Movie Minx

Starring: Janet Leigh, Antony Perkins
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

Plot: A young woman steals $40,000 from her employer’s client, and subsequently encounters a young motel proprietor too long under the domination of his mother.

But is it any good?

What can I say about Psycho that hasn’t already been said a million times? I even read a book once that had a frame by frame analysis of the movie. And I’m hardly qualified to comment, since I receive a mere ‘B’ (tragic for me, a bit of a geek) in a Year 1 uni essay on it. I don’t remember what the question was, but clearly my insights were not as original as I thought.

So it might be easier to briefly explain what makes it so special. Firstly, it defied all expectations at the time by killing off the main character in the infamous Shower Scene, which includes a montage of stabbing, screeching music by Bernard Hermann and swirling blood/choc sauce (it’s a black and white film) heading down the drain. It was also one of the first ‘psychological horror’ movies - there’s no slimy monster to carry the blame for the murders, only twisted characters with Oedipal issues. Next, there’s a big twist at the end that will surpise those who haven’t already seen this movie a hundred times. Then they’ll watch it again and notice 20 things they didn’t notice the first time - like the mirrors, shadows, clever dialogue and unexpected camera angles.

It’s clever, shocking, filled with dark humour and it’s meticulously crafted. Hitchcock at his best. If a film can be perfect, this one is. Should be in the Top 5.

IMdb’s rating: 8.6/10
My rating: 10/10

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