Psycho (1998)

A young female embezzeler arrives at the Bates Motel which has terrible secrets of its own.

Director:

Gus Van Sant

Writers:

Robert Bloch (novel), Joseph Stefano (screenplay)

Stars:

Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Julianne Moore

3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vince Vaughn	...	Norman Bates
Anne Heche	...	Marion Crane
Julianne Moore	...	Lila Crane
Viggo Mortensen	...	Sam Loomis
William H. Macy	...	Milton Arbogast
Robert Forster	...	Dr. Simon
Philip Baker Hall	...	Sheriff Chambers
Anne Haney	...	Mrs. Chambers
Chad Everett	...	Tom Cassidy
Rance Howard	...	Mr. Lowery
Rita Wilson	...	Caroline
James Remar	...	Patrolman
James Le Gros	...	Car Dealer (as James LeGros)
Steven Clark Pachosa	...	Police Guard
O.B. Babbs	...	Mechanic

Storyline

Marion Crane steals a lot of cash from a man whom her boss is in business with. On the way to see her boyfriend, she stops off by an old motel, run by the odd Norman Bates. She is murdered in the shower. Her sister, boyfriend, and a private investigator try to find out where she is, while we learn more about Norman Bates.

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Plot Keywords:

motel | money | house | stolen money | shower | 

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Taglines:

This is the FACE of Norman Bates. This is the MIND of Norman Bates. On December 4th, discover the WORLD of Norman Bates.

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and sexuality/nudity

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 December 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Psicosis

Filming Locations:

Colonial Street, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£606,782 (UK) (8 January 1999)

Gross:

£1,447,991 (UK) (22 January 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During filming, Gus Van Sant brought along a DVD player and played the original Psycho, and they used it for reference. When he spotted a mistake (a door opening without a key), van Sant decided to put the same mistake into his film.

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Goofs

When Norman is mopping the bathroom, the mop goes from bloody pink to unbloodied between shots, without rinsing.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Samuel 'Sam' Loomis: You never did eat your lunch, did you?
Marion Crane: I better get back to the office. These extended lunch hours give my boss excess acid.
Samuel 'Sam' Loomis: Why don't you call your boss and tell him you're taking the rest of the afternoon off? Its Friday, anyway - and hot.
Marion Crane: What do I do with my free afternoon? Walk you to the airport?

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Crazy Credits

Thanks to John Woo for use of his kitchen knife.

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Connections

Referenced in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)

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Soundtracks

"Put It On"
Written by Robert Hackl (as Bob Hackl) & Ken Stange
Performed by Sourcerer

User Reviews

What was the point?

This is easily the worst remake in film history. I have never understood the idea of a remake at all. If a film, like Psycho, is so good to start with why on earth do you want to try and improve on it? If you insist on tampering with perfection, why then do you have to try to recreate it in it's whole? There is nothing original here. Gus Van Sant put nothing of himself into this film. They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, but this is ridiculous. There are a lot of sides to a character as complex as Norman Bates, and I suspect that Vaughn may have wanted to explore them. Instead Van Sant forced him into sticking to a cheap imitation of Anthony Perkins. Perkins turned in a performance that lead to one of the most memorable characters in film history and it would have been impossible for any actor, no matter how good to recreate that. The rest of the characters are stuck just as tight to similarly wooden imitations of the originals. It is almost painful to watch very talented actors (namely William H Macy) have that talent stifled. In the end, Gus Van Sant set out to pay homage to a great film. Instead he cheapened it, and created a movie that is not worthy of late night cable.