Psycho (1960)

Released in June 1960, Psycho arrived at a peculiar crossroads in American cinema. The Production Code was beginning to loosen its grip, audiences were growing restless for something rawer than the polished melodramas of the previous decade, and horror as a genre was still largely the preserve of gothic creature features. Alfred Hitchcock, already one of the most recognisable filmmakers in the world, used that moment to make something that would change the shape of popular cinema entirely. Working from Robert Bloch's 1959 novel, which was itself loosely inspired by the crimes of Wisconsin killer Ed Gein, Hitchcock produced the film through his own television production company, Shamley Productions, after Paramount declined to back it in the traditional studio fashion. The relatively modest budget meant shooting in black and white on repurposed television sets, with much of his crew drawn from his long-running TV series. That frugality, as it turned out, only sharpened the film's grimy, unsettling atmosphere.

Hitchcock's career by this point had already produced a remarkable run of work, from lean early British thrillers (if you want a sense of where that sensibility came from, my reviews of The 39 Steps and Sabotage cover some of that ground) through to the lush, psychologically loaded American pictures of the 1950s. Just two years before Psycho, he had made Vertigo, a film now frequently cited as one of the greatest ever made. Psycho is a different creature altogether: leaner, meaner, and built on the pleasure of wrong-footing its audience at every turn. The premise sets things in motion deceptively simply. Marion Crane, a real estate secretary in Phoenix, makes an impulsive, desperate decision and finds herself on the road with money that isn't hers. A rainstorm and a blinking roadside sign later, she pulls into the Bates Motel, a slightly-too-quiet establishment run by a softly spoken, bird-collecting young man named Norman.

The casting is, in retrospect, one of the film's great strengths. Janet Leigh brings genuine warmth and anxiety to Marion, making her sympathetic and believable in a way that anchors the film's more outlandish turns. Vera Miles, John Gavin, and Martin Balsam fill out a supporting cast that is polished but unremarkable by design: ordinary people caught in something very far from ordinary. It is Anthony Perkins, though, who leaves the lasting impression. His Norman Bates is nervous, eager to please, and oddly touching, a performance that works precisely because it never signals what it is doing. The film's craft is equally careful: Bernard Herrmann's string score, Joseph Stefano's screenplay, and John L. Russell's cinematography all contribute to a piece that feels controlled right down to its smallest details. Whether that control still produces the same effect on a modern viewer is, of course, another matter entirely.

The Simpsons parody spoiled this ending for my girlfriend. Probably the first true slasher flick, and could be argued as the most influential. But honestly? Nowhere near Hitchcock’s best. Its impact on cinema is undeniable, but ironically, that impact kind of works against it. The famous twists have been parodied, referenced, and spoiled to death (thanks, The Simpsons). I showed this to my girlfriend recently and she was terrified and completely hooked… but she called the killer in the first 10 minutes so it definitely lost the shock value it could have had. Still, for a film over 60 years old, it holds up remarkably well. The shower scene alone is worth the price of admission. But let’s be real, it’s aged just enough that it doesn’t hit as hard as it once did.

I think that tension between historical importance and lived experience is one of the more honest things you can say about Psycho in 2024. It is a film that rewards close attention even when it can no longer deliver its original sucker punch, and the shower scene really does hold up as a piece of pure filmmaking craft regardless of how many times you have seen it referenced or spoofed. If you want to explore horror that has aged rather more quietly, away from the cultural noise, I have covered some interesting corners of the genre, including You Won't Be Alone and The Serpent and the Rainbow, both of which carry their dread a little differently. Psycho remains essential viewing, no question, but essential and flawless are not quite the same thing. Sometimes the most influential film in a room is also the one that taught everyone else how to steal from it.

Rating: ★★★½  | Year: 1960  | Watched: 2025-04-02

View on Letterboxd →

Trailer

▶ Watch the official trailer for Psycho (1960) on YouTube

Where to watch

Watch in the UK
Stream: Sky Go · Now TV Cinema
Rent: Apple TV Store · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies · Sky Store
Buy: Apple TV Store · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies · Sky Store
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi

Watch in the US
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US

Affiliate disclosure: Movies With Macca may earn a small commission on purchases or subscriptions started via these links. It costs you nothing extra.

Related on Movies With Macca

More from Alfred Hitchcock: Sabotage (1936) · Rebecca (1940) · Vertigo (1958) · Dial M for Murder (1954)
More from the 1960s: Viy (1967) · Persona (1966) · Carnival of Souls (1962) · Daisies (1966)
More horror: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) · Viy (1967) · Nightmare City (1980) · Angst (1983)
More thriller: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) · Angst (1983) · The Long Walk (2025) · Punishment Park (1971)