Psycho

Psycho is a 1960’s thriller by Alfred Hitchcock which sees a mad man murdering several people. The film starts with a women stealing $40,000 and running away. She stops at the Bates hotel where she gets murdered in the shower. An investigator and the women’s sister follow her tracks to the hotel where the story develops in to more brutal murders. 

Run for 109 minutes

The budget of this film was an estimated $806,947 and grossed $50,000,000 up until 2007.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:  Joseph Stefano (screenplay) and Robert Bloch (novel)

Starring: Anthony Perkins, Jane Leigh and Vera miles

The Macguffin of this film is that a young woman steals $40000 and runs away.

As a usual thriller psycho has many fast paced action scenes such as the staircase, the shower and the seller scenes. In all of these fast paced scenes the music by Bernard Herrmann builds the suspense and tension. The strident, discordance music does this as the music is sharp and sets slight fear and into the viewer as they know that something is going to happen but are not sure when. For example when the investigator is climbing the stairs the music is playing as soon as he heads up the stairs however nothing happens until he gets to the top.

The screenplay deceives the viewers into thinking that Marion was main character, however her death due to the murder is ruled out and we are still wondering who the main character is. The strident, discordant music of Bernard Herrmann increases the suspense in the film.

Psycho is a villain driven plot because after Marion is murdered the investigator goes to the Bates hotel who then is murdered. Lastly the sister and partner of Marion goes to the Bates hotel and the last fast paced scene takes place in the cellar.

In the original film there were no advanced screenings and all viewers were told not to tell people anything about what happened in the film, this was said at the end of the film. 

Psycho was remade in 1998. It was directed by Gus Van Sant and stared Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche and Julianne Moore. This ramke ran for 105 minutes.