Your reaction, and many others like it, stands as a testament as to how brilliant this movie is. 63 years later and modern audiences who have never seen PSYCHO react in exactly the same moments in exactly the same way as audiences who first saw this movie in 1960. It's astounding when you consider how many movies have ripped off PSCYHO and yet modern audiences are still shocked by the shower scene and by the twist ending. It's a masterpiece.
Loved your reaction, lots of personality. Well played for noticing the overlaying of the face of Norman's mother's corpse over his own at the end. I have seen so many reactors miss that little detail. Anthony Perkins acting in this, particularly when he is stammering nervously whilst being questioned by the private investigator, is so good.
That is one thing I spotted, the first time I ever watched it. I needed a few more views to understand everything. I wonder what happened to the $40,000 after the car was dragged from the swamp.
Just found your channel and I really like your reaction style. You do just the right amount of commentary without talking over the dialogue and your remarks are insightful without trying to do an exhaustive armchair film school student analysis. I share your appreciation for mid-20th century dress and for classic black and white movies! Not enough people today give them a chance; they can feel really slow-paced to a modern viewer but I like that about them. It gives the actors so much more to chew on. Will definitely be checking out more of your reactions!
@@georgemartin1436 I don’t think people would be on bicycles though, since the Bates Motel is off the main highway and, apparently, not accessible except by car.
Just started watching and had to pause once you stated WHY you thought she was taking the money. Your absolutely right! I’ve watched a dozen or more reactions to this movie and you are the ONLY one who made that connection.
That's one of the best "shock" endings in history! Not to mention the death of the main character at a time that no one saw coming. Also, Hitchcock did a lot to make sure people knew not to spoil the secrets of the film, after they had seen it at the theater. Definitely a buzz was created about this film, due to the "insider information" that people had once they had seen it. Great stuff! Steph, you should see "The Birds"! That's even scarier than Psycho, in my opinion! Crazy, cool horror film!
That actress of the main char was well known at that time, and thus it was even more surprising to kill her off early. btw: you may know her daughter: Jamie Lee Curtis ... ps1: when i see an old movie with a good story, i sometimes even can't tell afterwards whether it was b/w or color. But when i see some newer movie i often can only remember some action scene and not the story (if it had one in the first place at all) ps2: if you watch "The Birds", look at the little girl (the main char's little sister). She later played in the first Alien movie.
@@Anson_AKB That girl in “The Birds” and later “Alien” is Veronica Cartwright. She was also in another great sci-fi film, the remake of “Invasion Of The Body Snatchers” (1978), along with Donald Sutherland (may he R.I.P.), Leonard Nimoy, and Jeff Goldblum.
@@MsAppassionata i completely missed the news about Donald Sutherland last week († 20. Juni 2024), and Leonard Nimoy (and most ST-TOS actors) already died too. that's when we notice how long ago all those movies and series were done, that most people from that time now would be 80 to 100+ years old, and how old we ourselves are.
People often think of this as a horror movie but it really is not. It is a suspense film, which is more about anticipation. There is really only one jump scare in Psycho: when Sam is looking for Norman and the camera tracks to him standing in the doorway. Before Marion is murdered, we see mother's silhouette through the shower curtain and, as Arbogast climbs the stairs we see the door open on the landing; in both cases we are warned of the violence to come.
I hope you get to see many more classic films and get a feel for the different eras and genres. This film was considered so shocking that Hitchcock felt audiences weren't ready to see that much blood, so made the film in black and white. Most early horrors heavily used eeriness rather than gore. You tended to see mythical monsters, cobwebs, creaking coffins and misty graveyards. This film is considered to be the origin of slasher films.
The "not wanting people to see blood in color" story isn't true - it's kind of an urban myth. Paramount wasn't behind making the movie after losing money on a few Hitch projects. Hitch ended up making a deal where he would finance the movie if Paramount would distribute it. He didn't have a lot of money to fool around with, so he used black and white film, and filmed the movie using the crew from his TV show "Alfred Hitchcock Presents." If you ever watch any episodes of that show, you'll see the same look and feel - lighting, etc.
“Bates Motel. . . That sounds familiar “. Hahahahahahaha. That made my day. Mother does not like, well it’s complex. Hahaha. Wonderful. Thank you. So fun to watch someone watch this who really does not know.
They were capable of solving crimes before DNA. They have been using fingerprints to solve crimes since 1892 and were probably asking themselves how easy it was to get away with murder before this. The studio ordered Hitchcock to add the psychologist monologue because the said audiences were to dumb to figure out Bates' motivation/motive without it. Black and White Movies can be wonderful! It's a Wonderful Life, the first half of The Wizard of Oz, and a movie no youtuber has aver reacted to, the true story called "Sergeant York" starring Gary Cooper and it even has a love story in it.
It’s tough because I like the idea that directors know the audience isn’t dumb.. yet there have been movies I totally didn’t understand 😂 one of them is coming up actually lol
I was going to say it was super easy before the ability to detect poisons in the body and fingerprints. You just had to avoid eyewitnesses. Until the modern era of social security, credit cards and other records, if you could get rid of the body so that it wasn’t found you probably had a 90% chance of getting off. One could simply argue the victim had left suddenly and you had no idea where they were. There had to be a mound of other evidence to obtain a guilty verdict.
In case it wasn’t mentioned. The actress who was stained in the shower is Jamie Lee Curtis’s biological mother her father was also a famous actor in this era his name was Tony Curtis.
Great reaction. So, Janet Leigh (Jamie Lee Curtis' mom in real life) was a big star and this film started out like a standard Hitchcock suspense film, like you mentioned; he had never done a "horror" film before. The audience was caught up in whether or not Marion was going to get caught for stealing the money, so the shower scene was shocking on multiple levels, not the least of it because it was the first time a well-known actor and major character had been killed off so early in a film. There's a good film just called "Hitchcock" with Anthony Hopkins playing Hitch and it tells the story of the making of this film (Scarlett Johannsson plays Janet Leigh) which the studio did not want to make, so Hitchcock paid for it himself. The film is also based on the book "Psycho" by Robert Bloch, and that was inspired by true life serial killer Ed Gein from Wisconsin, who dug up women's bodies and then would wear their skin, etc. He was also the inspiration for "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and the serial killer Buffalo Bill in "Silence of the Lambs". While I can't recommend it, director Gus Van Sant did a color remake of "Psycho" in the late 90's that’s a shot-for-shot remake with the same script, and it stars Vince Vaughn as Norman, and Julianne Moore & Viggo Mortenson as Lila & Sam. As far as old, black & white horror films, my all-time favorite is "The Haunting" from 1962 which just chills me to the bone every time I watch it, but there are loads more great old b&w horror films, as horror was a genre adapted fairly early in cinema history. Much of it tame by today’s standards, but still some really great films that have stood the test of time.
@@zanyzander It's in my trifecta of favorite haunted house films, along with "The Changeling" from 1980 and "The Others" with Nicole Kidman from ... the early 2000's, I think. The Netflix limited series "The Haunting of Hill House", based on the same book as the film, is fantastic, as well, and has maybe the biggest jump scare of all-time in it.
Thanks for your comment! I never thought about it but it’s really cool the idea of expecting Hitchcock’s typical suspense movie then having a known actress be killed when people weren’t used to that. Even me watching it now, 63 years later, I was surprised 😅
@@cinemawithsteph - Yeah, Hitchcock wasn't associated with horror in any way when this came out, although if you look it up on UA-cam, there's a 6-1/2 minute teaser trailer with Hitchcock walking around the sets, and kind of spoiling some key moments in the film without giving away too many details. So, if someone saw that before the film came out they might have been somewhat prepared. Either way, it was a huge hit and is still considered perhaps his best film.
it was in black and white because it was more affordable (the "blood" from the shower scene was actually chocolate syrup) and I think instead of thinking of this as a horror film, it's more of a psychological thriller. The sequel to this (Psycho 2) is actually pretty good (and in color... :P ) - and while not directed by Hitchcock, it does have the twists that he would be known for. 🙂
Hitchcock was known for his suspense-thriller-mystery films. The intent was not to make scary films in the style they are today, but he was one of the first to introduce psychological thriller themes and to manipulate his audiences with unexpected developments, such as getting rid of a main character or introducing the actual main character ( in this case: Norman) later in the film.
Love your comments and reactions to this classic Hitchcock film. It's very well known for its innovation, killing off the person we thought was the central character very early in the film. The actors, use of black and white cinematography, and plot twists added to the uniqueness of this movie. It's thought to be one of Alfred Hitchcock's best films.
Hitchcock wasn't just "the master of suspense" , he was a master film maker period. His influence on later films is immense. I remember an interview with, I think it was Martin Scorsese, where he said" I know some film directors think they weren't influenced by Hitchcock, but they are lying. Just watch their films and you can see where Hitchcock is all over a scene! I know what im talking about because ive done it myself!!"
The black & white was a deliberate choice to set a specific mood and tone, and to allow for more creativity with high-contrast shadows and lighting techniques, which again establish an emotional environment. Also, it avoided any issues with the blood looking fake.
I like that at least you were self-aware in your final thoughts. Though in the future, if you want to honor the classic films you watch, don’t go into them with preconceived ideas and attitudes about what you’re about to watch. Honestly I think that’s one of the main reasons it’s better for reactors to go in blind, as much as possible. Be it what Google has to say about what genre it is or what fans have to say about the style and mood. I mean obviously a film from 1960 isn’t going to be some blood splatter fest. That’s on you if you thought different. But it’s so annoying when people go into brilliant films with all sorts of preconceived notions and ideas about what the movie is. They then criticize or hate on the movie for not being what their preconceived ideas led them to believe what the movie would have been. Not that you did that. You had enough self-awareness to acknowledge this. So props for that. But for future movie recommendations, the best advice is to go into it like an open book. With zero assumptions about what you’re about to watch is going to be.
I totally agree! I think the reason it was hard with this one, and possibly the others I’ll be doing this month, is that with the poll I had made, I was already expecting horror films in the modern day sense which is/was unfair. I’ll be doing my best to put the preconceived notions aside! Thank you for watching and for your comment :)
@@cinemawithsteph Look forward to more reaction videos from you. The horror movies for the month and other genres beyond. Though you know, there are modern movies along the lines of Psycho. That some may classify more as thrillers, though they verge on the line of horror. People argue whether Silence of the Lambs is horror or simply a thriller. And I saw someone online refer to the film “Eraserhead” as a horror movie. Which I vehemently disagree with. I don’t think that film is horror at all. None of the intentions of the film are that of a horror movie. The film is so disarming I guess I can see how a less savvy viewer might simply chalk it up as horror. But again, if you told someone who had never seen “Eraserhead” that it was horror, when they watched it, they would just be very confused and dissatisfied thinking well that was weird but it really wasn’t scary. That’s because it’s not a horror film. That’s not the goal of the film or the intentions of the director. And if you are told something is a horror movie (or whatever) when it’s really not, you’re just going to be left confused and dissatisfied while not appreciating the actual artistry of the film and what the filmmaker set out to do. So this isn’t exclusively regarded to older black and white movies. You can run into this with some more modern movies. And preconceived ideas that a viewer clings to for dear life can get in the way of enjoying what’s actually before you.
Great reaction Steph ! Imagine seeing this in 1960 with Janet Leigh in her bra and slip ...wow . I guess it's one of the first slasher movies . The use of shadows , mirrors , windows , birds and water I found very interesting and symbolic . There are many things I didn't notice just watching it once . Hitchcock was such a master of suspense
Another Masterpiece. The First Slasher Horror Movie In History. The Final TWIST Is Pure GOLD. The Money In This Story Starts Everything But And The End It Was Irrelevant. It Was The Root Of All Evil. Awesome Reaction 💵🗡😎😆🎥🎬
I always like to advise people to watch this movie (at least) twice because of all of the foreshadowing. The "dinner in the office" scene is particularly telling once you know the truth. It's pretty brilliant writing. When he says, "have you ever seen the inside of one of those places" he's saying that HE has seen the inside of one of those places. And so on... One other thing - at the end, when the officer is bringing Norman/Norman's mother a blanket, the other officer in the hall that opens the door is Ted Knight, who played Ted Baxter the hilarious news reporter on the Mary Tyler Moore show.
Love your Halloween decorations and matching make up, Steph! And I see the channel is getting the recognition it deserves too. Well done! :) This remains such a classic, iconic and well-constructed film. Its narrative, visual storytelling and the performances especially. Far ahead of its time if you ask me. Many fans even argue this movie inspired the emergence of the 'slasher' subgenre-like Friday the 13th, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween. The last one being particularly relevant since Jamie Lee Curtis made her debut in it: daughter of Janet Leigh and pretty much the first memorable "scream queen" and "final girl". Funny enough Halloween (1978) is also considered one of the first slasher films. Two iconic horror flicks. Two iconic female leads. Like mother, like daughter.
That’s so crazy for mom and daughter to both be in such innovative (?) films in that genre. Thanks for the makeup/background comments, I really appreciate that!
You need to check out another Hitchcock movie, Rear Window. It's another great suspense movie and if you like 50's fashions you will swoon over Grace Kelly's outfits in that movie.
There are MANY people who adore black & white films, many who study them for cinematic purposes and many who attend film festivals comprised mostly of black & white films. Often the decision to use b/w (since Technicolor was introduced in the late 1930’s) was to better match the subject matter or theme, or create a mood, altho during WW 2 it could be a financial necessity, (or there were occasions when the huge, bulky color cameras were not suitable for location work.) There are also hundreds of b/w films from other countries - France, Italy, Japan, Germany, Sweden, Britain, to name only a few, that are recognized masterpieces of global cinema. I will suggest just a very few here that are among the greatest films and that their use of b/w film stock increased their dramatic impact, deepened or focused the story or allowed for more expressive freedom in the photography, set design, or costuming, etc. The Third Man (1949) The Night of the Hunter (1955) Paths of Glory (1957) Notorious (1946) Citizen Kane (1941) Some Like It Hot (1959) Casablanca (1942) M (1931) Metropolis (1927) Dr. Strangelove (1964) It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) La Dolce Vita (1960) There are dozens more and any one of them will be an amazing experience.
Old cars had bench seats. Just one long unbroken seat all the way across. It's easy to slide across. I think that's why in the movie people get out of their cars that way. Todays car mostly have bucket seats, with a center console. So it's really awkward to try and slide across in today's cars. This movie was made when the restrictive Hays Code was in effect. It's impressive how Hitchcock was able to abide by the rules while at the same time subverting them. I consider this movie to be the prototype slasher movie. Among other things it has: use of a knife instead of guns, out of the way location where people can go missing without attracting attention, a connection between sexual urges and murder, the killer working his way through the lineup of victims, and a final girl.
I remember showing this film to my young nephew years ago. 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. 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 new ways. 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! 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 a/c. 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 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.
Your viewing experience was EXACTLY what Hitchcock wanted. In late 1960, when my mother and her friends went to see Psycho, they were expecting another typical Hitchcock mystery/suspense thriller, for which he was so well known. NOBODY was expecting this, especially, as you point out, back in a much more innocent time, before the mad-slasher garbage that Psycho..for all its brilliance.. essentially spawned. And Hitchcock had a great time messing with everybody's mind, leading them to believe that it was just another tale of stolen money, starring one of Hollywood's "A-List" actresses of the day. But when she is shockingly murdered, the entire world seems to begin spinning out of control, and we are left helpless in its grip...scared as hell, but never willing to look away. A great film.
agree. much of the credit goes to screenwriter Joseph Stefano - as brilliant as Hitchcock was Stefano came up with the idea of letting the audience get involved with Janet Leigh and the stolen money thus making her murder 40 minutes into the film even more shocking. movies have been trying to duplicate the 'twists' ever since
My Mum first let me stay up to watch this when I was 12. She didn't forewarn me about the knife attacks. You observed much more than I did back then. I thought at first it would just be an amusing love story where Marion was on the run for the money. The blood in the shower was actually chocolate syrup. As her car only just sank into the swamp, I wounder what Norman did with Arbogast's car. It was revealed in Psycho II that Sam and Leila eventually married but I won't spoil anything else for you if you want to do a reaction video to it, and maybe Psycho III.
Paramount Pictures didn't want to do Psycho and kept throwing up obstacles. Ultimately, Hitchcock did the film at Universal, financed the film himself and used the less expensive crew from his TV show Alfred Hitchcock Presents to make the film. This is the main reason the movie is in black and white. Paramount distributed the movie, but Hitchcock did his next 6 films for Universal. Amazingly enough, all these constraints helped Hitchcock create a horror classic.
Fun facts: Janet Leigh famously stated that shooting the shower scene in this movie made her scared of taking a shower. Hitchcock typically appears in a lot of his movies in the background - as a man walking his dog, getting off/on a bus, or even in an advertisement. So watch out for his cameos. When they say that Hitchcock was the master of suspense, they aren't lying. Most of his movies continue to hold up to the test of time and rank among my favourites. Also, I think he came up with, or at least popularised, the idea of a 'MacGuffin' in movies. Hitchcock was so well known that there was even a series of Hardy Boys-type novels for young adults written by a certain Robert Arthur and titled 'Alfred Hitchcock and Three Investigators' because the author wanted to use the fame/notoriety of the director to sell his books. Happy watching!
Though I only got to read a few of them, I loved those Three Investigators books. Would love to find some of them again to read for a trip down Memory Lane.
At that time, young men under 21 were referred to as Master, not Mister. So a young man would be referred to as young Master Billy Smith. So theoretically, Norman is Master Bates. That’s not an accident.
@@cinemawithsteph. I am 100% sincere. It shouldn’t be too involved to research. Feel free to look it up if you wish. I’m nearly 60 now but when I was a boy my uncles and aunts would address my birthday cards as Master Jonathan. True story.
Off topic, if you like that post-war 1950s style fashion, it is commonly worn in Tokyo. The women wear blouses and 3/4 length coats and the men dark suits. Really neat vintage style fashion in that city.
Prior to this movie, it was common for viewers to come in and sit down at any point in the movie. They'd then sit through the end, wait for the movie to restart, and stay until they reach the point that they came in. When this was released in theatres, Hitchcock insisted that no one be admitted after the movie started, in order to maintain the suspense/twist ending. Thus, in addition to killing Marion, Hitchcock also killed that era of moviegoing.
The sex scene between an unmarried couple was highly risque for 1961, as the Hollywood Hayes film code of decency didn't end till 1968. This film is also the first to have the sound of a toilet flush - scandalous! Most importantly, it changed how people view film in theatres forever. Previously you could enter anytime and stay as long as you liked as each film ran on a continuous loop at the cinema. So you might enter halfway through, watch to the end, and then watch the start. Hitchcock demand no one enter after it started so as not to ruin the ending for themselves. So now cinemas have start-times for films. It's an ICONIC film - the score, the editing, the shower scene, the first act main actress death, the twist. It is majorly referenced in many films, tv shows, etc, in pop culture moving forward, which is why Bates Motel rang a bell. It is also widely regarded as the FIRST SLASHER film (horror genre).
I had no idea about any of that! The idea of movies in cinemas not having had start times seems completely weird to me haha. It’s also funny you point out the toilet flush sound because while I didn’t know that it was a big deal at this time, the sound stood out to me so much for whatever reason lol
@@cinemawithsteph Movies did have start times back then. Most people even back then would rather not start watching a movie from the middle, even if they could then stay and watch the beginning of the film. People would still want to know what time the movie started so they could see it from the start. Not having announced start times would make it very difficult to know when to come to a movie to see it from the start. Although it is true that if you did come into the theater in the middle of the film you were allowed to stay and watch the next showing. And even if you had watched the whole movie, you could stay and watch the next showing if you wanted to. You wouldn't have been kicked out of the theater. So they did have announced start times, but there was less pressure to make sure you were there on time. So people coming in to see a movie well after it started was something that did go on. And movies really didn't run on a "continuous loop" as movies didn't restart the moment after they ended. Although there was less time between showings than there is now, so it wouldn't be that long a wait. Plus there were cartoons, short news reels, etc before the movie started. All this would be dependent on whether or not the theater was showing a double feature. Which was the theater showing 2 different movies back-to-back for the price of one. Which was pretty common back than (but not done all the time). Often the 1st movie would be a major release, and the 2nd movie would be a B-film or an older film. If it was a double feature if you came in the middle of the 1st film, you would then watch the 2nd film, and then stay and watch the 1st film again (at least until the point you came in).
What "Psycho" did do is it got a lot of theaters to change it's rule about not allowing people to enter a movie a certain amount of time after the movie started.
Your opinion is as valid as anyone's. Your intelligence is what makes your review valid. I love this movie but thoroughly enjoyed your reaction and analysis 😊
Fun fact: Marion’s coworker in the office is Alfred Hitchcock’s daughter Pat. Plus, did you notice the amount of bird symbolism in this film? The murdered woman is named Marion Crane. She came from Phoenix, Arizona. Of course, Norman likes stuffing birds (a red flag if ever there was one!), and when he comes into the shower after the murder, and is “shocked” after what he sees, he accidentally knocks a picture of a bird off the wall, etc.
Trivia: John Gavin who plays Sam Loomis was once considered to play James Bond, also Dr. Loomis in Halloween was named after him, which also starred Jamie Lee, Janet's daughter. Guess who worked on Halloween?, Robert Englund a.k.a, Freddy Krueger. 🔪 😲 🔪
Watching from UK 🇬🇧 The actress in this film (Janet Leigh) is Jamie Lee Curtis (actress)(Halloween movies) mother in real life and her father was Tony Curtis the actor Jamie Lee was named lee after her mother's name Leigh and Curtis after her father
It's perfectly natural to feel that way about B/W. At one time I felt the same way but if you watch more classics you'll start to over come that bias and realize there are more important aspects to a movie than color. The movie also was very innovative and shocking for it's time. Even by today's standards killing off the main character 1/2 through the film is a risky thing to pull off.
I think this movie is more fundamentally scary than today's horror movies because it's based on a true story; Ed Gein. Also, the twists are the strength of this film I felt like you deemed them as weakness? I dunno I'm probably wrong😂
In speaking of black & white movies."Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woofe" Starring London, England native Elizabeth Taylor.Hint: She is sooo! funny in this Great Classic Movie👍👍
"Variety recently listed the hundred best movies ever made and ranked them. Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film Psycho ended up being ranked the number one greatest movie ever made."
I thought your reaction was great! Having seen this movie many times over the decades, I know what's coming up in every scene. Your questioning of what would happen next brought the freshness back to it, because you really didn't know what would happen next, and you didn't realize that Norman was the real killer until the shocking reveal in the cellar. Keep that questioning as part of your reviews in the future, particularly with suspense movies. I first saw it as a teenager, and thought it was too slow except for the violent scenes, and much of it was over my head. BTW, Alfred Hitchcock always makes a cameo appearance in his movies. It became a cult thing to watch for this. If you watch it again, or another Hitchcock movie, look for it.
Thank you so much! I’ve had some people not like the questioning, but it’s just what I’m thinking so I’m going to say it lol. I didn’t know that! To be fair though, I’m honestly not sure I really know what he looks like 😅 I’ll have to do a Google search
@@cinemawithsteph Hitchcock used to have a very good show on television around that time, which he hosted. One of the hour long episodes actually gave me nightmares as a child. It was one in which nurses are being murdered by a serial killer. Scared me half to death! 😂
Another old horror movie you might want to react to is “Rosemary’s Baby” from 1968. It’s not only considered one of the best horror movies, it’s considered one of the best movies period. It won all kinds of awards, which is unusual for a horror movie. It’s not the type of movie that relies on gore to scare you, it’s psychologically terrifying. It’s also unusual for a horror film in that all of the main actors were BIG stars and well respected as great actors, and the script and storyline are among the best. It also has one of the greatest endings ever, the impact will stay with you.
Great reaction, Steph! 👍This is probably Hitchcock's most famous and oft-referred to film. Hope you'll check out more of his films, since Hitchcock is "The Master of Suspense." 😊
When I was a little kid I remember seeing the Birds at a sleepover. To be fair, I don’t really remember what happened in it, but I remember being terrified after 😂
Steph, PSYCHO is a great intro to Hitchcock, but it’s the only horror movie he made. A good primer for what he was most known for would be NORTH BY NORTHWEST, REAR WINDOW, and VERTIGO.
You were right: Yes, Marion stole the money and was headed to Fairville, California to where Sam was. The ironic thing is that there's a scene where they show Sam writing Marion a letter saying he wants to marry her, despite being in debt. She stole the money for nothing. Had she waited, she would have received the letter from Sam and they would have gotten married.
Well, I'm a big fan of the movie and of Alfred Hitchcock and I didn't think you said anything that made me want to turn this off... In fact, it's one of the best reactions to this film from someone your age that I've seen. Your analysis was great and the movie "got" you in just the way the director intended... though back in the era when we weren't used to a school shooting every day, audiences actually screamed during this film. There are many black and white treasures for you to discover...like black and white still photography, it provides a certain ambiance and sometimes chosen in modern day as a filming style (The Artist, Schindler's List, and Young Frankenstein are all "newer" films in black and white). I look forward to more reactions from you including, hopefully, more Hitchcock films!
Yes, with bench seats in the old days we were lazy and slid across so we didn't have to walk around the car. Cars have bucket seats now-a-days so no one does this anymore.
Well if you like the costumes of this film. Watch the Alfred Hitchcock color film with a lot of costumes on the actress Grace Kelly in the movie "Rear Window"
In the 60's cars front seats were bench seats, not bucket seats. You could easy slide across and get out the other door. And we did, you didnt have to open the driver side door out into traffic.
Hey, Steph, just found the channel today as I will ALWAYS watch a PSYCHO reaction. Or, y’know, a reaction to PSYCHO. Anyway, it made me a bit sad when you essentially said you didn’t have anyone around you to recommend PSYCHO to. I hope one of the things this channel will bring you is into the world of those of us who love classic movies. It’s an amazing, vast, enchanting pursuit with endless discoveries and new avenues to explore. Movies like PSYCHO - my tenth-favorite movie of all-time, btw - can be terrific gateways into this world. I hope you make some friends on the other side of that gate because, should you wish to explore classic movies more comprehensively, you shouldn’t have to do it alone.
Trust me 1960 was a completely different world than what you know now, violent crime of any kind was very very rare in those days, one murder anywhere in the US was national news. Nobody locked doors or no one I was aware of locked doors, that doesn't mean you could just walk right in some ones home however. 1960 was a magnificent time to be alive in America , for the most part women did not work they didn't need to, their job was to raise children and take care of the home. I was about 10 at the time. Great Memories!!
Yeah I think I could go on for hours on just how wrong this is. That's what ya call "Rose tinted nostalgia goggles". Ya know what else we didnt have in 1960? 24 hour news cycles. Violent crime is a part of the human condition.. it's just wasnt in your face as much then. Also, guess how many black people in the south were killed or lynched by white mobs and no one said a damn thing, least of all to newspapers, prior to 1960. Countless. Please get the idea that the world used to be literally Leave it To Beaver or the Andy Griffith show out of your head
I was born 5 years after Psycho. We lived in Los Angeles and could go without locking doors even in the early 70's. But times were quickly changing there with immigration flooding every neighborhood. We got the heck out in 1975.
I think most people are shocked to see Marion die, it's not what we're expecting; but then you remember that the movie is called 'Psycho' so it makes sense for her to encounter such.
Hitchcock had to fight with the studio for many things one being that the film be presented in Black and White they wanted Colour but he liked the aesthetic of Black and White. Eventually though he caved to their demands later on and that's why The Birds is in Technicolor. The part that still freaks me out to the point of spine shutters is when the Sheriff asked "If Norman's Mother is still alive then who is the woman buried out in Green Lawn Cemetery?" Such a great scene.
Nonsense. Hitchcock wanted to make PSYCHO quick and low-budget: black and white, fast shooting schedule, shot for Paramount but on the Revue lot with the crew from his TV show. He then made THE BIRDS for a different studio under a new contract. Read a little before you go spouting off.
What is difficult about watching the classics are two things. 1) They are a product of their time. Culture and technology evolve so you have to go in with a non-biased eye from today. 2) The history are and the genre they started. Movies like Psycho, The Maltese Falcon, etc.... are the patient zero for a lot of genres and styles.
Did you know Janet Leigh that gets killed in the shower scene is Jaime Lee Curtis daughter. Universal Studios in Florida used to have a Alfred Hitchcock area of how he made his movies which was cool at that time
I like the cop (played by Martin Balsam here). Somehow he's my POV, even though he doesn't witness every event. I guess I see the movie as the story he told later.
15:45 did you notice Sam is writing Marion saying he changed his mind and he wants to get married right away? That they would work out the tough money situation and it didn't matter as long as they loved each other.
Norman Bates was based. on a actual person , Ed Gein of Wisconsin. Ed Gein was also the inspiration for Silence of the Lambs and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
You were talking about viewing it as it would have been at the time, well no-one would have expected the heroine to be murdered half way through. It was the first time that a flushing toilet had been seen on film. In the shower scene you see her body, the knife and blood in the bath. You never see the knife touch the body. The quick cuts, music and your imagination do the rest so much so that many people stopped having showers for a while afterwards. It was one of the first times split personality had appeared in a film and the majority of the audience may not have heard about it before. She has white underwear when she is being "good" and black underwear when she is being "bad". The birds around Norman are birds of prey. The ones around Marion are birds that are preyed upon. There are a lot of shots with the money in the frame so you concentrate on the money even though it turns out tobe incosequential to the movie. It was what Hitchcock called a McGuffin.
I can only imagine the immediate reaction to Psycho back in 1960 when it first came out. A lot of the dialogue, interactions, and discussions felt very adult and mature while at the same time all this was taking place within the confines of a horror film. As big as the twists are in Psycho, a big reason that it holds up for me (in my top 5 all-time movies) are the interesting character dynamics and conversations like the Norman-Marion parlor scene. As far as twists go in modern horror movies, I find myself not caring as much when they happen because the getting there is really tedious with 1-dimensional, interchangeable characters and cringe humor. In a way, I think an over 60-year old film like Psycho actually feels less dated than most modern horror movies and even movies in general. A lot of the time when I'm watching modern movies, I end up saying "No one talks like this or acts like this." Weird that an old film like Psycho has a better take on the human condition than many modern movies.
That’s a very good point regarding the reactions characters have in newer movies vs something older like this. I never thought about that, but I couldn’t agree more!
@@cinemawithstephYeah, I think there's an unfortunate tendency to think of older movies as "dated" simply because of the era they came out in and because they didn't have all of the fancy, advanced effects that are there now. But good writing and acting are things that always hold up, in my opinion. Psycho in particular feels a lot different than even a lot of films that came out in it's own era. It's a movie that came out in 1960 yet in a lot of ways has a modern sensibility.
Alfred Hitchcock got the idea for the movie from the true story of Ed Geins. He was a grave robber and kept bones all over his house. The authorities finally searched behind a wall and found his mother's room in perfect condition and the corpse of his mother. The Movie was " The Texas Chainsaw Masacre ".
@cinemawithsteph that's where Alfred Hitchcock got his idea. And every slasher movie came after that. Now that we are in 🎃 month , start posting more. 😃
The original advertisement for the film predominantly featured Janet Leigh without giving ANY hint of what kind of movie it was. The film's gimmick was that you had to see the movie from the beginning - if you were late, too bad, you waited till the movie started again. So for 45 minutes audiences THOUGHT they were watching a movie about a woman who stole money. By the time she stepped in the shower, the audience was probably half bored. So imagine in 1960, you THINK you're watching a movie about a woman stealing money, the comes the most violent and bloody scene of it's time, the supposed star of the film is dead, and the movie wasn't even half over. THAT is what the real shock was. The story then changed, and now the audiences were completely jumpy as they didn't know what to expect next. Nobody seemed to notice that the movie got less violent as the movie went on. But if you know NOTHING about the film, it's amazing to me that this movie still works with audiences today. I'm more amazed at how many people DON'T figure out the twist at the end. So yes, this little low budget movie that the people who worked on it thought was good, had absolutely no idea that this movie was going to make history. Keep that in mind future filmmakers.
I've been reading Historical Romances since the 80s! I'm 55. Love them! Lisa Kleypas is my favorite author of Historical Romance. Her Wall Flower series is my favorite.
Yes! Love Gilda as well as Rita Hayworth; only saw her in black & white and always thought she was a blonde until I saw a color photo of her and saw it was red!
Forensics don't replace good police work. They had DNA evidence against OJ and he was still acquitted. It's important to recognize that this isn't a horror movie in the modern sense. It's a suspense thriller.
It was illegal to walk into somebody’s home without being invited. (just like today) So technically both the private investigator and Lila could’ve been killed and defended successfully as self-defense in court. All that needs to be proven would be that the person doing the killing was in fear for their life. And since there were no eyewitnesses they would have to take that person’s word.
It wasn't shot in black and white because it had to be. Color movies were common when this came out in the 1960s. Thje director chose for it be in black and white because he thought it made it creepier and more ominous. It's a whole genre of film that anybody who is curious about the evoltion of movies should spend some time on. Very interesting reaction.
A lot of people dismiss black and white films as not being good which is a shame. Check out "12 Angry Men", "Frankenstein" (and the Mel Brooks "Young Frankenstein"), "It's A Wonderful Life", "A Matter of Life And Death" and "The Best Years Of Our Lives" for starters.
For spooky season, here's another great movie. It's the 1956 Black & White movie called, THE BAD SEED,starring little Patty McCormack. Make you you watch that one (original) and not the remake years later.
Norman Bates drives the story; everyone else is incidental, people who come into his path. Anthony Perkins performance is incredible and iconic. This film revolutionized cinema and the thriller/horror as a genre. Tracking shots, camera angles, transition shots, symbolic imagery; its all pure art and mastery. POV shots of Lila approaching the Bates house is basically Laurie Strode approaching the Wallace house in Halloween. Honestly, I dont know how anyone could not expect Norman to be the killer. The 'mother' stabbing Marion was clearly not a little old lady. (though not Anthony Perkins either, they got a tall female stand in). The lighting in the film is superb, its lit in a way that when Bates stabs Marion in the shower, you can barely make out the face, its just a shadowy silhouette just a glimpse of maniacal eyes. So many movies have been influenced by this film. I dont agree with your take at all, and the fact you use the black and white as a negative when you admit you like that cheesy vehicle for Rita Hayworth is baffling. Now THAT film is dated. this film wouldnt have been nearly as impactful in colour. And the exposition by the cop at the end? my least favourite part of the movie.
My reference to black and white wasn’t intended as a negative whatsoever. I went into the movie expecting something else and that was on me and did a disservice to it. It had nothing to do with black and white.
Your reaction, and many others like it, stands as a testament as to how brilliant this movie is. 63 years later and modern audiences who have never seen PSYCHO react in exactly the same moments in exactly the same way as audiences who first saw this movie in 1960. It's astounding when you consider how many movies have ripped off PSCYHO and yet modern audiences are still shocked by the shower scene and by the twist ending. It's a masterpiece.
Loved your reaction, lots of personality. Well played for noticing the overlaying of the face of Norman's mother's corpse over his own at the end. I have seen so many reactors miss that little detail. Anthony Perkins acting in this, particularly when he is stammering nervously whilst being questioned by the private investigator, is so good.
That is one thing I spotted, the first time I ever watched it. I needed a few more views to understand everything. I wonder what happened to the $40,000 after the car was dragged from the swamp.
That last scene with the skull overlap on Norman's face was a masterful touch . . .
And you can hear him yelling, in mom's voice, "I am Norma Bates!"
Psycho is definitely more of a psychological thriller than a horror movie.
it's a psychological thriller with elements of horror - it's repeatedly listed under both genres
Just found your channel and I really like your reaction style. You do just the right amount of commentary without talking over the dialogue and your remarks are insightful without trying to do an exhaustive armchair film school student analysis.
I share your appreciation for mid-20th century dress and for classic black and white movies! Not enough people today give them a chance; they can feel really slow-paced to a modern viewer but I like that about them. It gives the actors so much more to chew on.
Will definitely be checking out more of your reactions!
"I rate the PARKING at the Bates Motel a ONE. There's BARELY ENOUGH room to fit just TWO cars in the pond! And cabin ONE? Not even a shower curtain!"
to be fair there WAS a shower curtain but when you're busy wrapping up dead bodies..
@@keithabney4665 I HATE when that happens.
He must have put more cars than that in there, considering the fact they said he had been involved in two more murders prior to Crane’s.
@@MsAppassionata At LEAST a few bicycles...
@@georgemartin1436 I don’t think people would be on bicycles though, since the Bates Motel is off the main highway and, apparently, not accessible except by car.
Just started watching and had to pause once you stated WHY you thought she was taking the money. Your absolutely right! I’ve watched a dozen or more reactions to this movie and you are the ONLY one who made that connection.
2:30 - Marion's co-worker is played by Alfred Hitchcock's daughter, Pat.
That's one of the best "shock" endings in history! Not to mention the death of the main character at a time that no one saw coming. Also, Hitchcock did a lot to make sure people knew not to spoil the secrets of the film, after they had seen it at the theater. Definitely a buzz was created about this film, due to the "insider information" that people had once they had seen it. Great stuff! Steph, you should see "The Birds"! That's even scarier than Psycho, in my opinion! Crazy, cool horror film!
That actress of the main char was well known at that time, and thus it was even more surprising to kill her off early. btw: you may know her daughter: Jamie Lee Curtis ...
ps1: when i see an old movie with a good story, i sometimes even can't tell afterwards whether it was b/w or color. But when i see some newer movie i often can only remember some action scene and not the story (if it had one in the first place at all)
ps2: if you watch "The Birds", look at the little girl (the main char's little sister). She later played in the first Alien movie.
@@Anson_AKB That girl in “The Birds” and later “Alien” is Veronica Cartwright. She was also in another great sci-fi film, the remake of “Invasion Of The Body Snatchers” (1978), along with Donald Sutherland (may he R.I.P.), Leonard Nimoy, and Jeff Goldblum.
@@MsAppassionata i completely missed the news about Donald Sutherland last week († 20. Juni 2024), and Leonard Nimoy (and most ST-TOS actors) already died too.
that's when we notice how long ago all those movies and series were done, that most people from that time now would be 80 to 100+ years old, and how old we ourselves are.
People often think of this as a horror movie but it really is not. It is a suspense film, which is more about anticipation. There is really only one jump scare in Psycho: when Sam is looking for Norman and the camera tracks to him standing in the doorway. Before Marion is murdered, we see mother's silhouette through the shower curtain and, as Arbogast climbs the stairs we see the door open on the landing; in both cases we are warned of the violence to come.
It's an embarrassing travesty that AP wasn't at least nominated for Best Actor Oscar. One of thee biggest mistakes of the Academy.
Jump scares aren't required for it to be a horror film tho, that's just modern sucky horror that rely on jump scares
I hope you get to see many more classic films and get a feel for the different eras and genres. This film was considered so shocking that Hitchcock felt audiences weren't ready to see that much blood, so made the film in black and white. Most early horrors heavily used eeriness rather than gore. You tended to see mythical monsters, cobwebs, creaking coffins and misty graveyards. This film is considered to be the origin of slasher films.
The "not wanting people to see blood in color" story isn't true - it's kind of an urban myth. Paramount wasn't behind making the movie after losing money on a few Hitch projects. Hitch ended up making a deal where he would finance the movie if Paramount would distribute it. He didn't have a lot of money to fool around with, so he used black and white film, and filmed the movie using the crew from his TV show "Alfred Hitchcock Presents." If you ever watch any episodes of that show, you'll see the same look and feel - lighting, etc.
“Bates Motel. . . That sounds familiar “. Hahahahahahaha. That made my day.
Mother does not like, well it’s complex. Hahaha. Wonderful. Thank you. So fun to watch someone watch this who really does not know.
They were capable of solving crimes before DNA. They have been using fingerprints to solve crimes since 1892 and were probably asking themselves how easy it was to get away with murder before this. The studio ordered Hitchcock to add the psychologist monologue because the said audiences were to dumb to figure out Bates' motivation/motive without it. Black and White Movies can be wonderful! It's a Wonderful Life, the first half of The Wizard of Oz, and a movie no youtuber has aver reacted to, the true story called "Sergeant York" starring Gary Cooper and it even has a love story in it.
It’s tough because I like the idea that directors know the audience isn’t dumb.. yet there have been movies I totally didn’t understand 😂 one of them is coming up actually lol
I was going to say it was super easy before the ability to detect poisons in the body and fingerprints. You just had to avoid eyewitnesses. Until the modern era of social security, credit cards and other records, if you could get rid of the body so that it wasn’t found you probably had a 90% chance of getting off. One could simply argue the victim had left suddenly and you had no idea where they were. There had to be a mound of other evidence to obtain a guilty verdict.
In case it wasn’t mentioned. The actress who was stained in the shower is Jamie Lee Curtis’s biological mother her father was also a famous actor in this era his name was Tony Curtis.
the biological mother also goes by a name - she went by Janet Leigh in this "era"when she wasn't fighting off dinosaurs
Yup, of course, no one mentions the AWESOME score by Bernard Herrmann. He wrote the entire score for strings only. He was a genius.
I actually edited out a part where I talked about the score because I felt I didn’t do it justice 😅 it’s incredible!
EVERYONE mentions the awesome all-strings score!!! It's iconic now!!!
Great reaction. So, Janet Leigh (Jamie Lee Curtis' mom in real life) was a big star and this film started out like a standard Hitchcock suspense film, like you mentioned; he had never done a "horror" film before. The audience was caught up in whether or not Marion was going to get caught for stealing the money, so the shower scene was shocking on multiple levels, not the least of it because it was the first time a well-known actor and major character had been killed off so early in a film.
There's a good film just called "Hitchcock" with Anthony Hopkins playing Hitch and it tells the story of the making of this film (Scarlett Johannsson plays Janet Leigh) which the studio did not want to make, so Hitchcock paid for it himself. The film is also based on the book "Psycho" by Robert Bloch, and that was inspired by true life serial killer Ed Gein from Wisconsin, who dug up women's bodies and then would wear their skin, etc. He was also the inspiration for "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and the serial killer Buffalo Bill in "Silence of the Lambs".
While I can't recommend it, director Gus Van Sant did a color remake of "Psycho" in the late 90's that’s a shot-for-shot remake with the same script, and it stars Vince Vaughn as Norman, and Julianne Moore & Viggo Mortenson as Lila & Sam.
As far as old, black & white horror films, my all-time favorite is "The Haunting" from 1962 which just chills me to the bone every time I watch it, but there are loads more great old b&w horror films, as horror was a genre adapted fairly early in cinema history. Much of it tame by today’s standards, but still some really great films that have stood the test of time.
Yes I've also recommended 1963s The Haunting to her !
@@zanyzander It's in my trifecta of favorite haunted house films, along with "The Changeling" from 1980 and "The Others" with Nicole Kidman from ... the early 2000's, I think. The Netflix limited series "The Haunting of Hill House", based on the same book as the film, is fantastic, as well, and has maybe the biggest jump scare of all-time in it.
@heyheyjk-la I'm surprised you didn't say The Innocents 1961 as The Others is it's remake.
Thanks for your comment! I never thought about it but it’s really cool the idea of expecting Hitchcock’s typical suspense movie then having a known actress be killed when people weren’t used to that. Even me watching it now, 63 years later, I was surprised 😅
@@cinemawithsteph - Yeah, Hitchcock wasn't associated with horror in any way when this came out, although if you look it up on UA-cam, there's a 6-1/2 minute teaser trailer with Hitchcock walking around the sets, and kind of spoiling some key moments in the film without giving away too many details. So, if someone saw that before the film came out they might have been somewhat prepared. Either way, it was a huge hit and is still considered perhaps his best film.
it was in black and white because it was more affordable (the "blood" from the shower scene was actually chocolate syrup) and I think instead of thinking of this as a horror film, it's more of a psychological thriller. The sequel to this (Psycho 2) is actually pretty good (and in color... :P ) - and while not directed by Hitchcock, it does have the twists that he would be known for. 🙂
The Hays Code was not going to let the blood scene happen if it were in color.
Ed Gein was the inspiration for Norman, as well as, 'Buffalo Bill' from Silence of the Lambs.
No way! 😦
Gein was also the inspiration for Leatherface in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
@@johnmoreland6089 Hollywood has been cashing in on Ed long enough. Anyone brave enough to step forward & claim heritage should ask for royalties.
I recommend The Bad Seed (1956). No spoilers.
I’ve added it to my ever-growing list! Thanks :)
Hitchcock was known for his suspense-thriller-mystery films. The intent was not to make scary films in the style they are today, but he was one of the first to introduce psychological thriller themes and to manipulate his audiences with unexpected developments, such as getting rid of a main character or introducing the actual main character ( in this case: Norman) later in the film.
Love your comments and reactions to this classic Hitchcock film. It's very well known for its innovation, killing off the person we thought was the central character very early in the film. The actors, use of black and white cinematography, and plot twists added to the uniqueness of this movie. It's thought to be one of Alfred Hitchcock's best films.
“Why don’t you go away?”
“Like to a private island?”
“No, just fuck off while I’m trying to eat.”
Hitchcock wasn't just "the master of suspense" , he was a master film maker period.
His influence on later films is immense.
I remember an interview with, I think it was Martin Scorsese, where he said" I know some film directors think they weren't influenced by Hitchcock, but they are lying. Just watch their films and you can see where Hitchcock is all over a scene! I know what im talking about because ive done it myself!!"
Very good reaction. Did you know that there's a "Psycho 2" and "Psycho 3? You should react to them, since they're underrated movies.
The black & white was a deliberate choice to set a specific mood and tone, and to allow for more creativity with high-contrast shadows and lighting techniques, which again establish an emotional environment. Also, it avoided any issues with the blood looking fake.
I like that at least you were self-aware in your final thoughts.
Though in the future, if you want to honor the classic films you watch, don’t go into them with preconceived ideas and attitudes about what you’re about to watch.
Honestly I think that’s one of the main reasons it’s better for reactors to go in blind, as much as possible.
Be it what Google has to say about what genre it is or what fans have to say about the style and mood.
I mean obviously a film from 1960 isn’t going to be some blood splatter fest.
That’s on you if you thought different.
But it’s so annoying when people go into brilliant films with all sorts of preconceived notions and ideas about what the movie is.
They then criticize or hate on the movie for not being what their preconceived ideas led them to believe what the movie would have been.
Not that you did that.
You had enough self-awareness to acknowledge this.
So props for that.
But for future movie recommendations, the best advice is to go into it like an open book.
With zero assumptions about what you’re about to watch is going to be.
I totally agree! I think the reason it was hard with this one, and possibly the others I’ll be doing this month, is that with the poll I had made, I was already expecting horror films in the modern day sense which is/was unfair. I’ll be doing my best to put the preconceived notions aside! Thank you for watching and for your comment :)
@@cinemawithsteph Look forward to more reaction videos from you.
The horror movies for the month and other genres beyond.
Though you know, there are modern movies along the lines of Psycho.
That some may classify more as thrillers, though they verge on the line of horror.
People argue whether Silence of the Lambs is horror or simply a thriller.
And I saw someone online refer to the film “Eraserhead” as a horror movie.
Which I vehemently disagree with. I don’t think that film is horror at all. None of the intentions of the film are that of a horror movie.
The film is so disarming I guess I can see how a less savvy viewer might simply chalk it up as horror.
But again, if you told someone who had never seen “Eraserhead” that it was horror, when they watched it, they would just be very confused and dissatisfied thinking well that was weird but it really wasn’t scary.
That’s because it’s not a horror film.
That’s not the goal of the film or the intentions of the director.
And if you are told something is a horror movie (or whatever) when it’s really not, you’re just going to be left confused and dissatisfied while not appreciating the actual artistry of the film and what the filmmaker set out to do.
So this isn’t exclusively regarded to older black and white movies.
You can run into this with some more modern movies.
And preconceived ideas that a viewer clings to for dear life can get in the way of enjoying what’s actually before you.
Martin balsam, who played Arbogast, is the jury Foreman in the movie 12 angry men.
Great reaction Steph ! Imagine seeing this in 1960 with Janet Leigh in her bra and slip ...wow . I guess it's one of the first slasher movies . The use of shadows , mirrors , windows , birds and water I found very interesting and symbolic . There are many things I didn't notice just watching it once . Hitchcock was such a master of suspense
If you want a black and white sci-fi movie do Forbidden Planet. Cutting edge in so many ways.
I’ll have to look into that one!
Forbidden Planet is a color film.
Another Masterpiece. The First Slasher Horror Movie In History. The Final TWIST Is Pure GOLD. The Money In This Story Starts Everything But And The End It Was Irrelevant. It Was The Root Of All Evil. Awesome Reaction 💵🗡😎😆🎥🎬
$40,00 was about $400,000 at the time this was filmed .
I always like to advise people to watch this movie (at least) twice because of all of the foreshadowing. The "dinner in the office" scene is particularly telling once you know the truth. It's pretty brilliant writing. When he says, "have you ever seen the inside of one of those places" he's saying that HE has seen the inside of one of those places. And so on...
One other thing - at the end, when the officer is bringing Norman/Norman's mother a blanket, the other officer in the hall that opens the door is Ted Knight, who played Ted Baxter the hilarious news reporter on the Mary Tyler Moore show.
Love your Halloween decorations and matching make up, Steph! And I see the channel is getting the recognition it deserves too. Well done! :)
This remains such a classic, iconic and well-constructed film. Its narrative, visual storytelling and the performances especially. Far ahead of its time if you ask me. Many fans even argue this movie inspired the emergence of the 'slasher' subgenre-like Friday the 13th, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween. The last one being particularly relevant since Jamie Lee Curtis made her debut in it: daughter of Janet Leigh and pretty much the first memorable "scream queen" and "final girl". Funny enough Halloween (1978) is also considered one of the first slasher films. Two iconic horror flicks. Two iconic female leads. Like mother, like daughter.
That’s so crazy for mom and daughter to both be in such innovative (?) films in that genre. Thanks for the makeup/background comments, I really appreciate that!
@@cinemawithsteph Sure, and thank you for sharing your reaction with us.
You need to check out another Hitchcock movie, Rear Window. It's another great suspense movie and if you like 50's fashions you will swoon over Grace Kelly's outfits in that movie.
If you haven't seen What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, you'd absolutely love it.
I haven’t heard of it but I’ll make a note! Thanks :)
Yes that's a good movie. I also liked Whatever Happened to Aunt Alice
One of my all-time favourites. But it's more a Gothic psychological drama.
Love that you caught the skull superimposed over Norman's face at the very end!
There are MANY people who adore black & white films, many who study them for cinematic purposes and many who attend film festivals comprised mostly of black & white films.
Often the decision to use b/w (since Technicolor was introduced in the late 1930’s) was to better match the subject matter or theme, or create a mood, altho during WW 2 it could be a financial necessity, (or there were occasions when the huge, bulky color cameras were not suitable for location work.)
There are also hundreds of b/w films from other countries - France, Italy, Japan, Germany, Sweden, Britain, to name only a few, that are recognized masterpieces of global cinema.
I will suggest just a very few here that are among the greatest films and that their use of b/w film stock increased their dramatic impact, deepened or focused the story or allowed for more expressive freedom in the photography, set design, or costuming, etc.
The Third Man (1949) The Night of the Hunter (1955) Paths of Glory (1957)
Notorious (1946) Citizen Kane (1941) Some Like It Hot (1959) Casablanca (1942) M (1931) Metropolis (1927) Dr. Strangelove (1964) It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) La Dolce Vita (1960)
There are dozens more and any one of them will be an amazing experience.
Old cars had bench seats. Just one long unbroken seat all the way across. It's easy to slide across. I think that's why in the movie people get out of their cars that way. Todays car mostly have bucket seats, with a center console. So it's really awkward to try and slide across in today's cars. This movie was made when the restrictive Hays Code was in effect. It's impressive how Hitchcock was able to abide by the rules while at the same time subverting them. I consider this movie to be the prototype slasher movie. Among other things it has: use of a knife instead of guns, out of the way location where people can go missing without attracting attention, a connection between sexual urges and murder, the killer working his way through the lineup of victims, and a final girl.
I remember showing this film to my young nephew years ago. 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.
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 new ways.
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!
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 a/c. 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 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.
Your viewing experience was EXACTLY what Hitchcock wanted. In late 1960, when my mother and her friends went to see Psycho, they were expecting another typical Hitchcock mystery/suspense thriller, for which he was so well known. NOBODY was expecting this, especially, as you point out, back in a much more innocent time, before the mad-slasher garbage that Psycho..for all its brilliance.. essentially spawned. And Hitchcock had a great time messing with everybody's mind, leading them to believe that it was just another tale of stolen money, starring one of Hollywood's "A-List" actresses of the day. But when she is shockingly murdered, the entire world seems to begin spinning out of control, and we are left helpless in its grip...scared as hell, but never willing to look away. A great film.
agree. much of the credit goes to screenwriter Joseph Stefano - as brilliant as Hitchcock was Stefano came up with the idea of letting the audience get involved with Janet Leigh and the stolen money thus making her murder 40 minutes into the film even more shocking. movies have been trying to duplicate the 'twists' ever since
My Mum first let me stay up to watch this when I was 12. She didn't forewarn me about the knife attacks. You observed much more than I did back then. I thought at first it would just be an amusing love story where Marion was on the run for the money. The blood in the shower was actually chocolate syrup. As her car only just sank into the swamp, I wounder what Norman did with Arbogast's car. It was revealed in Psycho II that Sam and Leila eventually married but I won't spoil anything else for you if you want to do a reaction video to it, and maybe Psycho III.
Psycho II is actually a little gem of a movie. Totally subversive.
@@paulinegallagher7821 Yes, and the soundtrack was great as well.
Paramount Pictures didn't want to do Psycho and kept throwing up obstacles. Ultimately, Hitchcock did the film at Universal, financed the film himself and used the less expensive crew from his TV show Alfred Hitchcock Presents to make the film. This is the main reason the movie is in black and white. Paramount distributed the movie, but Hitchcock did his next 6 films for Universal. Amazingly enough, all these constraints helped Hitchcock create a horror classic.
just because someone roleplays as their mother, doesnt make them actually believe theyre their mother.. contrary to what this.. expert says..
Fun facts: Janet Leigh famously stated that shooting the shower scene in this movie made her scared of taking a shower.
Hitchcock typically appears in a lot of his movies in the background - as a man walking his dog, getting off/on a bus, or even in an advertisement. So watch out for his cameos.
When they say that Hitchcock was the master of suspense, they aren't lying. Most of his movies continue to hold up to the test of time and rank among my favourites. Also, I think he came up with, or at least popularised, the idea of a 'MacGuffin' in movies.
Hitchcock was so well known that there was even a series of Hardy Boys-type novels for young adults written by a certain Robert Arthur and titled 'Alfred Hitchcock and Three Investigators' because the author wanted to use the fame/notoriety of the director to sell his books.
Happy watching!
Though I only got to read a few of them, I loved those Three Investigators books. Would love to find some of them again to read for a trip down Memory Lane.
At that time, young men under 21 were referred to as Master, not Mister. So a young man would be referred to as young Master Billy Smith. So theoretically, Norman is Master Bates. That’s not an accident.
I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not, but I hope you aren’t because that’s amazing 😂
@@cinemawithsteph. I am 100% sincere. It shouldn’t be too involved to research. Feel free to look it up if you wish. I’m nearly 60 now but when I was a boy my uncles and aunts would address my birthday cards as Master Jonathan. True story.
@@juggernautomnimedia1038 wow - never heard this when I was 8 turning tricks to buy mom booze.
Off topic, if you like that post-war 1950s style fashion, it is commonly worn in Tokyo. The women wear blouses and 3/4 length coats and the men dark suits. Really neat vintage style fashion in that city.
1:50 Yeah, I was never convinced Sam had just one girlfriend.
Halloween, The Exorcist, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Omen, Nightmare on Elm Street are absolutely must see Steph
I suggested all these to her 👍
Prior to this movie, it was common for viewers to come in and sit down at any point in the movie. They'd then sit through the end, wait for the movie to restart, and stay until they reach the point that they came in. When this was released in theatres, Hitchcock insisted that no one be admitted after the movie started, in order to maintain the suspense/twist ending. Thus, in addition to killing Marion, Hitchcock also killed that era of moviegoing.
I read another comment that explained this. That’s so interesting, I really had no idea!
The sex scene between an unmarried couple was highly risque for 1961, as the Hollywood Hayes film code of decency didn't end till 1968. This film is also the first to have the sound of a toilet flush - scandalous! Most importantly, it changed how people view film in theatres forever. Previously you could enter anytime and stay as long as you liked as each film ran on a continuous loop at the cinema. So you might enter halfway through, watch to the end, and then watch the start. Hitchcock demand no one enter after it started so as not to ruin the ending for themselves. So now cinemas have start-times for films. It's an ICONIC film - the score, the editing, the shower scene, the first act main actress death, the twist. It is majorly referenced in many films, tv shows, etc, in pop culture moving forward, which is why Bates Motel rang a bell. It is also widely regarded as the FIRST SLASHER film (horror genre).
I had no idea about any of that! The idea of movies in cinemas not having had start times seems completely weird to me haha. It’s also funny you point out the toilet flush sound because while I didn’t know that it was a big deal at this time, the sound stood out to me so much for whatever reason lol
@@cinemawithsteph Movies did have start times back then. Most people even back then would rather not start watching a movie from the middle, even if they could then stay and watch the beginning of the film. People would still want to know what time the movie started so they could see it from the start. Not having announced start times would make it very difficult to know when to come to a movie to see it from the start.
Although it is true that if you did come into the theater in the middle of the film you were allowed to stay and watch the next showing. And even if you had watched the whole movie, you could stay and watch the next showing if you wanted to. You wouldn't have been kicked out of the theater. So they did have announced start times, but there was less pressure to make sure you were there on time. So people coming in to see a movie well after it started was something that did go on.
And movies really didn't run on a "continuous loop" as movies didn't restart the moment after they ended. Although there was less time between showings than there is now, so it wouldn't be that long a wait. Plus there were cartoons, short news reels, etc before the movie started.
All this would be dependent on whether or not the theater was showing a double feature. Which was the theater showing 2 different movies back-to-back for the price of one. Which was pretty common back than (but not done all the time). Often the 1st movie would be a major release, and the 2nd movie would be a B-film or an older film. If it was a double feature if you came in the middle of the 1st film, you would then watch the 2nd film, and then stay and watch the 1st film again (at least until the point you came in).
What "Psycho" did do is it got a lot of theaters to change it's rule about not allowing people to enter
a movie a certain amount of time after the movie started.
Your opinion is as valid as anyone's. Your intelligence is what makes your review valid. I love this movie but thoroughly enjoyed your reaction and analysis 😊
Great reaction! Watching you being completely shocked by the cellar scene…just imagine people watching this in the theater in 1960!!
Fun fact: Marion’s coworker in the office is Alfred Hitchcock’s daughter Pat.
Plus, did you notice the amount of bird symbolism in this film? The murdered woman is named Marion Crane. She came from Phoenix, Arizona. Of course, Norman likes stuffing birds (a red flag if ever there was one!), and when he comes into the shower after the murder, and is “shocked” after what he sees, he accidentally knocks a picture of a bird off the wall, etc.
It’s almost like hitchcock was thinking about making a movie about Birds
Trivia: John Gavin who plays Sam Loomis was once considered to play James Bond, also Dr. Loomis in Halloween was named after him, which also starred Jamie Lee, Janet's daughter. Guess who worked on Halloween?, Robert Englund a.k.a, Freddy Krueger. 🔪 😲 🔪
Watching from UK 🇬🇧 The actress in this film (Janet Leigh) is Jamie Lee Curtis (actress)(Halloween movies) mother in real life and her father was Tony Curtis the actor Jamie Lee was named lee after her mother's name Leigh and Curtis after her father
It's perfectly natural to feel that way about B/W. At one time I felt the same way but if you watch more classics you'll start to over come that bias and realize there are more important aspects to a movie than color. The movie also was very innovative and shocking for it's time. Even by today's standards killing off the main character 1/2 through the film is a risky thing to pull off.
I think this movie is more fundamentally scary than today's horror movies because it's based on a true story; Ed Gein. Also, the twists are the strength of this film I felt like you deemed them as weakness? I dunno I'm probably wrong😂
The actor playing “he’s so cute” Sam was lined up to play James Bond in the first bond movie Dr No.
In speaking of black & white movies."Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woofe" Starring London, England native Elizabeth Taylor.Hint: She is sooo! funny in this Great Classic Movie👍👍
I’ve seen that one! I loved it so much. Elizabeth Taylor was such a beauty 🤍
Your honesty and objectivity is more pleasing than pretending to be what you’re not..first time viewer,thank you for the reaction
Was she honest? yes. Was she objective? hell no.
"Variety recently listed the hundred best movies ever made and ranked them. Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film Psycho ended up being ranked the number one greatest movie ever made."
I thought your reaction was great! Having seen this movie many times over the decades, I know what's coming up in every scene. Your questioning of what would happen next brought the freshness back to it, because you really didn't know what would happen next, and you didn't realize that Norman was the real killer until the shocking reveal in the cellar. Keep that questioning as part of your reviews in the future, particularly with suspense movies. I first saw it as a teenager, and thought it was too slow except for the violent scenes, and much of it was over my head.
BTW, Alfred Hitchcock always makes a cameo appearance in his movies. It became a cult thing to watch for this. If you watch it again, or another Hitchcock movie, look for it.
Thank you so much! I’ve had some people not like the questioning, but it’s just what I’m thinking so I’m going to say it lol.
I didn’t know that! To be fair though, I’m honestly not sure I really know what he looks like 😅 I’ll have to do a Google search
@@cinemawithsteph Hitchcock used to have a very good show on television around that time, which he hosted. One of the hour long episodes actually gave me nightmares as a child. It was one in which nurses are being murdered by a serial killer. Scared me half to death! 😂
Another old horror movie you might want to react to is “Rosemary’s Baby” from 1968. It’s not only considered one of the best horror movies, it’s considered one of the best movies period. It won all kinds of awards, which is unusual for a horror movie. It’s not the type of movie that relies on gore to scare you, it’s psychologically terrifying. It’s also unusual for a horror film in that all of the main actors were BIG stars and well respected as great actors, and the script and storyline are among the best. It also has one of the greatest endings ever, the impact will stay with you.
I also suggested this to her.👍
These older classics are much better than most of today's stuff that doesn't even last a week or two in the cinemas.
Great reaction, Steph! 👍This is probably Hitchcock's most famous and oft-referred to film. Hope you'll check out more of his films, since Hitchcock is "The Master of Suspense." 😊
When I was a little kid I remember seeing the Birds at a sleepover. To be fair, I don’t really remember what happened in it, but I remember being terrified after 😂
@@cinemawithsteph Hope you'll check out more B&W films... Lots of great stuff., "Casablanca" for one. 🙂
Steph, PSYCHO is a great intro to Hitchcock, but it’s the only horror movie he made. A good primer for what he was most known for would be NORTH BY NORTHWEST, REAR WINDOW, and VERTIGO.
If you are a fan of true crime then a fun fact is Norman is partially based off Ed Gein.
You were right: Yes, Marion stole the money and was headed to Fairville, California to where Sam was. The ironic thing is that there's a scene where they show Sam writing Marion a letter saying he wants to marry her, despite being in debt. She stole the money for nothing. Had she waited, she would have received the letter from Sam and they would have gotten married.
Well, I'm a big fan of the movie and of Alfred Hitchcock and I didn't think you said anything that made me want to turn this off... In fact, it's one of the best reactions to this film from someone your age that I've seen. Your analysis was great and the movie "got" you in just the way the director intended... though back in the era when we weren't used to a school shooting every day, audiences actually screamed during this film. There are many black and white treasures for you to discover...like black and white still photography, it provides a certain ambiance and sometimes chosen in modern day as a filming style (The Artist, Schindler's List, and Young Frankenstein are all "newer" films in black and white). I look forward to more reactions from you including, hopefully, more Hitchcock films!
Yes, with bench seats in the old days we were lazy and slid across so we didn't have to walk around the car. Cars have bucket seats now-a-days so no one does this anymore.
Well if you like the costumes of this film. Watch the Alfred Hitchcock color film with a lot of costumes on the actress Grace Kelly in the movie "Rear Window"
In the 60's cars front seats were bench seats, not bucket seats. You could easy slide across and get out the other door. And we did, you didnt have to open the driver side door out into traffic.
Hey, Steph, just found the channel today as I will ALWAYS watch a PSYCHO reaction.
Or, y’know, a reaction to PSYCHO.
Anyway, it made me a bit sad when you essentially said you didn’t have anyone around you to recommend PSYCHO to. I hope one of the things this channel will bring you is into the world of those of us who love classic movies. It’s an amazing, vast, enchanting pursuit with endless discoveries and new avenues to explore. Movies like PSYCHO - my tenth-favorite movie of all-time, btw - can be terrific gateways into this world.
I hope you make some friends on the other side of that gate because, should you wish to explore classic movies more comprehensively, you shouldn’t have to do it alone.
Anthony Perkins who plays Norman Bates is amazing, some of my favorite acting.
Trust me 1960 was a completely different world than what you know now, violent crime of any kind was very very rare in those days, one murder anywhere in the US was national news. Nobody locked doors or no one I was aware of locked doors, that doesn't mean you could just walk right in some ones home however. 1960 was a magnificent time to be alive in America , for the most part women did not work they didn't need to, their job was to raise children and take care of the home. I was about 10 at the time. Great Memories!!
That’s hard to even really imagine now. How sad is that?
Yeah I think I could go on for hours on just how wrong this is. That's what ya call "Rose tinted nostalgia goggles". Ya know what else we didnt have in 1960? 24 hour news cycles. Violent crime is a part of the human condition.. it's just wasnt in your face as much then. Also, guess how many black people in the south were killed or lynched by white mobs and no one said a damn thing, least of all to newspapers, prior to 1960. Countless. Please get the idea that the world used to be literally Leave it To Beaver or the Andy Griffith show out of your head
I was born 5 years after Psycho. We lived in Los Angeles and could go without locking doors even in the early 70's. But times were quickly changing there with immigration flooding every neighborhood. We got the heck out in 1975.
@@haveanicedave1551casual racism ftw right?
@@CYB3R2Kan invasion that changed L.A. for the worst.
I think most people are shocked to see Marion die, it's not what we're expecting; but then you remember that the movie is called 'Psycho' so it makes sense for her to encounter such.
"Beware" is a very revealing word choice. When people tell you about themselves, believe them.
lol or it’s just the only Halloween-related word at Home Sense that I could flip around so it would mirror correctly on camera 😅
Hitchcock had to fight with the studio for many things one being that the film be presented in Black and White they wanted Colour but he liked the aesthetic of Black and White. Eventually though he caved to their demands later on and that's why The Birds is in Technicolor. The part that still freaks me out to the point of spine shutters is when the Sheriff asked "If Norman's Mother is still alive then who is the woman buried out in Green Lawn Cemetery?" Such a great scene.
Nonsense. Hitchcock wanted to make PSYCHO quick and low-budget: black and white, fast shooting schedule, shot for Paramount but on the Revue lot with the crew from his TV show. He then made THE BIRDS for a different studio under a new contract. Read a little before you go spouting off.
What is difficult about watching the classics are two things.
1) They are a product of their time. Culture and technology evolve so you have to go in with a non-biased eye from today.
2) The history are and the genre they started. Movies like Psycho, The Maltese Falcon, etc.... are the patient zero for a lot of genres and styles.
Did you know Janet Leigh that gets killed in the shower scene is Jaime Lee Curtis daughter. Universal Studios in Florida used to have a Alfred Hitchcock area of how he made his movies which was cool at that time
The Bates Motel was filmed at Universal Studios. As well as Norman's house.
How could you even question anyone watching this classic black and white Hitchcock masterpiece?
Fantastic reaction. I think you're the first reactor I've seen who immediately clocked Sam's debts as Marion's reason for running off with the cash.
I like the cop (played by Martin Balsam here). Somehow he's my POV, even though he doesn't witness every event. I guess I see the movie as the story he told later.
15:45 did you notice Sam is writing Marion saying he changed his mind and he wants to get married right away? That they would work out the tough money situation and it didn't matter as long as they loved each other.
I'm glad that you knew nothing going into this movie. Most people know the twist ending before watching.
Norman Bates was based.
on a actual person , Ed Gein of Wisconsin. Ed Gein was also the inspiration for Silence of the Lambs and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
You were talking about viewing it as it would have been at the time, well no-one would have expected the heroine to be murdered half way through.
It was the first time that a flushing toilet had been seen on film.
In the shower scene you see her body, the knife and blood in the bath. You never see the knife touch the body. The quick cuts, music and your imagination do the rest so much so that many people stopped having showers for a while afterwards.
It was one of the first times split personality had appeared in a film and the majority of the audience may not have heard about it before.
She has white underwear when she is being "good" and black underwear when she is being "bad".
The birds around Norman are birds of prey. The ones around Marion are birds that are preyed upon.
There are a lot of shots with the money in the frame so you concentrate on the money even though it turns out tobe incosequential to the movie. It was what Hitchcock called a McGuffin.
I can only imagine the immediate reaction to Psycho back in 1960 when it first came out. A lot of the dialogue, interactions, and discussions felt very adult and mature while at the same time all this was taking place within the confines of a horror film. As big as the twists are in Psycho, a big reason that it holds up for me (in my top 5 all-time movies) are the interesting character dynamics and conversations like the Norman-Marion parlor scene. As far as twists go in modern horror movies, I find myself not caring as much when they happen because the getting there is really tedious with 1-dimensional, interchangeable characters and cringe humor. In a way, I think an over 60-year old film like Psycho actually feels less dated than most modern horror movies and even movies in general. A lot of the time when I'm watching modern movies, I end up saying "No one talks like this or acts like this." Weird that an old film like Psycho has a better take on the human condition than many modern movies.
That’s a very good point regarding the reactions characters have in newer movies vs something older like this. I never thought about that, but I couldn’t agree more!
@@cinemawithstephYeah, I think there's an unfortunate tendency to think of older movies as "dated" simply because of the era they came out in and because they didn't have all of the fancy, advanced effects that are there now. But good writing and acting are things that always hold up, in my opinion. Psycho in particular feels a lot different than even a lot of films that came out in it's own era. It's a movie that came out in 1960 yet in a lot of ways has a modern sensibility.
Alfred Hitchcock got the idea for the movie from the true story of Ed Geins. He was a grave robber and kept bones all over his house. The authorities finally searched behind a wall and found his mother's room in perfect condition and the corpse of his mother. The Movie was " The Texas Chainsaw Masacre ".
I’ve seen a few documentaries on him! Scary stuff 😳
@cinemawithsteph that's where Alfred Hitchcock got his idea. And every slasher movie came after that. Now that we are in 🎃 month , start posting more. 😃
The original advertisement for the film predominantly featured Janet Leigh without giving ANY hint of what kind of movie it was. The film's gimmick was that you had to see the movie from the beginning - if you were late, too bad, you waited till the movie started again. So for 45 minutes audiences THOUGHT they were watching a movie about a woman who stole money. By the time she stepped in the shower, the audience was probably half bored. So imagine in 1960, you THINK you're watching a movie about a woman stealing money, the comes the most violent and bloody scene of it's time, the supposed star of the film is dead, and the movie wasn't even half over. THAT is what the real shock was. The story then changed, and now the audiences were completely jumpy as they didn't know what to expect next. Nobody seemed to notice that the movie got less violent as the movie went on. But if you know NOTHING about the film, it's amazing to me that this movie still works with audiences today. I'm more amazed at how many people DON'T figure out the twist at the end. So yes, this little low budget movie that the people who worked on it thought was good, had absolutely no idea that this movie was going to make history. Keep that in mind future filmmakers.
I've been reading Historical Romances since the 80s! I'm 55. Love them! Lisa Kleypas is my favorite author of Historical Romance. Her Wall Flower series is my favorite.
Yes! Tempt Me At Twilight and Scandal in Spring are my favorites by her 💕
@@cinemawithsteph Oh, I'm a Devil in Winter gal! I love Sebastian!
Yes! Love Gilda as well as Rita Hayworth; only saw her in black & white and always thought she was a blonde until I saw a color photo of her and saw it was red!
For some reason I thought it was black 🤔
Forensics don't replace good police work. They had DNA evidence against OJ and he was still acquitted.
It's important to recognize that this isn't a horror movie in the modern sense. It's a suspense thriller.
My favourite B&W thriller is 'Scream of Fear', 1961. It's not technically the best movie in the world, but I just love the feel of it. 👍
It was illegal to walk into somebody’s home without being invited. (just like today) So technically both the private investigator and Lila could’ve been killed and defended successfully as self-defense in court. All that needs to be proven would be that the person doing the killing was in fear for their life. And since there were no eyewitnesses they would have to take that person’s word.
It wasn't shot in black and white because it had to be. Color movies were common when this came out in the 1960s. Thje director chose for it be in black and white because he thought it made it creepier and more ominous. It's a whole genre of film that anybody who is curious about the evoltion of movies should spend some time on. Very interesting reaction.
A lot of people dismiss black and white films as not being good which is a shame. Check out "12 Angry Men", "Frankenstein" (and the Mel Brooks "Young Frankenstein"), "It's A Wonderful Life", "A Matter of Life And Death" and "The Best Years Of Our Lives" for starters.
That's the mother of Jamie Lee Curtis.
Yes Indeed, Marion (Her Mom) was one Gorgeous Lady...and so is Her Daughter!😍
@@tomhoffman4330Jamie Lee Curtis looks like a man compared to her mum ❤
@@rnw2739 Well She has gotten Older now...try looking up some 80's Movies with Jamie Lee Curtis: I'd start with "Trading Places!"👌
@@rnw2739you might want to get new glasses...
The actress in this , is the real mother of Jamie Lee Curtis . Also there's 3 " Psychos " all with Anthony Perkins .
You forgot psycho 4 (1990) which is the last time Anthony Perkins played norman bates before his death in 1992
For spooky season, here's another great movie. It's the 1956 Black & White movie called, THE BAD SEED,starring little Patty McCormack. Make you you watch that one (original) and not the remake years later.
Norman Bates drives the story; everyone else is incidental, people who come into his path. Anthony Perkins performance is incredible and iconic. This film revolutionized cinema and the thriller/horror as a genre. Tracking shots, camera angles, transition shots, symbolic imagery; its all pure art and mastery. POV shots of Lila approaching the Bates house is basically Laurie Strode approaching the Wallace house in Halloween. Honestly, I dont know how anyone could not expect Norman to be the killer. The 'mother' stabbing Marion was clearly not a little old lady. (though not Anthony Perkins either, they got a tall female stand in). The lighting in the film is superb, its lit in a way that when Bates stabs Marion in the shower, you can barely make out the face, its just a shadowy silhouette just a glimpse of maniacal eyes. So many movies have been influenced by this film. I dont agree with your take at all, and the fact you use the black and white as a negative when you admit you like that cheesy vehicle for Rita Hayworth is baffling. Now THAT film is dated. this film wouldnt have been nearly as impactful in colour. And the exposition by the cop at the end? my least favourite part of the movie.
My reference to black and white wasn’t intended as a negative whatsoever. I went into the movie expecting something else and that was on me and did a disservice to it. It had nothing to do with black and white.