Synopsis: A woman disappears after she steals $40,000 and all signs point to the owner of a roadside motel.

Is there really much to say about Psycho? To me, Psycho is pretty much the greatest horror film ever made, so I feel like I would be wasting digital ink if I spent too long clarifying what makes it so great. Alfred Hitchcock is a genius through and through and this might be his finest film. It tells a tight story, essentially about a killer and his mommy issues, but it laid the groundwork for a subgenre that would become a staple in the world of horror: the slasher film.

Watch it for Janet Leigh. Watch it for the shower scene. Most importantly, watch it for Anthony Perkins’ amazing performance as Norman Bates. He’s able to create such a vulnerable character that the ending is almost as heartbreaking as it is terrifying.

 

While it may not be all that gory by today’s standards, looking back at the time period, it has a decent amount of blood for a movie that has a body count of just two.

Gore Rating: 3 out of 5

 

This is a pretty freaky movie. I remember watching it for the first time when I was about ten and it freaked me out. Now, it’s one of my all-time favorite horror films and I can’t help but watch it when it comes on TCM.

Scare Rating: 4 out of 5

 

Being that this film came out in 1960, you can’t expect much, though Hitchcock got away with more than you’d expect. You don’t see much in the shower scene (Janet Leigh is actually wearing a bodysuit), but you think you see something, which is probably a testament to the editing of that particular scene. You do get to see Leigh in one of those crazy pointy 1960s bras in the beginning, though, so that’s something.

Sex/Nudity Rating: 2 out of 5

 

OVERALL

If you really need me to tell you that this film is amazing, then there’s something wrong with you. It’s a perfect horror film by one of the greatest directors that ever lived.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5