Psycho (1960, Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles)
A boy’s best friend is his mother.
Quick Plot: A desperate woman steals money and hides out at a lonely motel. After an off-putting conversation with the shy caretaker, she retires to her room where she is brutally murdered in the shower. A week later, her friends and family show up at the Bates motel, investigating her disappearance. The truth is one of the most shocking reveals in cinematic history.
Scariest Scene: OOH!!! How can you pick!? The conversation Marion and Norman have in the room full of taxidermied birds is disturbing. It’s just words, but Norman exposes himself to be a very creepy, and potentially dangerous, person. The shower scene is classic – abrupt cut shots of a knife slicing through the air, a bloody drain, and the music “ree ree ree.” But, by far, the scariest scene is the big reveal at the end. As Lila searches the mansion for Mrs. Bates and walks downstairs into the fruit cellar to find an old woman sitting in a chair with her back turned to the door…
Final Say: Alfred Hitchcock explored a new territory of horror with Psycho – the human mind. He stepped away from monsters in masks and brought out the monsters that live inside of us. Thus, the psychological thriller was born. Every minute of this film, from the moment Marion makes off with the stolen cash to the final psychiatric diagnosis, is perfectly crafted. Psycho is an ingenious work from a masterful filmmaker.
Airing: Sat. Oct 25, 8p – TCM