"Psycho" was really innovative. Back when it was released, it was such a new concept, that women literally were frightened to take showers for months after seeing it (They took baths instead).
'Psycho' was written by Robert Bloch, and is inspired by the case of Ed Gein of Plainfield. Beginning during WWII when he was a teenager, Ed became increasingly isolated on a farm far from any big city. After the loss of his older brother in WWII, his father, and most of his family moving away or dying, he took odd jobs as a handyman while cutting and selling wood from his farmland, being influenced only by his mother, and shooting and butchering deer for food. The his mother died and he was alone. One day, he drove into town, shot a woman in a shop, put her body in his truck and drove away, the town later sent the sheriff to talk to him. When at the house, the sheriff stepped on something which proved to be a human tooth. The house was either preserved perfectly inside, or was a slaughterhouse, with chairs repaired with human bones, a mask of human skin was found, and several cars out side belonging to people who had gone missing. Ed was tried, judged insane, in an insane institution he became a handyman and eventually died of old age there. He also inspired the series of films called collectively 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'.
Alfred Hitchcock was a genius filmmaker...The shower scene is a masterclass. For every cut of the knife there's a cut in the film which tricks the audience at least for the time it was made into thinking you actually see her getting stabbed.
I second the recommendation to watch the sequels. Anthony Perkins does return as Norman Bates. Fun Fact: In the opening scene, Marion Crane is wearing a white bra because Sir Alfred Hitchcock wanted to show her "angelic" side. After she has taken the money, the following scene has her in a black bra because now she has done something wrong and evil. Similarly, before she steals the money, she has a white purse. After she's stolen the money, her purse is black.
I enjoyed this video very much. It's always great to see someone react appreciatively to this movie not knowing all the spoilers and not going on endlessly about how old it is or that it's in (beautiful, atmospheric) black and white or whether or not it still "holds up." If you'll notice when Norman first appears as "Mother" and is restrained by Sam, he screams "I am Norma Bates!!!"
@Porfle Popnecker I must have seen this film, well, umpteen times, but only recently did I notice something I found intriguing : when we see Hitch standing on the street outside the office, and then the camera follows Janet Leigh into the office and pans across the office, where we find the other secretary seated at her desk. Now that character is played by Patricia Hitchcock, Hitch's daughter. Which means that father and daughter are in the same shot!!!
Having said that, FlixTalk obviously already knew many of the scenes, as they have become part of the canon. That means that if you are a modern movie buff it's almost impossible to view this movie in the way that the audiences of the day viewed it. They may not know for example that Janet Leigh was a popular film star, so to see her killed off before the midway point caught people by surprise. Now, so many people have heard of the Bates Motel, then, it was completely new, so we were not nodding our heads knowingly. Same of course with the famous shower scene. I think you might have to find somebody who knows absolutely nothing about the film in order to see their reaction. Are there any like that on yt?
You spotted Bakersfield! Hardly anybody does. 17:22 The cop guarding Norman at the door was played by Ted Knight who also played Judge Smails in Caddyshack.
Hitchcock is so great! I recommend checking out the birds(another thriller) Rear Window, Vertigo,and North by Northwest. Once you’ve seen all of those then I recommend Notorious and Suspicion
Vera Miles was an underrated actress. Her searching the house, while looking for Mrs. Bates. Her reactions when she sees Norman’s bedroom and of course the fruit cellar. In which she had several different reactions. She was supposed to be in Vertigo. She became pregnant. Hitchcock told her “Vera, don’t you know it’s in bad taste to have more than two?”
Though I've said this on other comments regarding "Psycho", I will say it again here - nothing bad, just giving you some info here. Look at the original posters for the film. Does it tell you anything? No. Who is predominantly featured on the posters? Janet Leigh. The film's gimmick? You HAD to see the movie from the beginning. If you were 5 minutes late, too bad, you waited two hours until it started again. So opening day audiences paid their admission, sat down, and for 45 minutes watched what they THOUGHT was a story about a woman who stole money. By the time she stepped into the shower, well, I don't know if the audience was bored per se, but boy, they had no idea what was coming next. The scene was the most violent up to that time, and it took the audience so much by surprise that they would be jumpy for the whole rest of the movie - cause they didn't know what to expect next. I mean, damn, only 45 minutes in and the star was already taken out of the film. That had never been done before. So you are damn right audiences were scared out of their wits. When Vera Miles heads towards the fruit cellar, you can bet audience were screaming their lungs out not to go in there. This still remains the one movie I wish I could get into a time machine and see on opening day. I can only bet what an experience that was. Great reactions by the way.
Psycho is pretty much the catalyst to what would eventually become the “slasher flick”. Hitchcock’s Vertigo, North By Northwest and Rear Window are also highly acclaimed, greatly influential films. And he’s made other influential films with iconic or groundbreaking moments. He’s probably the biggest influence on post 1950s movie-making. And most of his filmography still holds up.
Hitchcock said the music was one-third of the overall film. It was an all-string orchestra. The detective's death scares everyone. Watch a couple of more like "The Birds" and "Vertigo". Then you can review Mel Brooks's "High Anxiety"...a comical tribute to Hitchcock films. My favorite Hitchcock film is "Lifeboat". Made during WWII, the whole movie takes place in a lifeboat, and yes, there are one or two murders that happen there.
I am new to your channel and after watching you review a few films already, I really love your style of reacting and commenting on movies. You explain the most important elements of what we’re watching in a very entertaining and informative way! Can’t wait to see more!
4:45 I saw the motel and the house from that same Universal tour you mentioned. It was a pretty cool place to visit. I'm curious how you recognized Bakersfield so easily, I've never been there.
The shower scene is iconic the blood 🩸 that was in the tub was actually chocolate syrup.The reason why you thought it was supposed to be red is because in a black in white movies 🎥 like Psycho is that the black and white film makes the brown syrup look red
Now I know for a fact you haven't seen this movie before this reaction. The shock of the twist to first-time viewers can't be faked or duplicated by anyone :)
Really enjoyable reactions. It's so fun to get scared and then have that release of laughter right after, as in when you watched as Detective Arbogast is killed in the Bates home and you weren't expecting it. Such a fantastic movie, and it still is great sixty years later. I love psychological horror. Some other ones I like include Sisters by Brian De Palma, and also his movie Dressed to Kill; The Machinist; Paranoiac; Session 9; Identity; and Mulholland Drive (which isn't genuine horror but is such a mind bender that it deserves inclusion here).
Do I think it holds up with the Hitchcock greats, you ask? I put it in the top four, and usually right at top, although my other three (Rear Window, Strangers On A Train, and Shadow Of A Doubt) are definitely great, and he has lots of other good ones, some of them really good. Such a fun reaction, happy the movie is still holding up! I'm happy the scene with Arborgast getting killed on the staircase "got" you!!!! Congratulations on having this definite classic under your belt!
Psycho 2 is a brilliantly scripted movie. Folks poopoo it, but it's really a complex puzzle and Perkins is at the top of his form. It's quite good! (The special fx are a bit silly and out of date.)
@@FlixTalk 3 ain't bad at all! Cute detail: there's a book in the yard in the opening shot of 3. It's the same book Meg Tilly was reading in 2. Title: "In the Belly of the Beast." (It's a good book, I read it because of psycho 2. They just used it as a joke for its title, tho.) Other trivia: the nude shower scene in 2 is obviously not Meg Tilly. In the credits, her body double is credited only as "Jennifer." At the time her little sister had never really been in a movie yet. Meg's little sister: Jennifer Tilly.
Good Job! But about the T-shirt. Time for Gojira. The Original. Not the crappy American release. King of Monsters. It's different than you can imagine. Now I Love the silly guy-in-the-rubber-suit Kaiju sequels. Godzilla vs King Kong is my favorite. But Gojira is serious and soulful. It's worth that T-shirt.
You are very cute. But also a good observer and fun to watch. Psycho isn't exactly easy to watch. You interpreted this dead on (pun intended) and made this film fun to rewatch. Good job. I'll subscribe.
What a perfect name for a film, eh? You dismiss the 1960's audiences - "I'll bet they were terrified by this scene" - and then you see Arbogast getting slashed... "I was scared!" Gee. Y'mean the sophistication of 21st Century audiences is so much greater than the 1960's?!! No. Every audience for these 60 years reacts the same way. That's what good filmmaking is about.
This is way too harsh. That shower scene really isn't scary anymore by modern standards, especially considering its legendary status. That's what he was commenting on. However that Arbogast scene is still scary as it's a jump-scare for the ages; the slow walking up the stairs builds anticipation, the door creaks open igniting fear, and then the music kicks in and "mother" comes out and it's legitimately startling. And it's obviously not that the sophistication of the 21st century audience is greater, it's that we're used to seeing an abundance of jump scares and more graphic content. This is way twisting his words/intentions, although I agree with the final note that it's great filmmaking regardless
Very good reaction, did you know there's a "Psycho 2" and "Psycho 3"? You should react to them, since they're underrated films, ESPECIALLY in the horror genre.
In 1960, Janet Leigh was a huge star. Married to actor Tony Curtis, they were a power couple long before that was an expression. People back then went to see this "starring Janet Leigh" movie and then she takes a shower and... It would be like going to a Tom Cruise movie today and he's dead before the first hour is up. Killing Leigh was a bold move by Hitch that could have backfired, big time. One other thing: audiences in 1960 would have probably perceived the rich guy with the $40,000 as a harmless (and humorous) flirt, a real character, and certainly not a "creep." In fact, he seems to be more interested in the bank manager's booze drawer than anything else. Modern "woke" sensibilities can and will distort the intentions of just about any film, including this one.
@@gustergirl417 That's your opinion. I say he's comic relief to a 1960s audience, nothing more. Just because a man hits on a woman doesn't make him a creep. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Leigh steals the money because she needs it and it's too easy. Plus the guy's a blowhard, rather than a creep, who said he never carried any more than he could afford to lose, so she doesn't feel as bad about taking it. You're implying that she takes the money out of some kind of revenge, which is totally ridiculous.
@@glennwisniewski9536 not implying that at all, from a writer’s standpoint makes more sense to make the guy “gross”/unsympathetic so the audience is on the side of the protag, especially since we see him very quickly so need to form a quick opinion. But to your point his type is a “humorous creep.”
Perkins was brilliant. Also Herrmann's score.
If Perkins' performance isn't Oscar worthy, nothing is.
"Psycho" was really innovative. Back when it was released, it was such a new concept, that women literally were frightened to take showers for months after seeing it (They took baths instead).
Terrifying scene! Thanks for watching
My Mom is 87 years old. Yes, you are right. She said this movie scared her and she wouldn't take a shower because of it.
Baths are better anyhow, gets your crotch much cleaner. Showers🚿 do get the back of your neck really clean though 😂
@@ckobo84 I can scrub my crotch and back with a loofah easily lol I don't know about anyone else
'Psycho' was written by Robert Bloch, and is inspired by the case of Ed Gein of Plainfield.
Beginning during WWII when he was a teenager, Ed became increasingly isolated on a farm far from any big city.
After the loss of his older brother in WWII, his father, and most of his family moving away or dying, he took odd jobs as a handyman while cutting and selling wood from his farmland, being influenced only by his mother, and shooting and butchering deer for food.
The his mother died and he was alone.
One day, he drove into town, shot a woman in a shop, put her body in his truck and drove away, the town later sent the sheriff to talk to him.
When at the house, the sheriff stepped on something which proved to be a human tooth.
The house was either preserved perfectly inside, or was a slaughterhouse, with chairs repaired with human bones, a mask of human skin was found, and several cars out side belonging to people who had gone missing.
Ed was tried, judged insane, in an insane institution he became a handyman and eventually died of old age there.
He also inspired the series of films called collectively 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'.
this movies was done 60 years ago....and still working ........
Absolutely. All of it: perfection. And why people keep referring to real-time scenes as "slow" is beyond me. "Slow" here is just right.
Alfred Hitchcock was a genius filmmaker...The shower scene is a masterclass. For every cut of the knife there's a cut in the film which tricks the audience at least for the time it was made into thinking you actually see her getting stabbed.
I second the recommendation to watch the sequels. Anthony Perkins does return as Norman Bates.
Fun Fact: In the opening scene, Marion Crane is wearing a white bra because Sir Alfred Hitchcock wanted to show her "angelic" side. After she has taken the money, the following scene has her in a black bra because now she has done something wrong and evil. Similarly, before she steals the money, she has a white purse. After she's stolen the money, her purse is black.
I enjoyed this video very much. It's always great to see someone react appreciatively to this movie not knowing all the spoilers and not going on endlessly about how old it is or that it's in (beautiful, atmospheric) black and white or whether or not it still "holds up." If you'll notice when Norman first appears as "Mother" and is restrained by Sam, he screams "I am Norma Bates!!!"
@Porfle Popnecker
I must have seen this film, well, umpteen times, but only recently did I notice something I found intriguing : when we see Hitch standing on the street outside the office, and then the camera follows Janet Leigh into the office and pans across the office, where we find the other secretary seated at her desk. Now that character is played by Patricia Hitchcock, Hitch's daughter. Which means that father and daughter are in the same shot!!!
Having said that, FlixTalk obviously already knew many of the scenes, as they have become part of the canon. That means that if you are a modern movie buff it's almost impossible to view this movie in the way that the audiences of the day viewed it. They may not know for example that Janet Leigh was a popular film star, so to see her killed off before the midway point caught people by surprise. Now, so many people have heard of the Bates Motel, then, it was completely new, so we were not nodding our heads knowingly. Same of course with the famous shower scene. I think you might have to find somebody who knows absolutely nothing about the film in order to see their reaction. Are there any like that on yt?
Great movie, as was your review. Yes, Anthony Perkins was brilliant! The musical score added much to the suspense and horror of Psycho.
Thank you so much for the comment and watching
Now you HAVE to watch 'Psycho II' - its brilliant
I like Psycho III better.
@@porflepopnecker4376 Each to their own.... for me, Norman is too much of a caricature panto villain in that although there are parts of it I love.
You spotted Bakersfield! Hardly anybody does. 17:22 The cop guarding Norman at the door was played by Ted Knight who also played Judge Smails in Caddyshack.
Hitchcock is so great! I recommend checking out the birds(another thriller) Rear Window, Vertigo,and North by Northwest. Once you’ve seen all of those then I recommend Notorious and Suspicion
Thanks for the recommendations! Thanks for watchingn
Concur with every one of those movies.
@@FlixTalk "Dial M for Murder" and "Rope" are other Hitchcock classics worth watching and reacting to.
Vera Miles was an underrated actress. Her searching the house, while looking for Mrs. Bates. Her reactions when she sees Norman’s bedroom and of course the fruit cellar. In which she had several different reactions. She was supposed to be in Vertigo. She became pregnant. Hitchcock told her “Vera, don’t you know it’s in bad taste to have more than two?”
Nice reaction video to one of the all-time great films- love your "jumps" at key shocker moments.
Thank you for watching !
Though I've said this on other comments regarding "Psycho", I will say it again here - nothing bad, just giving you some info here. Look at the original posters for the film. Does it tell you anything? No. Who is predominantly featured on the posters? Janet Leigh. The film's gimmick? You HAD to see the movie from the beginning. If you were 5 minutes late, too bad, you waited two hours until it started again. So opening day audiences paid their admission, sat down, and for 45 minutes watched what they THOUGHT was a story about a woman who stole money. By the time she stepped into the shower, well, I don't know if the audience was bored per se, but boy, they had no idea what was coming next. The scene was the most violent up to that time, and it took the audience so much by surprise that they would be jumpy for the whole rest of the movie - cause they didn't know what to expect next. I mean, damn, only 45 minutes in and the star was already taken out of the film. That had never been done before. So you are damn right audiences were scared out of their wits. When Vera Miles heads towards the fruit cellar, you can bet audience were screaming their lungs out not to go in there. This still remains the one movie I wish I could get into a time machine and see on opening day. I can only bet what an experience that was. Great reactions by the way.
Psycho is pretty much the catalyst to what would eventually become the “slasher flick”. Hitchcock’s Vertigo, North By Northwest and Rear Window are also highly acclaimed, greatly influential films. And he’s made other influential films with iconic or groundbreaking moments. He’s probably the biggest influence on post 1950s movie-making. And most of his filmography still holds up.
Hitchcock said the music was one-third of the overall film. It was an all-string orchestra. The detective's death scares everyone. Watch a couple of more like "The Birds" and "Vertigo". Then you can review Mel Brooks's "High Anxiety"...a comical tribute to Hitchcock films. My favorite Hitchcock film is "Lifeboat". Made during WWII, the whole movie takes place in a lifeboat, and yes, there are one or two murders that happen there.
Thanks for the suggestions and thanks for watching!
My friend Dorothy's dad did the music for this film.
Omg wow that's amazing! And iconic
I am new to your channel and after watching you review a few films already, I really love your style of reacting and commenting on movies. You explain the most important elements of what we’re watching in a very entertaining and informative way! Can’t wait to see more!
Thank you for the amazing comment! Welcome to the channel!
4:45 I saw the motel and the house from that same Universal tour you mentioned. It was a pretty cool place to visit. I'm curious how you recognized Bakersfield so easily, I've never been there.
I've been there lol and I believe there was a sign or someone mentioned it
@@FlixTalk Very cool.....I see recognizable places in movies/TV as well....even in older shows.
This is the best Alfred Hitchcock MOVIE🎥 OF ALL TIME!!!
The shower scene is iconic the blood 🩸 that was in the tub was actually chocolate syrup.The reason why you thought it was supposed to be red is because in a black in white movies 🎥 like Psycho is that the black and white film makes the brown syrup look red
Now I know for a fact you haven't seen this movie before this reaction. The shock of the twist to first-time viewers can't be faked or duplicated by anyone :)
Really enjoyable reactions. It's so fun to get scared and then have that release of laughter right after, as in when you watched as Detective Arbogast is killed in the Bates home and you weren't expecting it.
Such a fantastic movie, and it still is great sixty years later. I love psychological horror. Some other ones I like include Sisters by Brian De Palma, and also his movie Dressed to Kill; The Machinist; Paranoiac; Session 9; Identity; and Mulholland Drive (which isn't genuine horror but is such a mind bender that it deserves inclusion here).
Thank you so much for the comment and thank you for watching!
That Jamie Lee for Halloween mom and real life
The Forty-First Movie 🎥 is Psycho in 1960!
Do I think it holds up with the Hitchcock greats, you ask? I put it in the top four, and usually right at top, although my other three (Rear Window, Strangers On A Train, and Shadow Of A Doubt) are definitely great, and he has lots of other good ones, some of them really good. Such a fun reaction, happy the movie is still holding up! I'm happy the scene with Arborgast getting killed on the staircase "got" you!!!! Congratulations on having this definite classic under your belt!
He directed 47 sound movies in his career!
MASTERPIECE!!. No doubt about it!!!👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
the other secretary was Hitchocks daughter..Pat
Her British accent comes through a bit.
Great reaction and commentary... also, great cap!
Thank you! Thanks for watching
NIce reaction!
Love your reaction!!!!
Psycho 2 is a brilliantly scripted movie. Folks poopoo it, but it's really a complex puzzle and Perkins is at the top of his form. It's quite good! (The special fx are a bit silly and out of date.)
I actually enjoyed the whole psycho series. Believe it or not. And yeah the sequel to the original was pretty damn good
@@FlixTalk 3 ain't bad at all! Cute detail: there's a book in the yard in the opening shot of 3. It's the same book Meg Tilly was reading in 2. Title: "In the Belly of the Beast." (It's a good book, I read it because of psycho 2. They just used it as a joke for its title, tho.)
Other trivia: the nude shower scene in 2 is obviously not Meg Tilly. In the credits, her body double is credited only as "Jennifer." At the time her little sister had never really been in a movie yet. Meg's little sister: Jennifer Tilly.
What way for Lila Loomis to go!
Happy Halloween cute man 🎃
Psycho 2 is a must see. as well. 🔪🔪
Good Job! But about the T-shirt. Time for Gojira. The Original. Not the crappy American release. King of Monsters. It's different than you can imagine. Now I Love the silly guy-in-the-rubber-suit Kaiju sequels. Godzilla vs King Kong is my favorite. But Gojira is serious and soulful. It's worth that T-shirt.
i think norman is just a plotting guy that indulges in his fantasies and role plays
You are very cute. But also a good observer and fun to watch. Psycho isn't exactly easy to watch. You interpreted this dead on (pun intended) and made this film fun to rewatch.
Good job. I'll subscribe.
Psycho 2is pretty good.
What a perfect name for a film, eh? You dismiss the 1960's audiences - "I'll bet they were terrified by this scene" - and then you see Arbogast getting slashed... "I was scared!" Gee. Y'mean the sophistication of 21st Century audiences is so much greater than the 1960's?!! No. Every audience for these 60 years reacts the same way. That's what good filmmaking is about.
Don't know of that was a diss at me or not haha anyways thanks for watching
This is way too harsh. That shower scene really isn't scary anymore by modern standards, especially considering its legendary status. That's what he was commenting on. However that Arbogast scene is still scary as it's a jump-scare for the ages; the slow walking up the stairs builds anticipation, the door creaks open igniting fear, and then the music kicks in and "mother" comes out and it's legitimately startling.
And it's obviously not that the sophistication of the 21st century audience is greater, it's that we're used to seeing an abundance of jump scares and more graphic content. This is way twisting his words/intentions, although I agree with the final note that it's great filmmaking regardless
Very good reaction, did you know there's a "Psycho 2" and "Psycho 3"? You should react to them, since they're underrated films, ESPECIALLY in the horror genre.
Thank you! Yes I have the 4 movie set on bluray. I have seen them ironically before the original lol they are great! Especially the second film
Dude you are CUTE AF. Damn.
In 1960, Janet Leigh was a huge star. Married to actor Tony Curtis, they were a power couple long before that was an expression. People back then went to see this "starring Janet Leigh" movie and then she takes a shower and... It would be like going to a Tom Cruise movie today and he's dead before the first hour is up. Killing Leigh was a bold move by Hitch that could have backfired, big time. One other thing: audiences in 1960 would have probably perceived the rich guy with the $40,000 as a harmless (and humorous) flirt, a real character, and certainly not a "creep." In fact, he seems to be more interested in the bank manager's booze drawer than anything else. Modern "woke" sensibilities can and will distort the intentions of just about any film, including this one.
I was around as an adult in 1960...women would have considered him a creep, but we would have said little then, as it did not pay to speak up.
Women have wise to creeps for several thousand years...men just are unaware of that.
He was a creep regardless of the time period, she saw him as such and him being portrayed this way was an important catalyst to get the plot moving.
@@gustergirl417 That's your opinion. I say he's comic relief to a 1960s audience, nothing more. Just because a man hits on a woman doesn't make him a creep. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Leigh steals the money because she needs it and it's too easy. Plus the guy's a blowhard, rather than a creep, who said he never carried any more than he could afford to lose, so she doesn't feel as bad about taking it. You're implying that she takes the money out of some kind of revenge, which is totally ridiculous.
@@glennwisniewski9536 not implying that at all, from a writer’s standpoint makes more sense to make the guy “gross”/unsympathetic so the audience is on the side of the protag, especially since we see him very quickly so need to form a quick opinion. But to your point his type is a “humorous creep.”