Psycho

Psycho is the film that Alfred Hitchcock is known for.  The film stars Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins.  The plot of the film revolves around a secretary named Marian Crane played by Janet Leigh who steals $40,000 from her office to help her lover pay off his debts and marry her.  While traveling to California where she is supposed to meet him she stops at the Bates Motel for rest.  She meets a charming young man named Norman Bates who lives and works in the motel with his controlling mother.  Norman and Marian build a friendship and eventually he asks her to dinner.  The two of them have great conversation until Marian mentions the idea of Norman breaking free from his mother and the hotel.  The meal eventually ends and Marian takes a shower that evening before driving to California the next morning.  During the shower Marian is attacked by someone and dies.

Psycho is not a horror movie, it is a murder mystery.  This film only works because of one actor and while I cannot tell you who that is, I can say that there work is spellbinding.  I love everything about this film from the environments to the conversations.  What makes this film a classic is not its characters or its many murder scenes but its use of sound.  Alfred Hitchcock loves to play with sound to create fear and suspense.  If a scene is too quiet it can either make you feel like someone is there or fear that someone is nearby.  Both involve power expressions of emotion.  I love that about this film.  Hitchcock loves to keep you guessing at every turn in Psycho, because he does that the film can constantly have you riveted or at the very least questioning the facts of the story you do know.  In short, Psycho is a film by a master storyteller who loves to surprise and engage you.  Psycho is a classic worth a space in movie lover’s collection.