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Psycho

  • 19601960
  • RR
  • 1h 49m
IMDb RATING
8.5/10
653K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
691
107
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Anthony Perkins, John Gavin, Janet Leigh, and Heather Dawn May in Psycho (1960)
Blu-Ray Trailer for Psycho
Play trailer1:21
6 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Horror
  • Mystery
  • Thriller

A Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run, and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.A Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run, and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.A Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run, and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.

IMDb RATING
8.5/10
653K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
691
107
  • Director
    • Alfred Hitchcock
  • Writers
    • Joseph Stefano(screenplay by)
    • Robert Bloch(based on the novel by)
  • Stars
    • Anthony Perkins
    • Janet Leigh
    • Vera Miles
Top credits
  • Director
    • Alfred Hitchcock
  • Writers
    • Joseph Stefano(screenplay by)
    • Robert Bloch(based on the novel by)
  • Stars
    • Anthony Perkins
    • Janet Leigh
    • Vera Miles
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1.4KUser reviews
    • 253Critic reviews
    • 97Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #32
    • Nominated for 4 Oscars
      • 7 wins & 14 nominations total

    Videos6

    Psycho
    Trailer 1:21
    Psycho
    'Psycho' | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:16
    'Psycho' | Anniversary Mashup
    Bloody Beginnings of the Summer Camp Slasher
    Clip 7:00
    Bloody Beginnings of the Summer Camp Slasher
    A Guide to the Films of Alfred Hitchcock
    Clip 2:27
    A Guide to the Films of Alfred Hitchcock
    'The New Mutants' Cast Reveal Characters & Film Inspirations
    Interview 3:25
    'The New Mutants' Cast Reveal Characters & Film Inspirations
    Top 5 Most Terrifying Performances According to Alex Wolff
    Video 1:51
    Top 5 Most Terrifying Performances According to Alex Wolff

    Photos294

    Janet Leigh in Psycho (1960)
    Alfred Hitchcock, Anthony Perkins, and Janet Leigh in Psycho (1960)
    John Gavin and Janet Leigh in Psycho (1960)
    "Psycho" Janet Leigh 1960 Paramount
    "Psycho" Janet Leigh 1960 Paramount
    "Psycho" Patricia Hitchcock & Janet Leigh 1960 Paramount
    "Psycho" Janet Leigh & John Galvin 1960 Paramount
    "Psycho" Janet Leigh 1960 Paramount
    "Psycho" Anthony Perkins 1960 Paramount
    "Psycho" Janet Leigh 1960 Paramount
    "Psycho" Janet Leigh 1960 Paramount
    "Psycho" Janet Leigh 1960 Paramount

    Top cast

    Edit
    Anthony Perkins
    Anthony Perkins
    • Norman Batesas Norman Bates
    Janet Leigh
    Janet Leigh
    • Marion Craneas Marion Crane
    Vera Miles
    Vera Miles
    • Lila Craneas Lila Crane
    John Gavin
    John Gavin
    • Sam Loomisas Sam Loomis
    Martin Balsam
    Martin Balsam
    • Det. Milton Arbogastas Det. Milton Arbogast
    John McIntire
    John McIntire
    • Sheriff Al Chambersas Sheriff Al Chambers
    Simon Oakland
    Simon Oakland
    • Dr. Fred Richmanas Dr. Fred Richman
    Frank Albertson
    Frank Albertson
    • Tom Cassidyas Tom Cassidy
    Patricia Hitchcock
    Patricia Hitchcock
    • Carolineas Caroline
    • (as Pat Hitchcock)
    Vaughn Taylor
    Vaughn Taylor
    • George Loweryas George Lowery
    Lurene Tuttle
    Lurene Tuttle
    • Mrs. Chambersas Mrs. Chambers
    John Anderson
    John Anderson
    • California Charlieas California Charlie
    Mort Mills
    Mort Mills
    • Highway Patrol Officeras Highway Patrol Officer
    Fletcher Allen
    • Policeman on Stepsas Policeman on Steps
    • (uncredited)
    Walter Bacon
    • Church Memberas Church Member
    • (uncredited)
    Prudence Beers
    • Extraas Extra
    • (uncredited)
    Kit Carson
    • Extraas Extra
    • (uncredited)
    Francis De Sales
    Francis De Sales
    • Deputy District Attorney Alan Deatsas Deputy District Attorney Alan Deats
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Alfred Hitchcock
    • Writers
      • Joseph Stefano(screenplay by)
      • Robert Bloch(based on the novel by)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    'Psycho' Scenes: Watch the Mashup

    'Psycho' Scenes: Watch the Mashup

    Take a look iconic moments from Alfred Hitchcock's film with Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, and Vera Miles.
    Watch the video
    Image caption not available
    1:16

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Phoenix office worker Marion Crane is fed up with the way life has treated her. She has to meet her lover Sam in lunch breaks, and they cannot get married because Sam has to give most of his money away in alimony. One Friday, Marion is trusted to bank forty thousand dollars by her employer. Seeing the opportunity to take the money and start a new life, Marion leaves town and heads towards Sam's California store. Tired after the long drive and caught in a storm, she gets off the main highway and pulls into the Bates Motel. The motel is managed by a quiet young man called Norman who seems to be dominated by his mother. —Col Needham <col@imdb.com>
    • motel
    • shower
    • money
    • maniac
    • stabbed with a knife
    • 323 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • The picture you MUST see from the beginning... Or not at all!... For no one will be seated after the start of... Alfred Hitchcock's greatest shocker Psycho.
    • Genres
      • Horror
      • Mystery
      • Thriller
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • R
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Director Sir Alfred Hitchcock was so pleased with the score written by Bernard Herrmann that he doubled the composer's salary to $34,501. Hitchcock later said, "Thirty-three percent of the effect of Psycho was due to the music."
    • Goofs
      When Lila approaches Mother in the fruit cellar, Mrs. Bates is seated in a four-legged chair. After Lila touches the corpse, it slowly spins around as if it's sitting on a swiveling chair. The effect was achieved by a prop man lying on his back rotating a camera head with wheels underneath Mother.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Norma Bates: [voiceover in police custody, as Norman is thinking] It's sad, when a mother has to speak the words that condemn her own son. But I couldn't allow them to believe that I would commit murder. They'll put him away now, as I should have years ago. He was always bad, and in the end he intended to tell them I killed those girls and that man... as if I could do anything but just sit and stare, like one of his stuffed birds. They know I can't move a finger, and I won't. I'll just sit here and be quiet, just in case they do... suspect me. They're probably watching me. Well, let them. Let them see what kind of a person I am. I'm not even going to swat that fly. I hope they are watching... they'll see. They'll see and they'll know, and they'll say, "Why, she wouldn't even harm a fly..."

    • Crazy credits
      The Paramount logo is divided by bars, to match the opening credits.
    • Alternate versions
      On the Universal DVD, Norman can be heard (not seen) screaming "I'm Norma Bates!" as Sam Loomis rushes in to stop him from murdering Lila. The scream is not present in at least some release prints.
    • Connections
      Edited into Psycho II (1983)

    User reviews1.4K

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    It's the Little Things
    So much has been written about this film that all I can do is add my own voice of approval and say that I consider it to be a masterpiece, and add a few things often overlooked or not commented on that add so much to the movie's cumulative power. It's often the little things that make a film work. Here are a few examples:

    a.) The absolute realism of the first twenty minutes of so, which are so true to life that they might have come from a documentary on how people lived in America forty years ago. There isn't a false note,--or a missed one--as each vocal inflection and raised eyebrow carries great meaning even if, on the surface, not much appears to be happening.

    b.) Marion and the motorcycle cop. The cop is dark and sinister in appearance, due mostly to the bright desert sun, and never takes off his sunglasses. His conduct is at all times professional; he never raises his voice, and comes across as calm and rather perceptive; and he seems truly concerned over Marion Crane's fate, though he is unaware of her actual predicament. Marion is, alas, a bad actress, and the cop sees through this, if not to the heart of the matter, yet we don't want him to follow her. Despite his appearance the cop is not the angel of death but rather Marion's last chance. Had she confessed to her crime she would have escaped the fate that awaited her; and if she had just been a little less clever, and driven more slowly, and the skies remained clear, he might have followed her to the motel and intervened on her behalf.

    c.) California Charlie. John Anderson is wonderful as the fast-talking, semi-streetwise small town used car salesman. At the end of almost every other line of dialogue he seems on the verge of discovering who Marion really is, then pulls back or comes to the wrong conclusion. He senses that she is being watched by the cop; but he also wants to make a sale. The scenes at the used car lot are both highly realistic,--and perfectly acted and timed--and also a little frightening, from the opening, "I'm in no mood for trouble", to the final "hey!" just before Marion drives away. We know that something isn't right, but the problem isn't with the car lot; it's Marion's plight casts a dark shadow over all her scenes there, despite the brightest sunlight imaginable.

    d.) Chitchat with Norman. Once Marion and Norman settle down for a light meal in the parlor their conversation turns to general things, and Norman is a good observer, if a bit awkward socially. Without actually lying Marion gives herself away with a throwaway line ("Sometimes just once is enough", in a reference to private traps) and Norman seems to catch her drift, if not the actual meaning of what she's saying, and allows it to pass. We can see that he is moody when he angrily leans forward and delivers an angry, though controlled tirade against putting people in institutions. Every camera angle and line of dialogue in this scene has meaning and carries enormous weight, and yet the drama plays out in a light, relaxed mode, and the performers seems truly connected to one another at its conclusion, strangers no more. This is in my opinion the best written and most beautifully acted, edited and photographed scene I have ever seen in a movie. The handling of every nuance is prodigal and masterful, and the end result nothing less than staggering.

    e.) The sheriff's house. When Sam and Lila wake up the sheriff and his wife in the middle of the night we see a splendid example of people talking to one another without either party understanding what is in fact going on. The result is a mini-comedy of manners; but it is also good exposition, as we learn of Mrs. Bates' death (and the dress she was buried in, "periwinkle blue"). John McInyre's sheriff dominates this scene (and no other), and expertly delivers its punchline, "Well if that's Mrs. Bates in the window, who's that buried up in Greenlawn Cemetary".

    f.) Arbogast and Norman. The private detective's interview with Norman is played low-key, and yet we sense the tension in Norman's voice and manner, and know that Arbogast does, too. Something is amiss. This is beyond the question of who killed Marion. The stakes feel very high in this sparring match, and though Norman wins on a technicality, we know that Arbogast is coming back for more.

    g.) The shrink's explanation. This part of the film has been criticized by many for being a sop thrown to the audience. I disagree. After all, the movie came out in 1960, and by the standards of the time some explanation seems in order, and Dr. Simon Oakland is as good a man for the job as I can imagine. His analysis of Norman's pathology is cogent and extremely well delivered. Yet throughout his speech, with all its Freudian brilliance, the doctor offered a take on the story that we in the audience, even if we can accept it, can never be satisfied with. He can explain the character of Norman Bates rationally, but he cannot make our response to his story and its effect on us feel ultimately safe, feel somehow in control and finalized. Yes, one can put people like Norman under the microscope, and even dissect what one sees, but this doesn't stop such events as unfolded in the movie any less likely to occur. Ask Milton Arbogast.

    In conclusion I'd like to say that great films are made up of outstanding little things, not just big moments or fancy effects. There is in fact nothing fancy about Psycho, which is on the surface is a somewhat plain-looking movie. Only when one looks beneath the surface does one see the teeming millions of small things,--gestures, glances, sudden changes in lighting, razor-sharp editing, and all above the refusal on the part of the director to let any one factor dominate--that we understand the meaning of the word genius, the meaning of the word creative.
    helpful•295
    17
    • telegonus
    • Sep 5, 2001

    FAQ18

    • What is 'Psycho' about?
    • Is "Psycho" based on a book?
    • Why does Marion steal the money?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 8, 1960 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho
    • Filming locations
      • Psycho House, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Shamley Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $806,947 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $32,000,000
    • Gross worldwide
      • $32,041,931
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 49 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1(original & negative ratio, open matte)

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