitchcock films all the more interesting - audiences get sucked in and easily dispense with correctness. "We'll just suspend our belief for this segment or that technique..." It's never a problem that degrades his final product. To me, this is a giant license to all other filmmakers (and students of the craft: "write a great story, and ease off on scenic perfection - if the story's good enough, if the writing and acting are good enough - the audiences won't care."
The blood in the film? Is actually chocolate sauce. It had the consistency Hitchcock wanted, and in black and white, the right "color" contrast. It's remarkable how effective that is, but also always just makes me grin a little, knowing that an ice cream topping is one of the key elements in one of the most iconic scenes in horror movie history.
Now you know why Hitchcock is considered a master of suspense and you can see a lot of his influence in modern movies whether in how they're constructed or how they're shot. And he did it all without showing any gore and almost no actual violence. Also, Anthony Perkins performance as Norman Bates is what makes the film as disturbing as it is.
Haha, I’m glad you enjoyed this classic flick, Addie! Listening to you trying to piece everything is so funny and your jumpscares & edits here are hilarious! Haha
Hey, Addie! I'm glad that you were viscerally affected by the black-and-white cinematography, the pacing and the characterization. There are some reactors who are incapable of immersing themselves into the styles of different film eras. The movie is an adaptation of the horror novel "Psycho" written by Robert Bloch. The novel, in turn, is inspired by the true-crime Wisconsin case of Ed Gein who made skin suits out of his female victims in an attempt to impersonate his domineering mother. Ed Gein also is the inspiration for Thomas Harris' Hannibal Lecter, the brilliant and colorful psychopathic cannibal from "The Silence of the Lambs" as well as Leatherface from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". You didn't acknowledge the Hitchcock cameo! He inserted himself into all his movies the way Stan Lee did with Marvel films. The other secretary who worked with Marion was Hitchcock's daughter, Patricia! Janet Leigh was a well-known actress. Hitchcock starts the movie with her story allowing the audience to believe the film is about her. Suddenly, she is shockingly killed in a scene that made people terrified to take showers for decades! Murder was not often explicitly shown and having a top-billed actress die within the first twenty minutes was wholly unexpected! The first "Scream" used the same trick by killing off Drew Barrymore in the opening scene. Norman's mental illness, the transvestism, the toilet use, the explicit murder, a heroine engaged in larceny and adultery were all shocking! The scene with the shrink explaining things at the end is included to reassure the rattled audience unfamiliar with tropes that are commonplace now. In the age of torture-porn, this movie seems very tame. In actuality, it was cutting-edge and hugely influential as well as a master class in misdirection and suspense. Janet Leigh is Jamie Lee Curtis' mother. Tony Curtis is her father. Jamie Lee Curtis is the heroine of "Halloween". The blood circling the drain transitioning to the close-up of Marion's eye is an artful way of showing her life draining away. The Bernard Herrmann score is iconic. Hitchcock used him frequently. Anthony Perkins left such an indelible impression, he forever became associated with Norman Bates. As with all typecasting, it was a blessing and a curse. For the sound of the knife cutting into Marion's flesh, the foley artist tested on different kinds of melons. Hitchcock listened with his eyes closed as each fruit was stabbed after which he opened his eyes and simply said with his distinctive intonation, "Casaba". Lol. You were shouting over the famous final line: "Why, she wouldn't even hurt a fly." There are sequels but none are directed by Hitch. I've never seen them but have heard that "Psycho II" is an intriguing follow-up. Gus Van Sant re-made "Psycho" shot-for-shot in color in 1998 but the original was somehow superior despite excellent casting that included Viggo Mortensen in the John Gavin role. "Hitchcock" was a 2012 film starring Anthony Hopkins as the director which chronicled the making of "Psycho" and its impact on his marriage and career. Scarlett Johansson played Janet Leigh. "Bates Motel" was a popular cable series airing on A&E for 5 seasons beginning in 2013 which told the story of young Norman and his mother.
Is this your first Hitchcock film? Alfred Hitchcock was the Master of Suspense. Many of his films keep you on the edge of your seat. He often added some humor to relieve tension but, not always. His films are always well crafted with great dialogue and innovative visual sequences. A lot of fun. Try, 1959 North by Northwest (Confusion, Romance, and Danger!) 1958 Vertigo 1955 To Catch a Thief (Cary Grant, Grace Kelly and Hitchcock on the French Riviera!) 1954 Rear Window (Another great film!) 1953 Dial M for Murder 1951 Strangers on a Train 1948 Rope (Very twisted for the time.) 1946 Notorious (Awesome espionage love triangle story) 1943 Shadow of a Doubt (Young woman named after her Uncle discovers a dark secret about him.) 1940 Rebecca (Won an Oscar for best picture) 1946 Notorious (Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman and Claude Rains in a spy romantic triangle. Tension until the last frame.)
great job surviving this one. Alfred Hitchcock was an incredible director creating feelings through scenes and how he shot them. this is quality film making if it can still have this kind of impact on viewers.
I loved your reaction. This is one of my favorite movies. Alfred Hitchcock was a genius. Modern directors often call him "The Master." He has many, many brilliant movies. A few of my personal favorites are: "North by Northwest" "Vertigo" "Rear Window" "Strangers on a Train" "Marnie" "Suspicion" "Lifeboat" "The Lady Vanishes"
Imagine watching this in 1960. Nothing like it had ever been done before and mental illness wasn't widely talked about let alone understood by the general public. Those families with a sufferer tended to hide them away or have them institutionalized if they were rich enough and not talk about them. It was sad and horrific how these poor people were treated and experimented on in an effort to cure them. "Psycho" is a slow burn psychological horror, much scarier than the hack n' slash, blood n' gore type of movie imho. Well done for getting through it Addie.
My dad saw this in the theater when he was around 21-22. My aunt told me that he came back home from the theater & told her, “I’ve just seen the scariest movie” & proceeded to tell her all about how crazy it was.
@@MrDevintcolemanI have as well and have my own theories about it in regard to Psycho's visual design and Herrmann's music and his intuitive sensibility about what the films he worked on with Hitchcock needed to be sonically complete.
Years ago my parents told me that when they were growing up nobody locked their doors. To do that was kind of insulting because it meant you didn’t trust your neighbors. I would have thought that was mostly gone by 1960, though I suppose Norman didn’t keep up with the times very well.
Great classic movie. 🙂 My favorite part of this film is how the first half of the movie makes it look like it's a crime thriller about someone making off with a lot of money, and then all of a sudden BOOM the movie completely swerves to a whole other completely different thriller that has almost nothing to do with the first part. Nowadays that twist is a little muted because almost everybody has heard something about Psycho so they can kind of guess what's happening, but imagine when the film first came out and people went to see it in the theaters, that shock in the middle must have floored a lot of the audience!
Hey Addie. My Mom hated this movie she talked about it many times my dad took her to see it on a date and it traumatized her for basically her whole life. It's a really good film. Not according to my mom. Also $40,000 in 1960 is the equivalent of about 415,000 today love you you're awesome ❤️💚☘️🇺🇦
Dear, sweet Addie, you are becoming so brave! 😊 This movie is iconic, and a master class from Hitchcock as to how to create a movie full of suspense and fright without doing "slash and hack" film-making. I recommend you give some other Hitchcock classics a try, especially my other favorite, "Rear Window." Proud of you!! 😁
Of course these old movies cannot compete with today's effects etc, but if they are watched with an open mind the story craft is often better than many modern movies. The script was a little dates here and there as one would expect but the acting was top notch as well and Anthony Perkins made the template for how to play the psychopath..
Great reaction, Addie! Janet Leigh (Jamie Lee Curtis' mom) was a huge star at the time, so killing her off in the first 30 minutes was so shocking to audiences, not to mention the rest of the film (and the first ever toilet in a movie ... SCANDALOUS) which starts as a 'typical' Hitchcock suspense film before dropping into horror mode. There's actually a complete documentary just talking about the shower scene called "78/52: Hitchcock's Shower Scene" because it had 72 different shots in it and 52 edits, and it took a week to shoot. Now, having said all that, even if you don't react to it you might want to watch the film "Hitchcock" which stars Anthony Hopkins (aka Hannibal Lecter from "Silence of the Lambs"), as Alfred Hitchcock and Scarlet Johanssen as Janet Leigh. The movie shows the story of the making of "Psycho", which Hitchcock paid for and basically did on his own with the crew that was shooting his TV show at the time at Universal Studios (that I can see from my apartment). Also, while I don't really recommend it, there is a color remake of "Psycho" that came out in the late 90's that is almost shot-for-shot and word-for-word with the original. Director Gus van Sant did it sort of as an experiment, and it stars Vince Vaughn as Norman; Julianne Moore as Marion's sister, Lila, and Viggo Mortenson as Sam Loomis. It seems completely unnecessary, but it was interesting. Hitchcock was not called 'The Master of Suspense' for nothing, but he was also a very troubled man and could be a huge prick and later emotionally abused actress Tippi Hedren during the making of "The Birds" (not as great as people say, IMHO) after she rejected his sexual advances. That led to him ruining her career and basically raping her at one point. They actually made a TV film about it called "The Girl" starring Toby Jones (from "The Mist") as Hitch and Sienna Miller as Tippi.
The girl taking the tranquilizers is Hitchcock's real life daughter. $40k back then is worth $403,800 today. 18 year old daughter was getting quite the house. And Marion stole much more than people think. Marion wanted to switch cars because back then the tags were tied to the vehicle and not the owner. Once the cop showed up there was no reason to go on with the transaction. Sandwiches and milk wasn't really for company. He said he was fixing himself dinner and she could have some. Everyone younger is weirded out by the "you eat like a bird". It means you eat little or daintily. It was quite a common saying and said as a compliment. Opposite of you eat like a pig. The first cinematic toilet flush in history was in this movie. They used the word "friend" in the 50-60s like we use the word "Bro". The studio made Hitchcock add the psychiatrist monologue because they didnt think they would understand why Norman killed. He didnt want to and said audiences are smarter than that. Most people dont get it until the monologue, so I think the studio was right on this one. Anthony Perkins was selected for this part because all of his previous movies he play the sweet boy next door and Hitchcock would use the audiences prior knowledge to his advantage. Plus Hitchcock somehow gets us to root for Norman. When the car stops in the swampy, everyone thinks, "oh no" but then when it continues to sink, the audience gives a sigh, not realizing that is sympathy for the bad guy. Anthony Perkins' wife died on the plane that struck the Twin Towers on 9/11. They have two boys, Elvis and Oz. Arbogast is actually a real name with Germanic origins. The name means "bright guest" or "glorious guest," and it's derived from the Old High German words "ar" and "gast." Hitchcock liked the bird theme. From the movie, The Birds, to Norman's hobby, to Marion's last name. Hershey's syrup was used for Marion's blood. They tried other things, but it stood out the most on black and white. Leigh said the Hitchcock was controlling and ruined her career and that she had to endure weeks of being attacked by live birds. The movie was shot in 16 weeks. Leigh was only there for 5 of those weeks. Live birds were only on set for 5 days and they built in enclosure around the set to keep the birds in. If you went into the enclosure you knew you were filming with live birds. This nonsense about Hitchcock releasing birds on Leigh unexpectedly is just that, nonsense. Leigh was paid $500 per week for her 5 weeks of work. All totalled comes out to $25,400 today. She was an unknown before this and after this got plenty of work and also got to attach her name to a masterpiece we are talking about 50 years later. Fingerprints were first used to solved a crime in 1892. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote about fingerprints solving a crime in Sherlock Holmes in 1890.
Janet Leigh is Jamie Lee Curtiss' mother with Tony Curtis. Her other great film is Taste of Evil with Charlton Heston and Orson Welles. Her sister is played by Vera Miles who starred in two of the greatest westerns ever, The Searchers and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance both directed by the great John Ford and starring John Wayne.
Psycho is a masterpiece. It’s also the first movie to show a toilet flushing on screen. It was always considered rude, shameful even, before this movie.
This is one of the greatest movies of all time in my opinion. It's shot so well, it does such a great job with setting up anticipation, and of course the classic music. This film is just done so well building up the tension and I LOVE that about any sort of horror movies. I hate jump scares and gore when it's just there for shock value. Movies that build up tension have a better pay off and deserve the scare. This one may not be super scary for the most part, but it does such a great job with getting you ready for something that's about to happen such as when you see the shadow through the shower curtain. Oh, and the lighting on this is also terrific as well. The light bulb scene at the end where it sways...classic.
- Like you, I'm a fan of suspense, not gore. Suspense gives me thrills and chills, while gore just gives me nausea, which I want nothing to do with. - $40,000 wouldn't just buy a house in 1960, it would buy a very nice house, as it was worth over $400,000 in 2023 dollars. - Calling "Psycho" the "Mother" of modern horror films is very fitting, not only because of the role Norman Bates' "mother" plays in the film, but because Marion was played by Janet Leigh, who was the mother of actress Jamie Leigh Curtis, who starred in the "Halloween" series of horror films a generation later. - Chocolate syrup was used for fake blood in this film. This was popular in black and white films due to the fact that it was cheap, widely available and had a similar consistency to blood.
Very good observation on your part. A lot of movie lines, scenes, and music scores have been integrated into our pop culture and familiar memes. I love reactions whenever someone says, "Oh, THAT'S where it comes from!"
I love classic horror movies because they aren't about the gore and more about building the suspense and uneasiness. you'll forget a typical slasher film 10 minutes after you leave the theater but a classic like Psycho stays with you it plays on your subconscious and that's why I like the classics better.
Janet Leigh (Marian) was Jamie Lee Curtis' mother. Jamie's dad was Tony Curtis (also a famous movie star for his time). The scene where Norman leans in to look what PI Arbogast was doing that made you uncomfortable uses what is called a Dutch Angle (uneven angle). Dutch angles are designed to convey unease or disorientation. Most people that watch this are at least a little bit uneasy when the Marian's car sinks into the swamp but doesn't go all the way in, and then feel better when it sinks entirely. Hitchcock was a great director for many reasons, but his greatest feat (in my opinion) is when he gets you to see the perspective (or even root for) the villain.
I saw it in the theater about 15 years ago, and when the shower curtain is thrown back and the music kicks in, the volume went up a good 20 db’s and it just slammed you back in your seat with the shear volume!
Hitchcock's game-changer - killing off the film's star mid-way thru was unheard of and surely shocked audiences since Janet Leigh was a star and Anthony Perkins was a novice (this became his iconic role for good reason and pretty much typecast him for villains in his career but he took it as a badge of honor and did several sequels, the first is worth a visit). Hitchcock worked a low budget for Universal by using his production crew from his TV anthology, ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS… The shower scene was shot in (I believe) 6 days - Hitch joked he had that in common w/God in creating the world :D The blood in the shower is actually Hershey's chocolate syrup to give it a darker look since the film is in b&w. Also this was the 1st film to show a functioning toilet onscreen (!) Leigh is Jamie Lee Curtis' real-life mom and they co-starred years later in John Carpenter's THE FOG uniting past and current Scream Queens (also worth a visit). Personal note: my dad saw this as a teen w/some buddies one late night driving from NJ to NYC (back-in-the-day movie houses ran 24/7 !) and when the shower scene happened they got so scared they spilt their Cokes & popcorn from their balcony seating all over some dude in the audience below :D Perfect viewing for SpookySeason, mads.
Exactly. "Unsettling" really sums it up. Of course, 60+ years ago, no one had EVER seen anything like this! And it's the pure cinematic ART of this film that makes is so effective. Hitchcock was probably the greatest American director at this time, and audiences in 1960 were expecting another of his big, flashy, sensational suspense-thrillers....and here they get essentially a low-budget "B" movie, very intimate, in B&W, made by Hitchcock's team that produced his weekly TV show. TOTALLY mis-led and shocked the movie-going public. I think my favorite scene is the low-key dialogue scene between Norman (Anthony Perkins) and Arbogast (Martin Balsam) at the hotel desk. FLAWLESS film-making in every respect. Glad you liked it, and can appreciate its superb quality and place in movie history.
This movie did set the standard for horror films, but not because of the slasher-gore type films that dominated the 70's-90's. Suspense drove this film. Another good movie, is "The Ring", or "The Fog". Both rely heavily on suspense and not so much on gore. Can't wait to see what other gems you uncover for your Halloween-based macabre entertainment.
You often see "modern art" displayed in Hitchcock films. He wasn't a fan of it. (Neither am I for that matter.) In some of his films someone will be seen to examine it skeptically.
I didn’t think about it until you mentioned mother of horror movies. Janet Leigh who is playing Marion Crane is the mother of Jamie Lee Curtis, the star of Halloween. So in a sense Janet Leigh is the mother of modern horror films since she is also the mother of Jamie Lee Curtis. By the way, Jamie Lee’s father is also an actor. His name is Tony Curtis.
Based on a true story. The Shower Scene: it took Hitch a week to complete it, The Blood was Bosco chocolate syrup. Marian was dressed in "good-girl" white lingerie in the opening scene, "bad-girl" black as she made off with the $$$$. Thousands of folks would not take a shower for weeks, months, sometimes a year or more after seeing Jamie Lee Curtis' mom murdered in one. The Ending: watch very closely as the camera focuses on the malevolent face of Norman; as it starts to fade out you can see his mother's cadaverous face emerging from his. Thanks a lot, Miss Addie. Great reaction to a great movie. If you'd like to see a "light hearted" Hitchcock film, check out The Trouble With Harry; it has its share of humorous moments.
Glad you survived this movie! Hitchcock was the master of suspense. You may enjoy his other films from the 50's and 60's. The house on the hill is still on the studio back lot.
I remember showing this film to my young nephew years ago. He didn't know about the twist. He dismissed it at first because it was in b&w, but quickly became mesmerized by it. When it was over, he was like "What a great movie!" Of course I had to laugh at this. By the way, I don't think mom looked all that fake. Rather looked like some mummies I've seen. Many, if not all, of Hitchcock's films were experiments in filmmaking in one way or another. In "Psycho," the killing of Marion, the protagonist, disorients the viewer by eliminating someone the film spent some time investing itself in, disrupting the classical model of narration. The film sustains its momentum by transitioning the viewers' interest to Norman before settling on Lila and Sam. The thematic elements present in Psycho are classic Hitchcock cinema: psychotic behavior, voyeurism and mother figures/motherhood. These themes are also explored in Hitchcock's Rear Window, Notorious, Vertigo and Shadow of a Doubt. Indeed, "Shadow of a Doubt" may be regarded as an early "Psycho" precursor. In "Psycho" these themes are explored in greater depth. Hitchcock's studio, Paramount, refused to fund "Psycho" because it had no faith in the source material. So, the film was an experiment in its production. "Psycho" is based on a 1959 novel by Robert Bloch of the same name. Today, both the novel and the film are considered masterpieces of the horror genre. Paramount also would not agree to distribute the film without major concessions from Hitchcock. These included Hitchcock personally financing the project himself while foregoing his usual director’s fee. For his part, Hitchcock retained 60% ownership of the film. Hitchcock mortgaged his own house to finance the film and shot it using his tv crew. Hitchcock had a popular weekly tv anthology series at the time. Clearly, he had a lot of confidence in his tv crew. This low-budget film quickly made millions and made Hitchcock a lot of money. The music for "Psycho" was by Bernard Herrmann, regarded as one of the greatest composers for film. Because the film was low-budget, Herrmann scored it for strings only as opposed to full orchestra. So, the effect in tone-color is also rather b&w. I think if you look at the score, say, of the shower scene, the notes resemble a slash! The dialogue in the film is also fantastic. I love how when Marion is eating, Norman drops a hint that his mother is like his stuffed birds. "She's as harmless as one of those stuffed birds." Well, indeed she is, Norman. Marion's last name is "Crane," like a bird. Etc. This film is chock-full of all sorts of allusions and symbolism. You didn't remark on this, but since a lot of people do, I'll include this: Circa 1960, just about every car had bench seats. The gear shift was on the steering wheel column so that wouldn't have hindered you. Most cars were manual transmission, too, and without power steering or aircon. Also, by this time, seats were primarily vinyl and fairly slippery. So, it was especially easy to slide across them. The ignition, lights, and wiper knobs were on the dash. It was no problem to just slide across and exit the car on the other side if you wanted to. It could also be safer, if you were parking on the street. You could slide across and get out curbside instead of in the street. Or even because it was quicker to get where you wanted to go rather than walk around the car. Maybe the ground was muddy, too. Lots of reasons to do this. Ah, the younger generation. They don't know so much. They should go to old car shows and check out these beautiful old cars. By the way, if there's ever an EMP, I believe these old cars would still work, the new ones for sure wouldn't. Oh, by the way, that $40,000 would today be over $400,000. So not chump-change.
I know in the late 70's and 80's, Psycho was used on TV and radio for shows or ads. There was a furniture store that would use Psycho music and say things like slashing prices. And I think late night horror shows on the weekends would use the music and show the dead mother and the swinging light bulb.
Fun fact: Psycho was the first on-screen showing of a toilet flushing. Before that, we saw and heard toilets in the 1930s, but never watched one actually flush. The Hays Code was sort of like the MPAA today, but way more strict, and Alfred Hitchcock _HATED_ it and didn't follow it.
The shower scene is, perhaps, the most-studied sequence in film-school history. It is made up of a succession of "O"-shaped objects. Hitchcock used a body double for Janet Leigh.
Vera Miles was underrated as an actress. A lot of the movie is reactions. She has to have three or four different reactions when she discovers Mrs. Bates
This really a thriller but it is terrific! There were still censors in the film industry and Hitchcock had do some fancy tricks. They wouldn’t let you show a toilet flushing so Hitchcock made it part of the plot. He also bought up almost ever copy of the book, too. There were special rules about when you could enter the theater so the ending wouldn’t get spoiled. Shooting it in B&W was genius. There are lots of great Hitchcock movies. I would suggest “Rear Window”, “North by Northwest”, and “To Catch a Thief”. See you, Addie!
Now if you want to watch another classic scary movie watch The Uninvited 1944, it has ghosts, romance, mystery and even a bit of comedy, but going back to psycho, now you see how great horror movies were made back then, they didn't need to show you gore to scare the shit out of you, would love to see you react though to the Uninvited some day. Just an aside, the reason I joined your patreon then quit was not because of you obviously but I miss understood the idea of watching along with you the full movie. I thought it would be just a longer version of what you already do, but of course that was not what it was, it just seemed silly to me to watch a movie on my end while you reacted to basically a blank screen on your end:)
My first time watching this was a B&W TV. I had no idea it wasn't in colour. Who needs gore when we have imagination. My dad worked in a High Rise in the 1980's. The floor was filled with smoke. Everyone smoked and I never had a second thought as a kid. Mum always had a bottle in the bottom draw of her teachers desk.
The woman who worked with Marion (who said she took tranquilizers on her wedding day 😂) was the daughter of Alfred Hitchcock. She had a slightly bigger role in another of his films, Strangers on a Train.
32:36 "They're probably watching me. Well, let them... Let them see what kind of a person I am. I'm not even going to swat that fly. I hope they are watching. They'll see... They'll see and they'll know and they'll say: Why, she wouldn't even harm a fly..." That was a great reaction to part. :)
Houses were $40,000, but the minimum wage was $1.50 an hour, and the wage scale was accordingly lower. For $4,000 a year you could have a one-bedroom apartment and a used car. $10,000 a year was solidly middle class. That $40,000 house was not cheap by any means. In 1959, my father bought a good-sized house for us in a nice suburb for $24,000 and that was high.
40 k in 1960 is the equivalent of 406k today. My folks bought a 3 bedroom house for 12k (121k) around the same time. 40k at the time bought a pretty impressive house.
I live in Phoenix. That 40,000$ house he talked about buying in the beginning. That house is probably going for 6-700K now with how the market has gone out here. Maybe even a million depending the part of town and its size.
In 1960, an average home in Phoenix Arizona was around $13,000. That $40,000 could have bought three homes backed in. It sounds like the gentleman was buying his daughter a mansion
Addie, you are scared of people…leaning? Have you ever seen ‘While You Were Sleeping’? “Is this person bothering you? It looks he’s…leaning.” Bates Motel and Norman Bates sounded familiar, because they are almost part of today’s vocabulary. I grew up with Norman Bates means Psycho, serial killer. There was also a recent TV series. You were so creeped out with Norman smiling at you at the end. It’s good he wasn’t…leaning.
"Stop looking at me!!" 😱😱 -- The last scene, with Norman staring right at you, is the BEST.
Mother's mummified skull didn't look fake to me at all. A ten year-old mummified body will look pretty nasty!
Addie, as Marian's car sinks into the swamp: "Oh. I guess we're good. [pause] YOU'RE good. I'm not involved in this." Ha-ha! Another victim of Hitchcock's brilliant viewer manipulation and transfer of sympathy to the new protagonist. Love the reaction! 😍
A year later... I'm curious about the manipulation that distracts viewers from the film's title. Going in, everyone SHOULD expect "psycho killer" yet Marion's tale has tricked us into forgettign that. So when most everyone's speculation of The Killer's Identity kicks in, there are some right and many wrong guesses - but no one THEN remembers, "Uh - what's the name of this movie? MARION THE EMBEZZLER? WOMAN ON THE RUN?" None click back to the title as this screaming, neon-lit word: PSYCHO. It's such an odd manipulation... Norman's not happy Marion's dead. He's smiling because HIS plan for disposal has worked. And standing there, hearing Sam should out 'Arbogast', Norman is calm and steady. He doesn't flinch or panic. He's not cheering death - he's congratulating himself on One More Successful Deed - disposal.
What amazing acting by Anthony Perkins. Makes you feel like he is a sensitive soul until she suggests he put mother in a mad house then his demeanor changes. Great acting.
Hitchcock was known as the "master of suspense." This is about as close as he ever came to horror. I agree with you that anticipation of violence is much more frightening than the violence itself. I wish current filmmakers would realise this. I also firmly believe that black and white photography adds to the atmosphere. Frankly, as someone who has actually seen a lot of blood, fake blood in colour never looks as real to me as it does in black and white.
Don't forget about The Birds. With both Psycho and The Birds, Hitchcock invented the modern horror movie.
@@44excalibur I definitely find 'The Birds' even creepier because of the randomness. This one is a bit more grounded once you realize the twist. But 'The Birds' is just more chaotic for no reason and there are some drawn out scenes in it where you know something will happen and you have to wait.
Well I certainly hope you're a nurse or doctor.
In France, Claude Chabrol got nicknamed the French Hitchcock for doing the same genre, but it was in his own style.
The reason fake blood is so much more effective in black and white than in color is because the best fake blood, at least in terms of consistency, is chocolate syrup, which only works in black and white since it's the wrong color for real blood.
Psycho being the MOTHER of modern horror movies. Probably not meant as a pun, but there we are.
Hitchcock is a master of suspense. Hitchcock also makes a brief cameo in all his movies
Im sure others have already said this but Marion was played by Jamie Lee Curtis s actual mother Janet Leigh......great react as always Addie
'You're good. I'm not involved with this.' 🤣🤣🤣
You are involved since we're seeing the disposal of Marion's body from the point of view of Norman. Whether we mean to or not, we empathise with his situation, and actually worry - on his behalf - that he manages to cover up the crime. Hitchcock was always very good at making us empathise with criminals - take Dial M for Murder or Rope as examples.
The whole film is someone trying to get away with a crime
The female lead, Janet Leigh, was Jamie Lee Curtis's mother in real life. FYI
Just like Tyrese Gibson 😊😅😂.
This is one of my favorite movies to see people react to. Its such a testament to the film that over 60 years later and it still works for modern audiences. I love that leaning in shot that you got creeped out by. You may have laughed at yourself for being scared there but that was definitely Hitchcock purposely making him look like a creepy bird of prey with that camera angle. And its a shot that stands out to so many other people too, so you're not alone in that :D
It irritates me when modern reactors degrade older audiences: "Oh, I can't imagine how freaked out those simpletons and morons of 1960 handled this!" Uh. Exactly like the modern UA-cam reactors do-!! As you point out, the older films (and books, plays, etc) create environments that our Modern Genius Generation can relate to... jump... flinch... scream here and there. Or, my oh my, even laugh-!
Wow. A bunch of my favorite reactors are doing this one. I loved watching your emotions and watch you figure things out. Great reaction.
Well, it is the season for it.
@@brom00Yup, and I'm so glad this one isn't being forgotten, because it's awesome and I've seen it recently, so it's fresh in my mind.
I think you're the kind of woman Addie who would be very kind to the Anthony Perkins character, the son. That is until it was almost too late. 😊
Haha! In my defense, I wouldn't have stopped at a creepy empty motel in the first place haha
"A boy's best friend is his mother." RED FLAG!
@@AddieCountshii😊
"We all go a little mad sometimes..." Such a classic line!
It was also said in Scream.
“… then who’s that woman buried out in Greenlawn cemetery” is like the original “why, there hasn’t been a (xyz) here for 50 years!”
It always, ALWAYS gives me chills.
This movie is so unsettling in so many ways, but the musical score is truly legendary. A first of its kind soundtrack that, if taken away, significantly reduces the overall effect of the suspense. The sequel is actually surprisingly good. It came out in 1983: 23 years later! Still has Anthony Perkins in it and is done very well, in my opinion. A third one arrived in 1986 and several more followed in the years since including a shot-for-shot remake (why?) and several spin-offs for TV.
Not many people know this: When Anthony Perkins was dragging Janet Leigh's body across the bathroom floor, she made funny faces at him. He busted out laughing three times--and three takes--until Hitchcock got wise and told her to knock it off
Let's give Addie a round of applause for surviving Psycho (1960). 👏👏 This is my all-time favorite Alfred Hitchcock movie that I would watch from start to finish. I own the movie on a new remastered Blu-ray that also includes an uncut version that originally played in theaters back in 1960. I've always gone back to that version because it adds back a shot from the shower undressing scene, a lingering close up of bloody hands, and additional thrusts of the knife for the killing of Arbogast inside the house. The movie itself was edited for content in 1968 when the MPA ratings system was first established (the movie initially went in without a rating in 1960 due to no such system existing yet) to obtain an R rating.
Speaking of Alfred Hitchcock, I also suggest Saboteur (1942), Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Rope (1948), Rear Window (1954), To Catch a Thief (1955), The Trouble With Harry (1955), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), Vertigo (1958), North By Northwest (1959), The Birds (1963), Marnie (1964), Torn Curtain (1966), Topaz (1969), Frenzy (1972), and Family Plot (1976). #MoreAlfredHitchcockForAddieCounts
My personal favourite of Hitchcock's is Foreign Correspondent. Honourable mention should be given to Rebecca. Let's not forget his British films: The 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes. It is actually easier to list the bad Hitchcock films (there are no truly bad Hitchcock films) than the good ones. @@alextan1478
I love this movie I’m going to look for the copy like you have
Tangent, Midnight Cowboy movie got an X rating when it came out due to subject matter. That's ludicrous now.
@@treetopjones737 NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD's Oct 1968 release was held up at least a month because film-copy companies didn't want the gore or nudity (that back-shot of the zombie - which I believe was Marilyn Eastman (wife of Russo) - oh horrors!) to 'stain' their production facilities with an "X" rating. One finally did it, producing enough prints to mail around. Of course, film-copying problems would haunt Romero/Russo soon as the film's popularity created such a demand that the filmmakers hired a fly-by-night outfit who neglected to include the COPYRIGHT Leads and Outro's on the film itself. Vicious but learned theatre owners hid those copies, claiming "lost in the mail" issues and then, the next year, they were re-showing those without any payments into Romero again, thus creating the 'public domain' nightmare that robbed the film's producers and crews of shared revenues. Hence the 1990 remake WITH good film-print manufacturers employed.
This movie ranked at #4 in the 100 scariest movie moments on Bravo, cool reaction as always Addie, you take care sweetie 🥰❤️
I think the skull-overlay pf Norman's leering, threatening grin drove the stake into the audiences' memories. This was not expertly done, either - the teeth are imperfectly aligned over Norman's lips. But in almost all of Hitch's films, "expert" and "perfection" were never demanded... all those awful, backdrop motion scenes, and his use to backdrop mattes, are simply horrible when so many other peer-age films were produced using 'expert' or 'more perfect' techniques. BUT IT NEVER MATTERED. I think this makes Hitchcock films all the more interesting - audiences get sucked in and easily dispense with correctness. "We'll just suspend our belief for this segment or that technique..." It's never a problem that degrades his final product.
To me, this is a giant license to all other filmmakers (and students of the craft: "write a great story, and ease off on scenic perfection - if the story's good enough, if the writing and acting are good enough - the audiences won't care."
The blood in the film? Is actually chocolate sauce. It had the consistency Hitchcock wanted, and in black and white, the right "color" contrast. It's remarkable how effective that is, but also always just makes me grin a little, knowing that an ice cream topping is one of the key elements in one of the most iconic scenes in horror movie history.
And 'melting' newsprint ink for the cloudy-swirls in the tub.
'The Fog' 1980 would be a good reaction. It has both Jamie Lee Curtis and her mom Janet Leigh in it.
Not gonna lie. Hated that movie lol. Boring and not scary
“We all go a little mad sometimes” was said by the boyfriend when he reveals himself at the end of scream
Now you know why Hitchcock is considered a master of suspense and you can see a lot of his influence in modern movies whether in how they're constructed or how they're shot.
And he did it all without showing any gore and almost no actual violence.
Also, Anthony Perkins performance as Norman Bates is what makes the film as disturbing as it is.
Have to do the birds now
Addie scary movies are my favorite videos. Addie, the master of karate chopping away the jump scares.
I can't wait until she uploads her reaction to "The Thing" (probably next week on Patreon; the following week here).
Addie wouldn't even harm a fly.
Yeah yeah... so she SAYS-!!
Haha, I’m glad you enjoyed this classic flick, Addie! Listening to you trying to piece everything is so funny and your jumpscares & edits here are hilarious! Haha
Another classic movie off the list.
It’s not a matter the violence it’s the mood we’re put in that makes us tense and nervous.
17:40 "I guess we're good. YOU'RE good. I'm not involved in this." 🤣
Hey, Addie! I'm glad that you were viscerally affected by the black-and-white cinematography, the pacing and the characterization. There are some reactors who are incapable of immersing themselves into the styles of different film eras.
The movie is an adaptation of the horror novel "Psycho" written by Robert Bloch. The novel, in turn, is inspired by the true-crime Wisconsin case of Ed Gein who made skin suits out of his female victims in an attempt to impersonate his domineering mother. Ed Gein also is the inspiration for Thomas Harris' Hannibal Lecter, the brilliant and colorful psychopathic cannibal from "The Silence of the Lambs" as well as Leatherface from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre".
You didn't acknowledge the Hitchcock cameo! He inserted himself into all his movies the way Stan Lee did with Marvel films.
The other secretary who worked with Marion was Hitchcock's daughter, Patricia!
Janet Leigh was a well-known actress. Hitchcock starts the movie with her story allowing the audience to believe the film is about her. Suddenly, she is shockingly killed in a scene that made people terrified to take showers for decades! Murder was not often explicitly shown and having a top-billed actress die within the first twenty minutes was wholly unexpected! The first "Scream" used the same trick by killing off Drew Barrymore in the opening scene.
Norman's mental illness, the transvestism, the toilet use, the explicit murder, a heroine engaged in larceny and adultery were all shocking! The scene with the shrink explaining things at the end is included to reassure the rattled audience unfamiliar with tropes that are commonplace now. In the age of torture-porn, this movie seems very tame. In actuality, it was cutting-edge and hugely influential as well as a master class in misdirection and suspense.
Janet Leigh is Jamie Lee Curtis' mother. Tony Curtis is her father. Jamie Lee Curtis is the heroine of "Halloween".
The blood circling the drain transitioning to the close-up of Marion's eye is an artful way of showing her life draining away.
The Bernard Herrmann score is iconic. Hitchcock used him frequently.
Anthony Perkins left such an indelible impression, he forever became associated with Norman Bates. As with all typecasting, it was a blessing and a curse.
For the sound of the knife cutting into Marion's flesh, the foley artist tested on different kinds of melons. Hitchcock listened with his eyes closed as each fruit was stabbed after which he opened his eyes and simply said with his distinctive intonation, "Casaba". Lol.
You were shouting over the famous final line: "Why, she wouldn't even hurt a fly."
There are sequels but none are directed by Hitch. I've never seen them but have heard that "Psycho II" is an intriguing follow-up.
Gus Van Sant re-made "Psycho" shot-for-shot in color in 1998 but the original was somehow superior despite excellent casting that included Viggo Mortensen in the John Gavin role.
"Hitchcock" was a 2012 film starring Anthony Hopkins as the director which chronicled the making of "Psycho" and its impact on his marriage and career. Scarlett Johansson played Janet Leigh.
"Bates Motel" was a popular cable series airing on A&E for 5 seasons beginning in 2013 which told the story of young Norman and his mother.
Is this your first Hitchcock film?
Alfred Hitchcock was the Master of Suspense. Many of his films keep you on the edge of your seat. He often added some humor to relieve tension but, not always. His films are always well crafted with great dialogue and innovative visual sequences. A lot of fun.
Try,
1959 North by Northwest (Confusion, Romance, and Danger!)
1958 Vertigo
1955 To Catch a Thief (Cary Grant, Grace Kelly and Hitchcock on the French Riviera!)
1954 Rear Window (Another great film!)
1953 Dial M for Murder
1951 Strangers on a Train
1948 Rope (Very twisted for the time.)
1946 Notorious (Awesome espionage love triangle story)
1943 Shadow of a Doubt (Young woman named after her Uncle discovers a dark secret about him.)
1940 Rebecca (Won an Oscar for best picture)
1946 Notorious (Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman and Claude Rains in a spy romantic triangle. Tension until the last frame.)
great job surviving this one. Alfred Hitchcock was an incredible director creating feelings through scenes and how he shot them. this is quality film making if it can still have this kind of impact on viewers.
I loved your reaction. This is one of my favorite movies. Alfred Hitchcock was a genius. Modern directors often call him "The Master." He has many, many brilliant movies. A few of my personal favorites are:
"North by Northwest"
"Vertigo"
"Rear Window"
"Strangers on a Train"
"Marnie"
"Suspicion"
"Lifeboat"
"The Lady Vanishes"
Imagine watching this in 1960. Nothing like it had ever been done before and mental illness wasn't widely talked about let alone understood by the general public. Those families with a sufferer tended to hide them away or have them institutionalized if they were rich enough and not talk about them. It was sad and horrific how these poor people were treated and experimented on in an effort to cure them. "Psycho" is a slow burn psychological horror, much scarier than the hack n' slash, blood n' gore type of movie imho. Well done for getting through it Addie.
outstanding comment, steve........
My dad saw this in the theater when he was around 21-22.
My aunt told me that he came back home from the theater & told her, “I’ve just seen the scariest movie” & proceeded to tell her all about how crazy it was.
@@wwk68tigmeow..😊
Yet another example of the shear genius of Alfred Hitchcock. You should do a deep dive into his work. He truly is the grandfather of suspense.
My friend Dorothy's dad did the music score for this film. Glad you appreciated his brilliant contribution.
Bernard Herrmann not just one of the greatest film composers but in my opinion one of the greatest composers of all time
@@hollownation I agree.
WHAAAT!?!? That’s incredible. I’ve watched numerous analyses of the structure of this score and it’s an absolute masterpiece.
That’s so cool!
@@MrDevintcolemanI have as well and have my own theories about it in regard to Psycho's visual design and Herrmann's music and his intuitive sensibility about what the films he worked on with Hitchcock needed to be sonically complete.
Years ago my parents told me that when they were growing up nobody locked their doors. To do that was kind of insulting because it meant you didn’t trust your neighbors. I would have thought that was mostly gone by 1960, though I suppose Norman didn’t keep up with the times very well.
Addie: It's not the gore that gets me... it's the suspense.
Me: You're in for a ride!
and tha amazing shot of the light swinging across those eye sockets...Black and white, black and white...
This is just a fantastic horror film. Very iconic. Very planned well for its time. Def ahead of its time.
Great classic movie. 🙂 My favorite part of this film is how the first half of the movie makes it look like it's a crime thriller about someone making off with a lot of money, and then all of a sudden BOOM the movie completely swerves to a whole other completely different thriller that has almost nothing to do with the first part. Nowadays that twist is a little muted because almost everybody has heard something about Psycho so they can kind of guess what's happening, but imagine when the film first came out and people went to see it in the theaters, that shock in the middle must have floored a lot of the audience!
Hey Addie. My Mom hated this movie she talked about it many times my dad took her to see it on a date and it traumatized her for basically her whole life. It's a really good film. Not according to my mom. Also $40,000 in 1960 is the equivalent of about 415,000 today love you you're awesome ❤️💚☘️🇺🇦
Hitchcock could make opening a refrigerator nerve wrackingly suspenseful
Always fun seeing someone watch Psycho for the first time. You didn't disappoint, Addie. :)
Dear, sweet Addie, you are becoming so brave! 😊 This movie is iconic, and a master class from Hitchcock as to how to create a movie full of suspense and fright without doing "slash and hack" film-making. I recommend you give some other Hitchcock classics a try, especially my other favorite, "Rear Window." Proud of you!! 😁
Of course these old movies cannot compete with today's effects etc, but if they are watched with an open mind the story craft is often better than many modern movies.
The script was a little dates here and there as one would expect but the acting was top notch as well and Anthony Perkins made the template for how to play the psychopath..
Great reaction, Addie! Janet Leigh (Jamie Lee Curtis' mom) was a huge star at the time, so killing her off in the first 30 minutes was so shocking to audiences, not to mention the rest of the film (and the first ever toilet in a movie ... SCANDALOUS) which starts as a 'typical' Hitchcock suspense film before dropping into horror mode. There's actually a complete documentary just talking about the shower scene called "78/52: Hitchcock's Shower Scene" because it had 72 different shots in it and 52 edits, and it took a week to shoot.
Now, having said all that, even if you don't react to it you might want to watch the film "Hitchcock" which stars Anthony Hopkins (aka Hannibal Lecter from "Silence of the Lambs"), as Alfred Hitchcock and Scarlet Johanssen as Janet Leigh. The movie shows the story of the making of "Psycho", which Hitchcock paid for and basically did on his own with the crew that was shooting his TV show at the time at Universal Studios (that I can see from my apartment). Also, while I don't really recommend it, there is a color remake of "Psycho" that came out in the late 90's that is almost shot-for-shot and word-for-word with the original. Director Gus van Sant did it sort of as an experiment, and it stars Vince Vaughn as Norman; Julianne Moore as Marion's sister, Lila, and Viggo Mortenson as Sam Loomis. It seems completely unnecessary, but it was interesting.
Hitchcock was not called 'The Master of Suspense' for nothing, but he was also a very troubled man and could be a huge prick and later emotionally abused actress Tippi Hedren during the making of "The Birds" (not as great as people say, IMHO) after she rejected his sexual advances. That led to him ruining her career and basically raping her at one point. They actually made a TV film about it called "The Girl" starring Toby Jones (from "The Mist") as Hitch and Sienna Miller as Tippi.
Suspense trumps horror every time. For me at least.
The acting, by the whole cast, is astounding. The director's kinda good, too ;-)
The girl taking the tranquilizers is Hitchcock's real life daughter. $40k back then is worth $403,800 today. 18 year old daughter was getting quite the house. And Marion stole much more than people think. Marion wanted to switch cars because back then the tags were tied to the vehicle and not the owner. Once the cop showed up there was no reason to go on with the transaction. Sandwiches and milk wasn't really for company. He said he was fixing himself dinner and she could have some. Everyone younger is weirded out by the "you eat like a bird". It means you eat little or daintily. It was quite a common saying and said as a compliment. Opposite of you eat like a pig. The first cinematic toilet flush in history was in this movie. They used the word "friend" in the 50-60s like we use the word "Bro". The studio made Hitchcock add the psychiatrist monologue because they didnt think they would understand why Norman killed. He didnt want to and said audiences are smarter than that. Most people dont get it until the monologue, so I think the studio was right on this one. Anthony Perkins was selected for this part because all of his previous movies he play the sweet boy next door and Hitchcock would use the audiences prior knowledge to his advantage. Plus Hitchcock somehow gets us to root for Norman. When the car stops in the swampy, everyone thinks, "oh no" but then when it continues to sink, the audience gives a sigh, not realizing that is sympathy for the bad guy. Anthony Perkins' wife died on the plane that struck the Twin Towers on 9/11. They have two boys, Elvis and Oz. Arbogast is actually a real name with Germanic origins. The name means "bright guest" or "glorious guest," and it's derived from the Old High German words "ar" and "gast." Hitchcock liked the bird theme. From the movie, The Birds, to Norman's hobby, to Marion's last name. Hershey's syrup was used for Marion's blood. They tried other things, but it stood out the most on black and white. Leigh said the Hitchcock was controlling and ruined her career and that she had to endure weeks of being attacked by live birds. The movie was shot in 16 weeks. Leigh was only there for 5 of those weeks. Live birds were only on set for 5 days and they built in enclosure around the set to keep the birds in. If you went into the enclosure you knew you were filming with live birds. This nonsense about Hitchcock releasing birds on Leigh unexpectedly is just that, nonsense. Leigh was paid $500 per week for her 5 weeks of work. All totalled comes out to $25,400 today. She was an unknown before this and after this got plenty of work and also got to attach her name to a masterpiece we are talking about 50 years later. Fingerprints were first used to solved a crime in 1892. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote about fingerprints solving a crime in Sherlock Holmes in 1890.
Janet Leigh is Jamie Lee Curtiss' mother with Tony Curtis. Her other great film is Taste of Evil with Charlton Heston and Orson Welles. Her sister is played by Vera Miles who starred in two of the greatest westerns ever, The Searchers and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance both directed by the great John Ford and starring John Wayne.
Psycho is a masterpiece. It’s also the first movie to show a toilet flushing on screen. It was always considered rude, shameful even, before this movie.
This is one of the greatest movies of all time in my opinion. It's shot so well, it does such a great job with setting up anticipation, and of course the classic music. This film is just done so well building up the tension and I LOVE that about any sort of horror movies. I hate jump scares and gore when it's just there for shock value. Movies that build up tension have a better pay off and deserve the scare. This one may not be super scary for the most part, but it does such a great job with getting you ready for something that's about to happen such as when you see the shadow through the shower curtain. Oh, and the lighting on this is also terrific as well. The light bulb scene at the end where it sways...classic.
- Like you, I'm a fan of suspense, not gore. Suspense gives me thrills and chills, while gore just gives me nausea, which I want nothing to do with.
- $40,000 wouldn't just buy a house in 1960, it would buy a very nice house, as it was worth over $400,000 in 2023 dollars.
- Calling "Psycho" the "Mother" of modern horror films is very fitting, not only because of the role Norman Bates' "mother" plays in the film, but because Marion was played by Janet Leigh, who was the mother of actress Jamie Leigh Curtis, who starred in the "Halloween" series of horror films a generation later.
- Chocolate syrup was used for fake blood in this film. This was popular in black and white films due to the fact that it was cheap, widely available and had a similar consistency to blood.
Very good observation on your part. A lot of movie lines, scenes, and music scores have been integrated into our pop culture and familiar memes. I love reactions whenever someone says, "Oh, THAT'S where it comes from!"
0:35
Mother...
Definitely the mother
I love classic horror movies because they aren't about the gore and more about building the suspense and uneasiness. you'll forget a typical slasher film 10 minutes after you leave the theater but a classic like Psycho stays with you it plays on your subconscious and that's why I like the classics better.
Janet Leigh (Marian) was Jamie Lee Curtis' mother. Jamie's dad was Tony Curtis (also a famous movie star for his time).
The scene where Norman leans in to look what PI Arbogast was doing that made you uncomfortable uses what is called a Dutch Angle (uneven angle). Dutch angles are designed to convey unease or disorientation.
Most people that watch this are at least a little bit uneasy when the Marian's car sinks into the swamp but doesn't go all the way in, and then feel better when it sinks entirely. Hitchcock was a great director for many reasons, but his greatest feat (in my opinion) is when he gets you to see the perspective (or even root for) the villain.
I saw it in the theater about 15 years ago, and when the shower curtain is thrown back and the music kicks in, the volume went up a good 20 db’s and it just slammed you back in your seat with the shear volume!
Congrats on your courage. This is a true classic. Hitchcock is the master of suspense. Great reaction, as usual.
Hitchcock's game-changer - killing off the film's star mid-way thru was unheard of and surely shocked audiences since Janet Leigh was a star and Anthony Perkins was a novice (this became his iconic role for good reason and pretty much typecast him for villains in his career but he took it as a badge of honor and did several sequels, the first is worth a visit). Hitchcock worked a low budget for Universal by using his production crew from his TV anthology, ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS… The shower scene was shot in (I believe) 6 days - Hitch joked he had that in common w/God in creating the world :D
The blood in the shower is actually Hershey's chocolate syrup to give it a darker look since the film is in b&w. Also this was the 1st film to show a functioning toilet onscreen (!) Leigh is Jamie Lee Curtis' real-life mom and they co-starred years later in John Carpenter's THE FOG uniting past and current Scream Queens (also worth a visit).
Personal note: my dad saw this as a teen w/some buddies one late night driving from NJ to NYC (back-in-the-day movie houses ran 24/7 !) and when the shower scene happened they got so scared they spilt their Cokes & popcorn from their balcony seating all over some dude in the audience below :D
Perfect viewing for SpookySeason, mads.
"We all go a little mad sometimes" is also a quote from another great horror movie (in case you haven't watched the Movie yet).
$40,000 in 1960 is equal to about $415,000 today.
Exactly. "Unsettling" really sums it up. Of course, 60+ years ago, no one had EVER seen anything like this! And it's the pure cinematic ART of this film that makes is so effective. Hitchcock was probably the greatest American director at this time, and audiences in 1960 were expecting another of his big, flashy, sensational suspense-thrillers....and here they get essentially a low-budget "B" movie, very intimate, in B&W, made by Hitchcock's team that produced his weekly TV show. TOTALLY mis-led and shocked the movie-going public. I think my favorite scene is the low-key dialogue scene between Norman (Anthony Perkins) and Arbogast (Martin Balsam) at the hotel desk. FLAWLESS film-making in every respect. Glad you liked it, and can appreciate its superb quality and place in movie history.
Hitchcock was British, though his later films were directed for Hollywood.
This movie did set the standard for horror films, but not because of the slasher-gore type films that dominated the 70's-90's. Suspense drove this film. Another good movie, is "The Ring", or "The Fog". Both rely heavily on suspense and not so much on gore. Can't wait to see what other gems you uncover for your Halloween-based macabre entertainment.
I love how Hitchcock put a Salvador Dali painting on the realtor's wall...this story's going to be surreal.
You often see "modern art" displayed in Hitchcock films. He wasn't a fan of it. (Neither am I for that matter.) In some of his films someone will be seen to examine it skeptically.
I didn’t think about it until you mentioned mother of horror movies.
Janet Leigh who is playing Marion Crane is the mother of Jamie Lee Curtis, the star of Halloween. So in a sense Janet Leigh is the mother of modern horror films since she is also the mother of Jamie Lee Curtis.
By the way, Jamie Lee’s father is also an actor. His name is Tony Curtis.
Based on a true story.
The Shower Scene: it took Hitch a week to complete it, The Blood was Bosco chocolate syrup.
Marian was dressed in "good-girl" white lingerie in the opening scene, "bad-girl" black as she made off with the $$$$.
Thousands of folks would not take a shower for weeks, months, sometimes a year or more after seeing Jamie Lee Curtis' mom murdered in one.
The Ending: watch very closely as the camera focuses on the malevolent face of Norman; as it starts to fade out you can see his mother's cadaverous face emerging from his.
Thanks a lot, Miss Addie. Great reaction to a great movie.
If you'd like to see a "light hearted" Hitchcock film, check out The Trouble With Harry; it has its share of humorous moments.
Glad you survived this movie! Hitchcock was the master of suspense. You may enjoy his other films from the 50's and 60's. The house on the hill is still on the studio back lot.
I remember showing this film to my young nephew years ago. He didn't know about the twist. He dismissed it at first because it was in b&w, but quickly became mesmerized by it. When it was over, he was like "What a great movie!" Of course I had to laugh at this. By the way, I don't think mom looked all that fake. Rather looked like some mummies I've seen.
Many, if not all, of Hitchcock's films were experiments in filmmaking in one way or another.
In "Psycho," the killing of Marion, the protagonist, disorients the viewer by eliminating someone the film spent some time investing itself in, disrupting the classical model of narration. The film sustains its momentum by transitioning the viewers' interest to Norman before settling on Lila and Sam.
The thematic elements present in Psycho are classic Hitchcock cinema: psychotic behavior, voyeurism and mother figures/motherhood. These themes are also explored in Hitchcock's Rear Window, Notorious, Vertigo and Shadow of a Doubt. Indeed, "Shadow of a Doubt" may be regarded as an early "Psycho" precursor. In "Psycho" these themes are explored in greater depth.
Hitchcock's studio, Paramount, refused to fund "Psycho" because it had no faith in the source material. So, the film was an experiment in its production. "Psycho" is based on a 1959 novel by Robert Bloch of the same name. Today, both the novel and the film are considered masterpieces of the horror genre. Paramount also would not agree to distribute the film without major concessions from Hitchcock. These included Hitchcock personally financing the project himself while foregoing his usual director’s fee. For his part, Hitchcock retained 60% ownership of the film. Hitchcock mortgaged his own house to finance the film and shot it using his tv crew. Hitchcock had a popular weekly tv anthology series at the time. Clearly, he had a lot of confidence in his tv crew. This low-budget film quickly made millions and made Hitchcock a lot of money.
The music for "Psycho" was by Bernard Herrmann, regarded as one of the greatest composers for film. Because the film was low-budget, Herrmann scored it for strings only as opposed to full orchestra. So, the effect in tone-color is also rather b&w. I think if you look at the score, say, of the shower scene, the notes resemble a slash!
The dialogue in the film is also fantastic. I love how when Marion is eating, Norman drops a hint that his mother is like his stuffed birds. "She's as harmless as one of those stuffed birds." Well, indeed she is, Norman. Marion's last name is "Crane," like a bird. Etc. This film is chock-full of all sorts of allusions and symbolism.
You didn't remark on this, but since a lot of people do, I'll include this: Circa 1960, just about every car had bench seats. The gear shift was on the steering wheel column so that wouldn't have hindered you. Most cars were manual transmission, too, and without power steering or aircon. Also, by this time, seats were primarily vinyl and fairly slippery. So, it was especially easy to slide across them. The ignition, lights, and wiper knobs were on the dash. It was no problem to just slide across and exit the car on the other side if you wanted to. It could also be safer, if you were parking on the street. You could slide across and get out curbside instead of in the street. Or even because it was quicker to get where you wanted to go rather than walk around the car. Maybe the ground was muddy, too. Lots of reasons to do this. Ah, the younger generation. They don't know so much. They should go to old car shows and check out these beautiful old cars. By the way, if there's ever an EMP, I believe these old cars would still work, the new ones for sure wouldn't.
Oh, by the way, that $40,000 would today be over $400,000. So not chump-change.
Addie’s face when the secretary said she took tranquilizers on her wedding night 😂😂😂
i never watched Psycho but i will watch the short version with you, Addie.
I have always thought the most psycho thing in this movie is Marion getting in the shower before turning it on.
Thank you for leapfrogging "The Mummy Returns" for this. 👍
Your reactions are a breath of fresh air.
Marian Craine is played by Janet Leigh, Jamie Lee Curtis's mother
“STOP LOOKING AT ME, I HATE IT”
Sounds like most dates I go on
I know in the late 70's and 80's, Psycho was used on TV and radio for shows or ads. There was a furniture store that would use Psycho music and say things like slashing prices. And I think late night horror shows on the weekends would use the music and show the dead mother and the swinging light bulb.
Fun fact: Psycho was the first on-screen showing of a toilet flushing. Before that, we saw and heard toilets in the 1930s, but never watched one actually flush. The Hays Code was sort of like the MPAA today, but way more strict, and Alfred Hitchcock _HATED_ it and didn't follow it.
Hi Addie,
You're so close to 75,000 subscribers. That's quite a few and I'm sure you're thrilled.
The shower scene is, perhaps, the most-studied sequence in film-school history. It is made up of a succession of "O"-shaped objects. Hitchcock used a body double for Janet Leigh.
A bit of trivia: The "blood" in this movie was actually chocolate syrup, because it shows up better on black-and-white film than red stuff does.
Vera Miles was underrated as an actress. A lot of the movie is reactions. She has to have three or four different reactions when she discovers Mrs. Bates
Marion’s blood in the shower scene is Hershey’s chocolate syrup.
"We all go a little mad some times" Ghostface quotes that in Scream during the reveal.
Loved your jump/yelp when the detective was stabbed near the top of the stairs
This really a thriller but it is terrific! There were still censors in the film industry and Hitchcock had do some fancy tricks. They wouldn’t let you show a toilet flushing so Hitchcock made it part of the plot. He also bought up almost ever copy of the book, too. There were special rules about when you could enter the theater so the ending wouldn’t get spoiled. Shooting it in B&W was genius. There are lots of great Hitchcock movies. I would suggest “Rear Window”, “North by Northwest”, and “To Catch a Thief”. See you, Addie!
Now if you want to watch another classic scary movie watch The Uninvited 1944, it has ghosts, romance, mystery and even a bit of comedy, but going back to psycho, now you see how great horror movies were made back then, they didn't need to show you gore to scare the shit out of you, would love to see you react though to the Uninvited some day. Just an aside, the reason I joined your patreon then quit was not because of you obviously but I miss understood the idea of watching along with you the full movie. I thought it would be just a longer version of what you already do, but of course that was not what it was, it just seemed silly to me to watch a movie on my end while you reacted to basically a blank screen on your end:)
There is a sequel. Norman Bates is released from the institution. There is also Psycho III and also a prequel Psycho IV.
My first time watching this was a B&W TV. I had no idea it wasn't in colour. Who needs gore when we have imagination. My dad worked in a High Rise in the 1980's. The floor was filled with smoke. Everyone smoked and I never had a second thought as a kid. Mum always had a bottle in the bottom draw of her teachers desk.
The woman who worked with Marion (who said she took tranquilizers on her wedding day 😂) was the daughter of Alfred Hitchcock. She had a slightly bigger role in another of his films, Strangers on a Train.
Addie reacting to horror films is the best...love it.
32:36 "They're probably watching me. Well, let them... Let them see what kind of a person I am. I'm not even going to swat that fly. I hope they are watching. They'll see... They'll see and they'll know and they'll say: Why, she wouldn't even harm a fly..." That was a great reaction to part. :)
Houses were $40,000, but the minimum wage was $1.50 an hour, and the wage scale was accordingly lower. For $4,000 a year you could have a one-bedroom apartment and a used car. $10,000 a year was solidly middle class. That $40,000 house was not cheap by any means. In 1959, my father bought a good-sized house for us in a nice suburb for $24,000 and that was high.
40 k in 1960 is the equivalent of 406k today. My folks bought a 3 bedroom house for 12k (121k) around the same time. 40k at the time bought a pretty impressive house.
Caroline, the other secretary in the office, is Hitchcock's daughter Sarah Hitchcock
Most don´t notice, but in minute 12:04 Bates already say, his Mother is dead.
FYI, if you did not know Janet Leigh (who played Marion Crane), is Jamie Lee Curtis's mother.
I live in Phoenix. That 40,000$ house he talked about buying in the beginning. That house is probably going for 6-700K now with how the market has gone out here. Maybe even a million depending the part of town and its size.
In 1960, an average home in Phoenix Arizona was around $13,000. That $40,000 could have bought three homes backed in.
It sounds like the gentleman was buying his daughter a mansion
Addie, you are scared of people…leaning?
Have you ever seen ‘While You Were Sleeping’?
“Is this person bothering you? It looks he’s…leaning.”
Bates Motel and Norman Bates sounded familiar, because they are almost part of today’s vocabulary. I grew up with Norman Bates means Psycho, serial killer. There was also a recent TV series.
You were so creeped out with Norman smiling at you at the end. It’s good he wasn’t…leaning.