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:

A recreation of the nightmare that started it all...

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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

Scriptwriter Joseph Stefano believed that even though Anne Heche is parroting Janet Leigh's lines, she played Marion Crane completely differently.

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Goofs

Sam tells Norman that he doesn't like the look of the sky, yet when Lila walks up to the house, the sky is clear.

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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

If you look closely at the swamp after the end credits, the water turns red, obviously to blood.

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Connections

Featured in 'Psycho' Path (1999)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Very poor re-make of a classic.

My biggest question is "Why did they re-make a classic Hitchcock movie?" It's a "no-win" situation. The original, with Tony Perkins and Jamie Lee's mom (Janet Leigh), is so indelible on our minds that even subconsciously we compare the two. Vince Vaughn is not very believable as Norman Bates. I have yet to find a movie role played by Ann Heche that I like. Her nasal delivery and disingenuous reactions as Marion simply grate on me. Anyone else would have been better. The only character I thought was an improvement was investigator Arbogast played well by William Macy. Even Julliane Moore, as Marion's sister, seemed to have a smirk that announced "I feel silly doing this film." Had this been a completely original film I would probably rate it 5 or 6 for some entertainment. As an inferior re-make, I rate it "4".