History Film / PSYCho

''Psycho'' is a 1960 PsychologicalThriller film directed by Creator/AlfredHitchcock. Among Hitchcock's best-known films, it has long been deemed one of the most important and influential films ever made, for reasons that include setting a new benchmark for transgressive content in mainstream U.S. cinema and serving as the UrExample for the SlasherMovie genre.[[note]]Notably, Creator/JohnCarpenter's ''Film/Halloween1978'', the film often called "[[TropeCodifier the original]] slasher movie", includes multiple explicit references to ''Psycho'': one of its two leads is even played by [[Creator/JamieLeeCurtis Janet Leigh's daughter]], and the other is [[ShoutOut named after]] Marion's lover.[[/note]] Hitchcock himself openly acknowledged having taken inspiration from ''Film/LesDiaboliques'', even emulating that film's meta by requesting, in a Creator/WilliamCastle-esque ballyhoo, that audiences 1.) be barred from entering the theater after each screening had started, and 2.) [[DoNotSpoilThisEnding avoid spoiling the ending for others]].

''Psycho'' is a 1960 PsychologicalThriller film directed by Creator/AlfredHitchcock. Arguably one of the best-known of Hitchcock's films, it has long been deemed one of the most important and influential films ever made, for reasons that include setting a whole new benchmark for transgressive content in mainstream U.S. cinema and serving as the UrExample for the SlasherMovie genre.[[note]] Notably, Creator/JohnCarpenter's ''Film/Halloween1978'', the film often called "[[TropeCodifier the original]] slasher movie", includes multiple explicit references to ''Psycho''. One of its two leads is even played by [[Creator/JamieLeeCurtis Janet Leigh's daughter]], and the other is [[ShoutOut named after]] Marion's lover.[[/note]] Hitchcock himself openly acknowledged having taken inspiration from ''Film/LesDiaboliques'', even emulating that film's meta by requesting, in a Creator/WilliamCastle-esque ballyhoo, that audiences 1.) be barred from entering the theater after each screening had started, and 2.) [[DoNotSpoilThisEnding avoid spoiling the ending for others]].

After the first of the two twists,[[labelnote:spoiler!]]Marion being brutally stabbed to death by a knife-wielding maniac in her motel room[[/labelnote]] revealed in the film's best-known and most frequently parodied scene, ''Psycho'' switches gears to become something more along the lines of a combination [[MysteryFiction mystery]] and [[PsychologicalHorror psychological horror]] story, though still retaining a few noir elements. The rest of the film follows the investigation into the events of the first twist, first by a private detective (Creator/MartinBalsam) hired to recover the money from Marion, and then by her lover (Creator/JohnGavin) and her sister (Creator/VeraMiles).

* ExpyCoexistence: At one point in the epilogue of the book, Bates is compared to Ed Gein - who is the real-life SerialKiller that inspired the creation of the book.

''Psycho'' is a 1960 PsychologicalThriller film directed by Creator/AlfredHitchcock. Arguably one of the best-known Hitchcock's films, it has long been deemed one of the most important and influential films ever made, for reasons that include setting a whole new benchmark for transgressive content in mainstream U.S. cinema and serving as the UrExample for the SlasherMovie genre.[[note]] Notably, Creator/JohnCarpenter's ''Film/Halloween1978'', the film often called "[[TropeCodifier the original]] slasher movie", includes multiple explicit references to ''Psycho''. One of its two leads is even played by [[Creator/JamieLeeCurtis Janet Leigh's daughter]], and the other is [[ShoutOut named after]] Marion's lover.[[/note]] Hitchcock himself openly acknowledged having taken inspiration from ''Film/LesDiaboliques'', even emulating that film's meta by requesting, in a Creator/WilliamCastle-esque ballyhoo, that audiences 1.) be barred from entering the theater after each screening had started, and 2.) [[DoNotSpoilThisEnding avoid spoiling the ending for others]].

''Psycho'' is a 1960 PsychologicalThriller film directed by Creator/AlfredHitchcock. Arguably the best-known among Hitchcock's films, it has long been deemed one of the most important and influential films ever made, for reasons that include setting a whole new benchmark for transgressive content in mainstream U.S. cinema and serving as the UrExample for the SlasherMovie genre.[[note]] Notably, Creator/JohnCarpenter's ''Film/Halloween1978'', the film often called "[[TropeCodifier the original]] slasher movie", includes multiple explicit references to ''Psycho''. One of its two leads is even played by [[Creator/JamieLeeCurtis Janet Leigh's daughter]], and the other is [[ShoutOut named after]] Marion's lover.[[/note]] Hitchcock himself openly acknowledged having taken inspiration from ''Film/LesDiaboliques'', even emulating that film's meta by requesting, in a Creator/WilliamCastle-esque ballyhoo, that audiences 1.) be barred from entering the theater after each screening had started, and 2.) [[DoNotSpoilThisEnding avoid spoiling the ending for others]].

The story -- [[TheFilmOfTheBook adapted]] by Hitchcock and screenwriter Joseph Stefano[[note]] who would later produce the sci-fi anthology series ''Series/TheOuterLimits1963''[[/note]] from the Creator/RobertBloch novel of the same name published the year before -- has not one but ''two'' major {{plot twist}}s. At the time, Hitchcock went to considerable lengths to keep them a secret (including one print ad pleading, "Don't give away the ending — it's the only one we have"), but these days, most people [[ItWasHisSled already know all about]] both of them thanks to PopCulturalOsmosis, even if they know nothing else about the film.

The story -- [[TheFilmOfTheBook adapted]] by Hitchcock and screenwriter Joseph Stefano[[note]] who would later produce the sci-fi anthology series ''Series/TheOuterLimits1963''[[/note]] from the Creator/RobertBloch novel of the same name published the year before -- has not one but ''two'' major plot twists. At the time, Hitchcock went to considerable lengths to keep them a secret (including one print ad pleading, "Don't give away the ending — it's the only one we have"), but these days, most people [[ItWasHisSled already know all about]] both of them thanks to PopCulturalOsmosis, even if they know nothing else about the film.

The story -- [[TheFilmOfTheBook adapted]] by Hitchcock and screenwriter Joseph Stefano[[note]] who would later produce the sci-fi anthology series ''Series/TheOuterLimits1963''[[/note]] from the Creator/RobertBloch novel of the same name published the year before -- has not one but ''two'' major plot twists. At the time, Hitchcock went to considerable lengths to keep them a secret (including one print ad pleading, "Don't give away the ending — it's the only one we have"), but these days, most people already know about both thanks to PopCulturalOsmosis, even if they know nothing else about the film.

The story, [[TheFilmOfTheBook adapted]] by Hitchcock and screenwriter Joseph Stefano[[note]] who would later produce the sci-fi anthology series ''Series/TheOuterLimits1963''[[/note]] from the novel of the same name by Creator/RobertBloch (published the year before), has not one but ''two'' major plot twists. At the time, Hitchcock went to considerable lengths to keep them a secret (including one print ad pleading, "Don't give away the ending — it's the only one we have"), but these days, most people already know about both thanks to PopCulturalOsmosis, even if they know nothing else about the film.

Being such a popular movie, ''Psycho'' naturally spawned sequels -- three, in fact (one being made-for-TV):

''Psycho'' is a 1960 PsychologicalThriller film directed by Creator/AlfredHitchcock. Arguably the best-known among Hitchcock's films, it has long been deemed one of the most important and influential films ever made, for reasons that include setting a whole new benchmark for transgressive content in mainstream U.S. cinema and serving as the UrExample for the SlasherMovie genre.[[note]] Notably, Creator/JohnCarpenter's ''Film/Halloween1978'', the film often called "[[TropeCodifier the original]] slasher movie", includes multiple explicit references to ''Psycho''. One of its two leads is even played by [[Creator/JamieLeeCurtis Janet Leigh's daughter]], and the other is [[ShoutOut named after]] Marion's lover.[[/note]] Hitchcock himself openly acknowledged having taken inspiration from ''Film/LesDiaboliques'', even emulating that film's meta by requesting, in a Creator/WilliamCastle-esque ballyhoo, that audiences 1.) be barred from entering the theater after the film had started, and 2.) [[DoNotSpoilThisEnding avoid spoiling the ending to others]].

''Psycho'' is a 1960 PsychologicalThriller film directed by Creator/AlfredHitchcock. Arguably the best-known among Hitchcock's films, it has long been deemed one of the most important and influential films ever made, for reasons that include setting a whole new benchmark for transgressive content in mainstream U.S. cinema and serving as the UrExample for the SlasherMovie genre.[[note]] Notably, Creator/JohnCarpenter's ''Film/Halloween1978'', the film often called "[[TropeCodifier the original]] slasher movie", includes multiple explicit references to ''Psycho''. One of its two leads is even played by [[Creator/JamieLeeCurtis Janet Leigh's daughter]], and the other is [[ShoutOut named after]] Marion's lover.[[/note]] Hitchcock himself openly acknowledged having taken inspiration from ''Film/LesDiaboliques'', even emulating that film's meta by requesting, in a Creator/WilliamCastle-esque ballyhoo, that audiences 1) be forbidden to enter the theater after the film had begun, and 2) [[DoNotSpoilThisEnding avoid spoiling the ending to others]].

* CreatorCameo: As with all Hitchcock films. He's standing outside the office where Marion works, wearing a cowboy hat. He was very careful about the placement of this; his cameos were well-known by then, and he knew that people would be looking for him. He also knew that showing up any later in the movie would disrupt the mood he was going for, so it had to be right at the beginning. Gus Van Sant pops up in the same location in the remake, along with a Hitchcock lookalike.

In 1998, Creator/GusVanSant directed a nearly ShotForShotRemake of the original starring Creator/VinceVaughn as Norman and Creator/AnneHeche as Marion. To the extent that it was the same as Hitchcock's original, it was widely seen as pointless, and to the extent that it was different (with probably the most notable differences being a brief scene with Norman [[ADateWithRosiePalms masturbating]] and a gratuitous shot of Creator/ViggoMortensen's butt), it was widely seen as inferior. In Van Sant's own words, he did it "so no one else would have to". The remake has its own page [[Film/Psycho1998 here]].

* ADateWithRosiePalms: Implied. When Norman is staring at Marion through the peephole, ''something'' is causing his body to shake. We also see Norman go in to stare at the dead Marion, then later see him leave the room and wipe his hand on his shirt. Yeah.

After the first of the two twists,[[labelnote:spoiler!]]Marion being brutally stabbed to death by a knife-wielding maniac in her motel room[[/labelnote]] revealed in the film's best-known and most frequently parodied scene, ''Psycho'' switches gears to become something more along the lines of a combination [[MysteryFiction mystery]] and [[PsychologicalHorror psychological horror]] story, though still retaining a few noir elements. The rest of the film follows the investigation into the events of the first twist, first by a private detective (Martin Balsam) hired to recover the money from Marion, and then by her lover (Creator/JohnGavin) and her sister (Creator/VeraMiles).

''Psycho'' starts out as a FilmNoir-style crime thriller centering around Marion Crane (Creator/JanetLeigh), a secretary at a Phoenix real estate office who embezzles a large amount of cash from her employer's client[[note]]US$40,000, which adjusted for inflation would be the equivalent of approx. US$350,000 in 2020 money[[/note]] and sets off for Fairvale, California, where she plans to hook up with her lover and begin a new life. After two days of driving -- plus an unnerving encounter with a highway patrolman and a hasty exchange of cars -- she stops for the night at the desolate, out-of-the-way Bates Motel, run by nervous MommasBoy Norman Bates (Creator/AnthonyPerkins), who lives with his elderly but domineering mother in an ominous Victorian house behind the motel.

** Norman gives a particularly unnerving stare directly at the audience in the last scene, making this a possible TropeMaker, if not UrExample. Made even creepier by the fact that in the last frames of that scene, Norman's face is superimposed with that of his mother's skull.

** "Mother" claims she would't hurt a fly--but had no problem with killing Marion and the others.

The story, adapted by Hitchcock and screenwriter Joseph Stefano[[note]] who would later produce the sci-fi anthology series ''Series/TheOuterLimits1963''[[/note]] from the novel of the same name by Creator/RobertBloch published the year before, has not one but ''two'' major plot twists. At the time, Hitchcock went to considerable lengths to keep them a secret (including one print ad pleading, "Don't give away the ending — it's the only one we have"), but these days, most people already know about both thanks to PopCulturalOsmosis, even if they know nothing else about the film.

''Psycho'' is a 1960 PsychologicalThriller film directed by Creator/AlfredHitchcock. Arguably the best-known among Hitchcock's films, many have also deemed it one of the most important and influential films ever made, for reasons that include setting a whole new benchmark for transgressive content in mainstream U.S. cinema and serving as the UrExample for the SlasherMovie genre.[[note]] Notably, Creator/JohnCarpenter's ''Film/Halloween1978'', the film often called "[[TropeCodifier the original]] slasher movie", includes multiple explicit references to ''Psycho''. One of its two leads is even played by [[Creator/JamieLeeCurtis Janet Leigh's daughter]], and the other is [[ShoutOut named after]] Marion's lover.[[/note]] Hitchcock himself openly acknowledged having taken inspiration from ''Film/LesDiaboliques'', even emulating that film's meta by requesting, in a Creator/WilliamCastle-esque ballyhoo, that audiences 1) be forbidden to enter the theater after the film had begun, and 2) [[DoNotSpoilThisEnding avoid spoiling the ending to others]].

The story, adapted by Hitchcock and screenwriter Joseph Stefano[[note]] who would later produce the sci-fi anthology series ''Series/TheOuterLimits1963''[[/note]] from the novel by Creator/RobertBloch published the year before, has not one but ''two'' major plot twists; at the time, Hitchcock went to considerable lengths to keep them a secret (including one print ad pleading, "Don't give away the ending — it's the only one we have"), but these days, most people already know about both thanks to PopCulturalOsmosis, even if they know nothing else about the film.

Being such a popular movie, ''Psycho'' naturally spawned three sequels (one being made-for-TV) that few know exist. Anthony Perkins reprised his role in each and even directed the third movie. Despite {{Sequelitis}} naturally setting in, these are actually a lot better than one would expect, largely due to Perkins’ performance as Norman Bates:

Further additions to the ''Psycho'' franchise included ''[[Film/BatesMotel1987 Bates Motel]]'', a 1987 TV movie SpinOff revolving around a man named Alex (Creator/BudCort) who'd befriended Norman while being institutionalized with him, and a series of rides. In 1993 and 1994, Ride/UniversalStudios' ''Theatre/HalloweenHorrorNights'' had a haunted house based on the movie called ''Ride/ThePsychoPathMaze'', featuring props from the filming of ''Psycho IV''. It was followed by ''Psycho: Through the Mind of Norman Bates'' in 1999 and ''Psycho Path: The Return of Norman Bates'' in 2006.

In 1998, Creator/GusVanSant directed a nearly ShotForShotRemake starring Creator/VinceVaughn as Norman and Creator/AnneHeche as Marion. To the extent that it was the same as Hitchcock's original, it was widely seen as pointless, and to the extent that it was different (with probably the most notable differences being a brief scene with Norman [[ADateWithRosiePalms masturbating]] and a gratuitous shot of Creator/ViggoMortensen's butt), it was widely seen as inferior. In Van Sant's own words, he did it "so no one else would have to". The remake has its own page [[Film/Psycho1998 here]].

Music/BernardHerrmann wrote the iconic, all-strings music score. The 2012 biopic ''Film/{{Hitchcock}}'' is based on Stephen Rebello's non-fiction book ''Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho'', which deals with the film's production. In 2013 a TV series, also titled ''Series/BatesMotel'' and serving as a {{prequel}} to the story (albeit set in the modern day), debuted on the A&E Network.

* SexyWalk: Sharp eyes will notice Norman's little hip swing as he goes upstairs in the second act.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: Among the daring breakers of American movie taboos in the film is the glimpse of Marion's navel during the shower stabbings.

* FutileHandReach: This is the only thing the completely helpless Marion can do as she's repeatedly slashed. Remarkably after the first slash, she managed to grasp the knife arm and momentarily struggled against it from reaching her. In her final dying moments, Marion does a LastGraspAtLife hand reach for the shower curtain.

* HandSlidingDownTheGlass: This is played with in Janet Leigh's death, except the final image is of her hand dragging down a shower curtain.

After the first of the two twists,[[labelnote:spoiler!]]Marion being brutally stabbed to death by a knife-wielding maniac in her motel room[[/labelnote]] revealed in the film's best-known and most frequently parodied scene, ''Psycho'' switches gears to become something more along the lines of a combination mystery and PsychologicalHorror story, though still retaining a few noir elements. The rest of the film follows the investigation into the events of the first twist, first by a private detective (Martin Balsam) hired to recover the money from Marion, and then by her lover (Creator/JohnGavin) and her sister (Creator/VeraMiles).

''Psycho'' is a 1960 PsychologicalHorror film directed by Creator/AlfredHitchcock. Arguably the best-known among Hitchcock's films, many have also deemed it one of the most important and influential films ever made, for reasons that include setting a whole new benchmark for transgressive content in mainstream U.S. cinema and serving as the UrExample for the SlasherMovie genre.[[note]] Notably, Creator/JohnCarpenter's ''Film/Halloween1978'', the film often called "[[TropeCodifier the original]] slasher movie", includes multiple explicit references to ''Psycho''. One of its two leads is even played by [[Creator/JamieLeeCurtis Janet Leigh's daughter]], and the other is [[ShoutOut named after]] Marion's lover.[[/note]] Hitchcock himself openly acknowledged having taken inspiration from ''Film/LesDiaboliques'', even emulating that film's meta by requesting, in a Creator/WilliamCastle-esque ballyhoo, that audiences 1) be forbidden to enter the theater after the film had begun, and 2) [[DoNotSpoilThisEnding avoid spoiling the ending to others]].