*PSYCHO* First time watching | Movie Reaction

[@michaeldmcgee4499]

Many believe that it was criminal that Anthony Perkins didn't receive an Academy Award for his portrayal of Norman Bates in this film. I agree.

[@flarrfan]

He deserved it if only for the way he acts with only his face in that last scene...

[@tomstanziola1982]

@@flarrfan That last shot of his face ALWAYS gives me the creeps, and I can't count how many times I've seen PSYCHO!!! 👏👏👏👏❤️

[@billolsen4360]

The academy was as full of snobs, "artsy" people, and those that "feeeel" then as it is now. Movies with music scores that are better than the dialog as long as they're "romantic" and "tragic" are rise to the top in that milkshake of swill knowns as Hollywood.

[@Sirala6]

I believe Roger Ebert called it the greatest acting of any male actor in all of Hollywood films he'd seen; I agree.

[@nsasupporter7557]

@@flarrfani honestly think that Hitchcock screwed up when he added that Bates’ mother was dead, that kind of gives it away that he dresses up as the mother, it ruins the twist

[@charlize1253]

Yes, Psycho was the first movie to come up with the idea of casting a major star (Janet Leigh was huge then), giving her top billing, marketing the movie around her, then killing her off early. Audiences were shocked because it completely overturned expectations set by generations of films, and it launched this movie into legendary status.

[@crose7412]

@charlize1253 As was shown at 0:34, Janet didn't have top billing, she had an "and" credit.

[@Dreihme]

"Sunset Boulevard" was released several years beforehand, and possibly "Bridge on the River Kwai". While both had the main character die I'm not sure who had top billing, so you may be correct. I'm really only commenting because I thought it was interesting that both starred William Holden lol

[@Perebynis]

Indeed. That plot twist after 30 minutes is stunning, up to this day.

[@chenryrex]

When I worked in casting on a Warner Brothers made-for-tv-movie, Janet Leigh was one of the stars and she was THE SWEETEST lady I've worked with. We were shooting a scene in a small Tennessee town and there were 950 extras and their children, in a scene. When they would break to reset cameras and lights, it would take up to two hours to do the reset. Small children get very irritated when there is nothing for them to do. Ms Leigh would go to her trailer and grab a stack of Little Golden books, grab a director's chair, and drag it to a grassy area, where she would gather all of the small children. Then she would read them the stories, doing the voices as she read. She was SO SWEET!

[@tomstanziola1982]

That is an awesome story!!! 👏👏👏👏 Thanks for sharing it with us!!! ✌️

[@TTM9691]

That is a beautiful story, thanks for sharing that!

[@davidleedutton]

Psycho got four Oscar nominations, including one for Best Director, but one of the biggest mistakes the Academy ever made was not nominating Bernard Herrmann's score for this movie.

[@steelers6titles]

REEP REEP REEP REEP

[@jamesdrynan]

Hitchcock wanted the shower scene to be done in silence. Herrmann made him listen to the edited scene with his shrieking violin score. Alfred agreed it worked better with music and doubled Herrmann's salary.

[@stephenhart1776]

Several years ago, I saw "Psycho" on the big screen with the New York Philharmonic playing the Herrmann score live! A great experience.

[@ElizabethMcCormick-s2n]

Who knew you could do so much with just string instruments?

[@EdWilson-zj7uf]

Amazing. Btw, neither were the scores for Vertigo and North by Northwest.

[@rdawgo14]

Amazing performance by Anthony Perkins.

[@will-x9c]

Brilliant. Never ceases to amaze me. Perkins also experienced a psychotic break and time in a psych unit. Few actors have ever portrayed crazy so convincingly, he really didn't have to act. Especially the stuttering and pressured speech. Again, absolutely brilliant

[@user-bj2lu9qt3o]

@@will-x9c smh

[@haintedhouse2990]

@@will-x9c agree. i'll always be amazed at the academy awards ignoring his performance - he wasn't even nominated! - how lame.

[@TrickyDicky2006]

Ames: he has a weird relationship with his mother! Everyone: 👀😬

[@jannathompson2262]

I mean a mother is a boy's best friend 😉😁

[@torbjornkvist]

Marion Crane (bird) from PHOENIX (bird), eats like a bird in a room with stuffed birds, and her room No 1. has pictures of birds. Alfred Hitchcock was British and in Queen's English, a "bird" is slang for a girl/woman. The next movie for Hitchcock was THE BIRDS.

[@holddowna]

Omg right !!

[@FrancisXLord]

@@holddowna Also, look at the shots of the knife when the killer raises it high above their head. Can you see the bird?

[@innercircle341]

Not Queens English but in Cockney dialect bird means a woman

[@torbjornkvist]

@@innercircle341 Micro fanatism. Cockney is part of English language in England, popularly known as Queens English (today maybe Kings English, but I prefer the Queen). What's next? The American word "chick" for the same meaning, is it actually Norwegian? I must stop writing these comments, stop seeing film reactions. It's too fucking hard for an old film buff like me.

[@malingor7042]

@@torbjornkvist it's not ''micro fanatism''. ''bird'' is NOT whatever-monarch-of your-choice' English. Quite the oppisite. It's also sexist and outdated. It's not Cockney rhyming slang EITHER, bird is rhyming slang for (prison) time. Nonetheless you're unncessarily rude and defensive. You're wrong, learn, move along.

[@markdodson6453]

I'm so happy that you picked up on the acting chemistry between Anthony Perkins (Norman) and Martin Balsam (Arbogast). Their back-and-forth dialogues are a master class in rhythm and listening and connection. I've always thought those scenes are underappreciated.

[@OmegaSoypreme]

I love Arbogast. He's such a cool character. The way he flips from his friendly way of interrogating to calmly pushing back on Norman's obvious bullshit. Every moment with him is gripping. And just phenominally well performed.

[@Bfdidc]

I agree. Martin Balsam also plays the jury foreman in 12 Angry Men, and plays both roles well. Arbogast is that great combination of folksy charm, quick intellect, and meticulous investigation. I was sorry to see him killed. You could very easily imagine Arbogast in these modern police interrogation videos, making short work of lying suspects.

[@billolsen4360]

@@Bfdidc Martin is even better in The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

[@Bfdidc]

@@billolsen4360 Ha! I saw that a looong time ago, and didn't connect him to it. I looked it up. He was Mr. Green. Thanks for the info.

[@TTM9691]

Totally agree! Martin Balsam, great actor! That scene with him and Norman is my favorite scene, acting-wise, in the movie. Not everyone was doing naturalistic acting like that in 1960, I've never seen Balsam deliver a line I didn't believe, in any movie.

[@dq405]

THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE (the original, not the remake!) is one of the great American films of the 1970s.

[@fernandomendez2709]

The music in the film is a character as important as the ones played by the actors.

[@EastPeakSlim]

Bernard Hermann wrote the score for Psycho. He did a lot of work for Hitchcock including "Vertigo," "North by Northwest," and "The Birds." All worth checking out.

[@brandonflorida1092]

Hitchcock was a genius. Other directors often call him "The Master." He has a lot of awesome movies. You might also like "Rear Window," "Marnie," "Vertigo," "Strangers on a Train," "North by Northwest," "Suspicion," "The Lady Vanishes," and many more. Oh, as you noticed, Arbogast was the jury foreman in "Twelve Angry Men."

[@johnnehrich9601]

Yes, my most favorites of his are the 1936 The Lady Vanishes and the early '50's Dial M for Murder. You will find all his movies have the certain touches that make it a Hitchcock film but at the same time, they vary in tone and content.

[@brandonflorida1092]

@@johnnehrich9601 He's noticeably, tangibly better than other directors.

[@emwa3600]

I'm always surprised PSYCHO fans aren't directed into MARNIE, the 'other half' of Hitch's Mothers film duo. "Gee, let's see what happens when a daughter endures Traumas By Mothers!"

[@brandonflorida1092]

@@emwa3600 Me too. I did direct one guy to Marnie successfully. Most reactors mostly copy what other reactors are doing so new knowledge doesn't enter very easily. Actually, I argued for a long time just to get people to do Hitchcock.

[@kevinahecht]

“Rope” is another fantastic one. It plus “Rear Window” make a great mystery movie double feature night. Both tell remarkable stories in a very small pair of sets.

[@1dbanner]

It's great that you pointed out how glorious the cinematography is, because Hitchcock filmed this with his TV crew instead of his feature crew to keep down costs, and the camera work was pounced on by the critics in 1960... But the whole movie was attacked by the critics then. Every single time you see this film, it actually gets better because there's so much to pick up on. Absolutely, positively, one of the greatest and most influential films ever made. Welcome to Hitchcock country. BTW, all your reviews are just beautiful.

[@haintedhouse2990]

some critics attacked the film because they were denied entrance to the theater if they were late just like the rest of the audience. after the film became hugely successful a New York critic wrote another review admitting he was wrong about his 1st negative piece on the film.

[@bradsullivan2495]

"You have an obsession with birds"--Ironic since Hitchcock filmed the equally creepy film "The Birds" three years later. Well worth a reaction.

[@orangewarm1]

not equally creepy. and it has no plot.

[@Progger11]

​@@orangewarm1okay, edge lord.

[@HappyHarryHardon]

@@orangewarm1The Birds is a whole lot more creepy to me than Psycho. And I’m pretty sure you’d enjoy many of the movies listed as having no plot. Check it out. I’d guess you just like to be contrary and argumentative no matter the subject.

[@Lazrael32]

@@HappyHarryHardon i would say the lack of "plot" is part of what makes the movie so creepy. It's people going about their days focused on unrelated things, and the birds just attack. No plot for the attack. no story surrounding it. it just happens.

[@keng4847]

@@orangewarm1 Whether "The Birds" is as creepy is a matter of opinion. But "it has no plot" makes no sense. Because "The Birds" definitely had a plot. It might not have given a reason for the actions of the villains, BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN IT HAD NO PLOT.

[@melanie62954]

This is hands down the best reaction to Psycho that I've seen. You pointed out cinematic choices that I had never given thought to before. It's so refreshing to see someone react relatively blind, who actually knows something about film, whose reaction is more than, "that was probably really scary for its time!" I dearly hope you react to the rest of Hitchcock's best films. There's a zoom technique in Vertigo that Spielberg definitely used in Jaws! My recommendations for further Hitchcock are Rebecca (1940), Notorious (1946), Rope (1948), Strangers on a Train (1951), Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), and The Birds (1963)!

[@benhairston1434]

For someone with no Hitchcock experience, this one definitely opens the door to one of the best rabbit holes in cinema. So many classics to choose from it's ridiculous. Hope to see more of him on the channel!! Love your reactions, keep up the great work!

[@holddowna]

More coming :)

[@Anon54387]

@@holddowna The Rear Window. It has Jimmy Stewart, and there are so many weird little bits of activity going on there like if one looks through that passageway under the building across the courtyard one sees kids chasing after a truck watering down the street to get some of the water to cool them down on the summer day.

[@Anon54387]

@@holddowna North by Northwest with Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason and Martin Landau (the guy who played the judge in Rounders with Matt Damon and Ed Norton).

[@Anon54387]

@@holddowna Black and white movies really do tend to make use of shadows. Hitchcock made his last movie in the 1970s, 1976 IIRC, and while that was in color one could see that black and white style in in nonetheless. It'd work well if one turned the color all the way down on the TV.

[@Anon54387]

@@holddowna As the interstate freeways were built a lot of mom and pop diners, hotels, retail stores, service stations, etc. withered on the vine because they were on the old highways.

[@MarkWorley-so8jd]

Hitchcock's 'Rear Window' - suspenseful, funny and 95% of the movie takes place in one room - it's a great film!

[@adamplace1414]

"My mother... She isn't quite herself today." Man I love Hitch films. You're in a whole new world now.

[@TheKrislaf]

"She's as harmless as one of those stuffed birds."

[@RobertStallings-kx5ug]

“A boy’s best friend is his mother."

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

Killer reaction! Hitchcock is as close as film comes to a Shakespeare; a genuine genius. His career spanned the silent era to the early modern era. He worked in several genres but was the undisputed master of the suspense thriller. He was a massively popular entertainer but also a true artist, both a master technician and a visionary that has kept cinephiles and academics analyzing his work. He was relentlessly innovative and experimental, and so much of what we take for granted in film these days either originated with him or was perfected by him. I also think he has more masterpieces than any other director: Psycho, Vertigo, Rear Window, Notorious, Strangers on a Train, Shadow of a Doubt, The Birds, North by Northwest... as well as so many underrated gems like Marnie, Rebecca, Sabotage, Spellbound, The Lady Vanishes, The 39 Steps, To Catch a Thief, Frenzy, Foreign Correspondent, Rope, Lifeboat... it's REALLY hard to go wrong watching Hitchcock! Also, if you have any interest in reading books on film/filmmakers, the Hitchcock/Truffaut book (in which Francois Truffaut interviewed Hitchcock) is one of the classics. Much of that interview you can also hear on KZbin.

[@holddowna]

Thanks for this comment !

[@kengruz669]

My favorite and most satisfying scenes to watch are the confrontational ones between Norman and Arbogast and Norman and Sam. They are electric with the struggle of power dynamics, putting on pressure, and sussing out of information and are brilliantly acted.

[@solitaryjeff]

Ames, did you notice the shot at the beginning when Marion's boss sees her in the car as he crosses the street? Same shot was used in Pulp Fiction when Marcellus sees Butch (Bruce Willis), who is also fleeing town after stealing from his boss.

[@nazfrde]

You have to understand how groundbreaking this film was. When this came out, not only had there never been a movie anything like this, all the psychological stuff was totally foreign to everybody watching. Nobody knew anything about stuff like this, which was why the long explanation at the end was necessary. Now you have to watch Vertigo, and North By Northwest, and The Man Who Knew Too Much, and....

[@Sirala6]

Changed cinema single-handedly. Movies were not the same after Psycho.

[@maestrojon]

Rear Window

[@torballs]

Lifeboat

[@haintedhouse2990]

@@Sirala6 agree. after Psycho movies had to become a little smarter than the audience. such a groundbreaking film

[@Sirala6]

@@haintedhouse2990 If you can show the leading lady get knifed to death while in the shower, you can do ANYTHING. Hitchcock showed all the other directors the future.

[@bradsullivan2495]

$40,000 in 1960 has the same value as $423,000 today.

[@baronvg]

Which is crazy considering that $400K was the updated amount in the 1998 remake lol

[@DougRayPhillips]

@@baronvg That remake is like Bruno. We don't talk about it. Almost a shot-for-shot duplication. And if it was supposed to be a straight copy, they should've used someone like Jeremy Davies in the lead, rather than Vince Vaughn. Altho Vaughn is closer to the character description in the original novel.

[@Spooky1862]

Amazing! A brand-new Corvette in 1960 was about $3500 out the door!

[@christopherbako]

Big 💰

[@Darkswordz]

Even if someone did work for me for 10 years, I wouldn't just hand them $423,000.00 in the HOPES that they don't run off with it. 🙄 I'd take that to the bank myself.

[@jeffgray7922]

Bernard Herrmann was an absolute genius composer.

[@ammaleslie509]

Only strings in the entire score

[@Sarah_Gravydog316]

@@ammaleslie509 Hitchcock didn't think this was working, & was thinking about making it a 2-parter of his TV show, then Herrmann added the music, & Hitchcock said he saved Psycho & doubled his pay!

[@haintedhouse2990]

Psycho is yet another reminder of what a joke the Oscars are - not even a nomination for Bernard Herrmann's score or for Anthony Perkins amazing performance.

[@dan_hitchman007]

"Psycho" was the first time a toilet in a bathroom was shown in a U.S. movie. What an auspicious debut! Since almost no American studio wanted to touch this film's subject matter, Hitchcock saved money by mostly using his production crew from the popular TV show "Hitchcock Presents" and shot the movie on a shoestring budget using a lot of his own money. It's a major Hollywood film created like a made-for-TV movie.

[@johnnehrich9601]

Hitchcock deliberately forced the view of the toilet by making the flushing of it part of the plot.

[@dan_hitchman007]

@@johnnehrich9601 Hitch was a clever guy. If he had made the film in 1963, it wouldn't have mattered because by then the strict Hayes Code had been disbanded and the studios had started switching to a Ratings system that we still deal with today. Hitchcock also filmed Janet Leigh completely nude for the shower scene, knowing that he could never use any of that footage. He simply wanted to see her naked. Hitchcock had certain predilections.

[@stevesandberg2715]

And there's also another forbidden element - when Lila Crane explores Norman's room upstairs and picks up the book that has no title on the cover or the spine, that's got to be code for pornography.

[@Madbandit77]

@@dan_hitchman007 The Hays Code disbanded by 1968.

[@rabbitandcrow]

I love how hyper-repressed Norman can't say the word "bathroom". And it also makes fun of the uptightness of the film codes of the day - so terrible you can't even say the word!

[@Mike-rk8px]

The first time I saw “Psycho” it was by accident. It was 1980 and I was 14 and home and sick with the flu, I couldn’t sleep so I went downstairs to watch tv late at night. I began flipping channels looking for something good to watch, and I stumbled onto the part where Abrogast is entering Norman’s house. There was this suspenseful music as he went up the stairs I couldn’t turn the channel. When “mother” suddenly walked out and stabbed Arbogast it was such an unexpected shock that I threw my glass of water. My cat had been on my lap and she scratched my leg deeply when I jumped.

[@reddwarf3069]

Vertigo is one of my top 5 films. I already know you’ll love it-possibly even more than Psycho. I can’t wait for you to see it!

[@matthewstroud4294]

Yes, one of the greatest of all time.

[@hbron112]

Oh, you are gonna love Hitchcock. This was his go at a horror movie, which redefined the genre. Now on to adventure thriller mystery romances!

[@vahaneloyan]

The Man who Shot Liberty Valance…. It’s such good western. One of the best movies ever made.

[@Anon54387]

Yep, Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne. Jimmy Stewart also played with John Wayne in The Shootist, parts of the plot in the Shootist are similar to the plot in Gran Torino. And that guy who played the newspaper guy in The Shootist. Ma'am, we have a touchy situation here.

[@emwa3600]

@@Anon54387 In films about Good vs. Evil, we need a REALLY REALLY evil bad guy... "Lee Marvin" fits the bill perfectly, and supported by rotten rat-brothers like Lee Van Cleef and Strother Martin. This film has SUCH a great trio of rotten, evil bad guys. So does HIGH NOON, led by one of the most villainous faces in film history, Robert J. Wilkes. AND Lee Van Cleef again.

[@Anon54387]

@@emwa3600 I've heard of High Noon, but not seen it. I'll have to check that out.

[@THOMMGB]

And the actress who played Marion’s sister, Vera Miles is in it too.

[@stevesandberg2715]

The decor in the house is exactly what you'd find in a Victorian-styled funeral home.

[@andrewreiber7691]

Imagine if Norman took out a roll of “mento’s” and held it up while the car sinks and the “mento’s” theme song kicks in. What a brilliant commercial for “mento’s” that would make.

[@dereknolin5986]

BWAHAHAHA that's so wrong but hilarious!

[@everyonelovesmajima]

Or Mrs. Bates’s mummified corpse in the fruit cellar, “not going anywhere for a while? Grab a Snickers.”

[@schroedingers_kotze]

As brilliant as it would be morbid.

[@thomasgriffiths6758]

You are correct, the private detective Arbogast is played by actor Martin Balsam who played juror #1/foreman in 12 Angry Men.

[@MikePhillips-pl6ov]

Two great acting parts, and I just watched him again in All The President's Men.

[@ronsavage6491]

Martin Balsam was in everything for a couple of decades. He was one of the hardest working actors in Hollywood. If you look at his imdb page, you'll recognize lots of titles.

[@andrewbrumana3226]

I’m SO glad she recognized Martin Balsam! He was so great in both of those films…

[@Madbandit77]

@@ronsavage6491 He won a Best Supporting Oscar for "A Thousand Clowns". Balsam was one of those character actors that was reliable.

[@ronsavage6491]

Something that no one EVER notices is that the policeman guarding Mother's cell is played by Ted Knight, who my generation knows from The Mary Tyler Moore Show and these youngsters know from Caddyshack.

[@NemeanLion-]

42:47 That was absolutely amazing that you caught that Hitchcock super imposed the moms skull over Norman’s face at the end. Almost no one ever notices that. Wonderful reaction. I love your Star Wars shirt.

[@MrNobodee]

I also like the fact that this movie was almost two movies in one: A theft movie and then a suspenseful horror movie.

[@torbjornkvist]

Marion's boyfriend, played by John Gavin was shortlisted for James Bond. Alfred Hitchcock's daughter Patricia played Marion's colleague in the office. Janet Leigh, who was married to Tony Curtis back then, played Marion. They were regarded as the most beautiful (or sexy) couple in Hollywood. They made Jamie Lee Curtis together.

[@stormhawk3319]

Just as well he didn’t get the role for Bond. Wooden actor.

[@qwertymanor]

​@@stormhawk3319he literally got the job. He signed the contract. He didn't play James Bond because United Artists demanded they bring Connery back.

[@troysilvester5791]

He later became the US ambassador to Mexico.

[@8RBrain]

Did you notice the police officer at the end standing in the doorway where Norman is being held. That's a very young Ted Knight - Judge Smalls in CADDYSHACK as well a lot of TV roles.

[@siltro1]

@@8RBrain Yep, mostly know him as Ted Baxter, News Anchor, WJM, on the Mary Tyler Moore Show.

[@hson_hson9621]

Hitchcock was a genius, the birds, vertigo is such classics

[@paragonpiper4081]

Hitchcock used a still photo of Marian then dripped water on it, so there was no movement or blinking in the shot of her dead. He was an absolute genius. His use of light and shadow, every camera angle…. His ability to manipulate the viewer’s psyche was unparalleled.

[@tranya327]

I believe this claim (of a still photo) is not correct (although it would have made perfect sense for Hitch to have done so.) Commentary on the 'Psycho' DVD states that Hitch's wife Alma caught a mistake in that shot, shortly before the film was to be released. Apparently everyone else had missed it, and her discovery required them to go back and fix it. Apparently Alma noticed that Janet Leigh had taken a breath near the end of the shot (when Marion is supposed to be dead.). (Hmmm. I suppose that both stories could actually be true; Hitch could have used a still photo in the final cut, after the earlier mistake had been pointed out.)

[@jamesdrynan]

Sorry to disagree but this slow pan out from Leigh was a live shot. In fact, it was pointed out watching the take that her throat moved and Hitchcock had to reshoot the scene.

[@histubeness]

Nonsense. That's a live pan-back shot of her face as she's lying there. Not a still pic. Plenty of documentation to back that up.

[@HaraldSeiwert]

There seem to be different stories about that scene. I once red that Hitchcocks wife Alma saw the filmed scene and said she saw Janet Leigh's throat moving. I'm sure Hitchcock as a professional did something to fix that.

[@phila3884]

You pick up so many more nuggets of movie making gold the more you watch this. For me the dialogue does it-the natural way people talk, like you or I would in each scene. Brilliant.

[@rabbitandcrow]

What's amazing is that all the dialog is all highly metaphorical and poetic with all these really fascinating allusions and Easter Eggs - but yet it all seems so natural.

[@JasonMoir]

I'm one minute into the video, and I already know you're gonna love this movie. Hitchcock was amazing, in the weirdest ways possible.

[@billolsen4360]

Hitchcock said his obsession with fright and horror began as a baby. "My mother said, 'Boo'."

[@barrywerdell2614]

FYI: Hitchcock looked around and saw all these grade-B bloody movies and wondered what would happen if he made one of these movies with a decent director, script, and budget and Psycho was born. Hitchcock had such sway at this time that he made it a provision on premeiring this movie that no one could enter the theater after the movie had started

[@Technerd17]

the movie Scream quoted the iconic line "we all go a little mad sometimes" in the end when the killer reveals himself

[@holddowna]

Me tooooooo

[@sixpakshaker88]

Hitchcock paid to have ambulances on hand at the screenings as a form of advertisement. Because the movie was so scary...

[@GreybeardMO]

Back in the 80's, Universal Studios had a tour stop... You walk around the corner of that innocuous hotel, and see that house. I'll never forget that day.

[@JJgibson1]

Fun Fact: The lady that was stabbed in the shower is Jamie Lee Curtis mom. Also, if you haven’t seen the movie The Shining(1980) check it out.

[@ronhunt8846]

Another Fun Fact: Ted Knight from Mary Tyler Moore, and Caddyshack is the guard that opens the door of the cell at the end of this movie.

[@olzenheimr]

Your quote- "This mother thing is going to be the itch that you won't be able to scratch!"🫢 Broke me!!😆🤣. Very on-point-appropriate and you didn't even know why at the time.

[@andytschoepe1510]

I definitely think Tony deserved an Oscar for this performance.

[@stormhawk3319]

Pyscho gave birth to modern cinema. A film where the first half is just a big red herring storyline with one lead character getting offed and going in a completely different way with another lead character, a villain.

[@MichaelSorensen-bl3ec]

True. Nobody saw that coming.

[@Scary__fun]

It was also the beginning of the end of the Hays Code of self-censorship by the major studios which came later in 1968 and had been in place since 1934. Hitchcock was pushing the boundaries of what was acceptable... in fact, the studio forced him to add the postcript scene of the psychologist explaining what was wrong with Norman. Since the movie was a huge hit which led to many copies and independent/European studios were able to more hardcore movies such as Hammer Films in England, Hollywood had to be able to compete.

[@haintedhouse2990]

@@Scary__fun saw an interview with Joseph Stefano who wrote the screenplay and came up with the idea of Marion stealing the money and skipping town. he said studio heads were upset with the detectives using the word 'transvestite' to describe Norman Bates. i guess Hitchcock won that battle, you can hear the actor say the word during the psychiatrist's explanation near the end of the film.

[@Perebynis]

Like many other Hitchcock movies, "Psycho" is technically a masterpiece. How this guy never got an "Oscar" is absolutely beyond me.

[@Cbcw76]

He was offensive to Hollywood insiders, as they were to him initially.

[@brianquinn8384]

Amy, one of the takeaways from this movie is that when you stay in a hotel/motel, you should ask for a room as far away from the manager’s office as possible. 😁 But seriously, thanks for reacting to this one. The way you jumped when Arbogast was about to get stabbed was great!

[@EShelby2127]

Now days, an electronic sweep of the room! On second thought, stick with big CHAIN hotels! My guess is that in the not distant future, the "Bellman" will be sent up with you to sweep the room for cameras and bugs!

[@TylerD288]

But I _want_ them to watch! 👀

[@steelers6titles]

"Lifeboat" is set in--a lifeboat at sea, with a small cast, so how to get in Hitchcock's usual cameo appearance was challenging. He appears in a newspaper ad for losing weight lol

[@I_ll_beer_back]

The film is a masterpiece and truly the mother of all psychological thrillers. Sir Alfred Hitchcock has done a great job here too. Everyone plays brilliantly, but Anthony Perkins' acting as the “mad” killer is truly incredible. The final scene alone, in which Perkins looks directly at the viewer and grins diabolically, is one of the most memorable final scenes in thriller film history.

[@Bodyknock]

I love how Psycho spends so much effort in the first half getting you to think it’s a stolen money thriller about one character and then out of the blue swerves headlong into a totally different thriller with a different character. Imagine the reaction of audiences who saw this in the original theater release when that twist happens. (And that’s on top of the masterful direction!)

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

"What's with the obsession with birds?" Her name is Marion CRANE. He taxidermies birds. ;)

[@holddowna]

OMG

[@stevenhernandeznon-profitf968]

Shudder

[@randyburrill2340]

I love this film so much. It's so rewarding to see modern audiences still appreciate how good it is!

[@braunhausmedia]

The genius of Alfred Hitchcock. The movie was a huge hit. Lines around the block. Hitchcock was the first flimmaker to insist that nobody be allowed in the theater after the start of the movie. Before then, it was common for people to show up in the middle of a movie and stay to watch the beginning. Psycho changed all of that.

[@lindaluane]

That smile is famous! It makes the movie. Have you ever seen a more sinister smile?

[@mike79p]

That's the CRAZIEST way to take a shower! Getting in with it off then turn it on full blast and then SMILING ...now THATS psycho!

[@MikePhillips-pl6ov]

😂

[@russell4824]

I heard they used chocolate surup it simulated the blood flowing down the drain

[@earthresident9022]

ITS PURE EVIL

[@darinelizondo6185]

Your insight is impeccable. What you caught about the double imagery. You're really good at this movie review stuff.

[@tommarks3726]

OMG Ames, take a deep dive into this Mans work. He is known as the Master of Suspense for a reason. He once said in an interview, that t's not the BANG that scares you, it's the anticipation of the BANG that gets you. Love your channel and all Ames. Keep up the good job, and I hope you have fun when you react. Oh another tidbit Hitchcock always made a cameo in all his movies. Sometimes just standing there in a scene, never acted. lol I think it's funny, you just have to look for him.

[@simonpsychosis2812]

During the parlor scene all the birds behind Marion are preyed-upon birds, and the birds behind Norman are birds of prey. Hitchcock knew exactly what he was doing.

[@itubeutubewealltube1]

the sequel, 25 years later, was a good sequel... same actors, and the ending...wow...

[@jamespetkwitz8737]

Honestly, the OG is a classic no doubt, but I really LOVE the sequel, and probably watch it way more often. All the new legacy sequels coming out should take pages out of the psycho 2 play book

[@squ34ky]

Agree! This was a sequel done right.

[@kurtbarlow9402]

Did you catch the "cameo appearance" by Hitchcock in part 2 ?

[@n.gerlach7334]

Variety, 2023: Psycho the best movie ever made.

[@GrinningDwarf]

"Are we going to see the mother?" Oh, yes. Yes, we will. :)

[@tori623worth]

So glad you enjoyed this classic film. It is amazing! Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren play in the 2012 film Hitchcock which focuses primarily on the making of this film. Excellent performances.

[@jasonvulgamore7414]

The blood in the shower scene was Hershey chocolate syrup. Hitchcock didn't like the way red blood looked on screen, so he found a substitute. Since the film was in black and white no one could tell the difference.

[@johnnehrich9601]

I'm not sure they even had a way to simulate flowing blood so he had to improvise. Up until this movie, the restrictive Hays Code had severely limit the amount of gore that could be shown. People died right and left in westerns, shoot-'em-up gangster films, medical dramas but all you saw - if supposedly shot - were neatly drilled holes and maybe just maybe a spreading stain on their clothes. As usual, Hitchcock was pushing the envelope, both with graphic views of victims, and also sexual situations. This movie simply blew away the contemporary audiences who saw it for the first time. (By the way, Hershey's syrup was also used for the oil for the tin woodsman in the 1939 Wizard of Oz. Yet despite all this radical advances, surprisingly it was the use of the word "transvestite" in the end scene that really raised hackles. The studio thought it referred to some underground deviate sexual practice. Hitchcock had to show them the dictionary entry that it just meant cross-dressing.

[@Anon54387]

In one Hitchcock movie, there was a glass of milk that was poisoned sitting on a nightstand. He put a light inside that glass of milk so it was glowing a bit.

[@KevinThomas-ok2ev]

But now you need to do Mel Brooks’ “High Anxiety,” which was a send up of Hitchcock’s classic films. There’s a redo of the shower scene with Mel Brooks playing Marion’s role, and he’s attacked by a psycho bellboy wielding a newspaper. It’s hilarious. But you should probably see a few more of his films to get some of the other jokes in the film. Great review.

[@michaeldavid6284]

Before home video, the version most people saw on TV (me included, in the late 70s) was edited so that the very last shot of the skull superimposed on Norman's face was missing. It was considered too disturbing for potential underage viewers.

[@hebneh]

I read that when the film was first released in 1960, half of the copies had the superimposed skull of Mother, and the other half did not.

[@jerrykessler2478]

Hitchcock was the master of creating suspence by showing the audience the peril while keeping the character ignorant of the danger.

[@photo161]

Yours is a combination of analytic brilliance and emotional availability. No one on this channel sees and understands the meaning, as well as the technique and artistry Hitchcock employed to convey this cinematic masterpiece's meaning, as insightfully as you do. It is a remarkable accomplishment to see so much and understand it so thoroughly as you do on a single viewing! It is an outstanding "first-time movie reaction," for sure.

[@bossfan49]

She's the only one on this channel.

[@custardflan]

The sister is played by Vera Miles, who starred in two of the greatest westerns ever, The Searchers and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, both directed by John Ford.

[@user-Chris.Alger11]

Good job. Great to see someone pick up on all the nuances of the cinematography & 'hidden' clues.

[@gregghelmberger]

Hitchcock was brilliant almost beyond compare. He never storyboarded his films -- he created every single shot exactly the way he wanted them in his mind before shooting began, and then the shooting process was just him recreating his mental images. It's an astonishing way to make a major motion picture.

[@brentwebster6164]

I don’t know who gave you the idea that he didn’t use storyboards. Not only did he use them (you can find some examples of them online), but he drew them all himself. He was one of the pioneers of storyboarding a live film.

[@gregghelmberger]

@@brentwebster6164 I was taught that in a "Films of Alfred Hitchcock" class in my university in the winter of 1988-1989. Apparently the professor was wrong. 🙂

[@brentwebster6164]

@@gregghelmberger yeah, just do a search for “Hitchcock Storyboards.” There’s a collection of them in a book. It’s super cool!

[@Talisman09]

well this is why multiple sources of info is a good thing. I would have just believed that and ran with it if not for that reply lmao

[@danielalfred5063]

Amy, you are the epitome of passion. I saw this film as a kid in 1959 and with your reaction, I feel as though I was watching it for the first time. Thank you

[@DavidB-2268]

Ames, I'm not exaggerating when I say that this movie permanently changed how we watch movies in theatres. Prior to Psycho, it was traditionally accepted for people to just walk in while the movie was playing, and just stay in the cinema until the movie started up again and they reached the part when they came in. Hitchcock insisted that no one be admitted after the movie started, to keep the twist ending secret, and to avoid spoiling the movie experience. Theatre owners found that having published showtimes made it easier to manage crowds and concessions, so they (mostly) kept the practice ever since.

[@unclefester6501]

They had an intermission with a ticking clock, giving you 5 minutes to leave the theater if you were too afraid to stay.

[@steelers6titles]

Hitchcock's background was in commercial art. He planned out everything in his films, meticulously, before the cameras rolled.

[@chuckselvage3157]

A horror classic. This was actually terrifying in 1960.

[@michaelcoffey1991]

@Hold Down A please go down the Hitchcock rabbit hole for many of us he is the greatest director of all time. Id say The Birds, Vertigo, my favorite North by Northwest and Rope were my favorites but all are worth your time as a lover of films :)

[@Do0msday]

This movie is simply amazing. The level of detail in this is perfect. The shadows, the mirrors, the placement/names of birds littered throughout the movie. Hitchcock really was the master of suspense because the tension in this movie is unreal and I love how absolutely creepy they make Norman at times. One moment he seems like a shy, sincere guy, but later on he's smirking as if pleased with hiding the evidence. It's just such a great performance. And of course there's the reference they used in "Scream" when Billy uses the quote. "We all go a little mad sometimes. Anthony Perkins - Psycho."

[@marcwright8395]

No wonder people hate getting up in the morning, when the manufacturer picks the psycho theme song as the alarm sound, reee reee reee reee

[@holddowna]

Hahaha

[@Jeff_Lichtman]

It's always interesting to watch Psycho with someone who no only hasn't seen it before, but who doesn't know anything about it. The film is so iconic that a lot of people know it without having seen it. Hitchcock deliberately misled the audience by making it seem like it was like his other suspense films. It was a shock to viewing public for a big star like Janet Leigh to die so early in the movie. In those days it was common for people to arrive in the middle of a movie and walk into the theater while it was playing, and then stay to watch the beginning of the next showing. Hitchcock told theater owners not to admit anyone once the movie had started, and he asked people who had seen the movie not to reveal its secrets. In other words, no spoilers (though no one used the word "spoiler" that way until much later). "What are these birds supposed to symbolize?" - Remember that her name is Marian Crane. "He has a really strange relationship with his mother." - You have no idea. One thing I love about Psycho is the score, written by the great Bernard Hermann. It's so good that orchestras sometimes play it in concert as a stand-alone piece of music. Hermann also wrote the scores for North by Northwest, Vertigo, The Trouble with Harry, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Marnie, Citizen Kane, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Cape Fear, Jason and the Argonauts, and Taxi Driver. Alfred Hitchcock made a lot of movies. Some of his best: Vertigo (1958) Rear Window (1954) North by Northwest (1959) Shadow of a Doubt (1943) Strangers on a Train (1951) Notorious (1946) Rebecca (1940) The Birds (1963)

[@ammaleslie509]

Dial M for Murder

[@tunnelrabbit2625]

My favorite Hitchcock is Rebecca.... Very sophisticated...brilliant.

[@randogirl-3]

I read the book many years ago. Completely different ending, which was better than the movie, but audiences wouldn’t have accepted it. Love the movie though, I wore the VHS out 😂

[@snookyookum]

I was SO excited when I saw that you were reacting to this Hitchcock gem. Genius isn't quite adequate enough. I knew you would pick up on more than most in your first viewing and wasn't disappointed. Hitchcock's magic really had you in it's grip and you took the ride. The themes are varied and numerous. Doubles and pairs really stand out with Marion Crane (a bird) and Sam matched by Lila and Sam as pairs. Marion travels from the bright light of her 'good' self in Phoenix into Cali and the dark primordial id and meets someone who dwells there. She 'repents' in a cleansing shower but is suddenly executed for her crime.. Her life blood flows down the drain and we see her soul escape through her eye (the window of the soul) I like the cop, an authority figure who senses something is wrong but who's dark sunglasses make him blind and the only character who's eyes we cannot see. Just a few of the touches Hitchcock put into this loose adaptation of Block's book and a real life serial killer. I can go on and on but I won't for obvious reasons. Another excellent reaction exciting to be a part of. 💯

[@BillySBC]

Janet Leigh, Jamie Lee Curtis mother. The Hitchcock film "Rear Window" is really suspenseful too. Great review as always Ames!

[@BruceCarroll]

You mentioned the score several times. You probably weren't aware while watching, but the score is entirely strings. Composer Bernard Herrmann did this in part because it would give an eerie, psycho feeling to the music.

[@TheDemonicPenguin]

It's not just, "Scream", this and Peeping Tom were the proto-slashers before the canonical stuff like Texas Chainsaw and Halloween solidified the formula in the 70s. And, yes, Hitchcock is a master.

[@holddowna]

I have to see TC !! And lots of slashers! Seen Halloween

[@mckeldin1961]

And Texas Chain Saw’s “Leatherface” was inspired by the same real life serial killer-Ed Gein-as Norman Bates. (Also “Buffalo Bill” in Silence of the Lambs).

[@melanie62954]

I really wish Peeping Tom was better known! I think if it had come out after Psycho instead of 3 months before, it would have been received better initially, and would have found a larger audience. It's mainly only known to Michael Powell fans even now. Such a brilliant film.

[@mckeldin1961]

@@melanie62954 I just got the recent Criterion Collection 4k/Blu-ray edition. A great movie! (In its obsession with scopophilia it has more in common with Vertigo than Psycho).

[@Greenwood4727]

@@melanie62954 Peeping Tom, was one of the first do POV from the killer, it helped create Black Christmas, which codified a lot of Modern Slasher Tropes, it wasn the first, but it put thm together, and the Director worked with Carpenter on a project that didnt an out, but they did talk about a "sequel" set at halloween. and that was so influential to all movies,

[@kevinsieg2076]

A lot of people believe that the turmoil of the 60s in America started with the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, but it was this film that traumatized America in 1960. It made people contemplate things they had never experienced--like transvestitism, serial murder, incest, and split personality. This was the first film inspired by the crimes of Ed Gein, followed The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in the 70s and Silence of the Lambs in the 90s. Great video.

[@stevesandberg2715]

Yes, when Marion turns on the shower, it's the cultural equivalent of JFK's motorcade turning into Dealey Plaza - the last moments of order in a sane world.

[@asterix7842]

Now you understand why Hitchcock was known as a master of suspense. Fun fact: Hitchcock makes a cameo appearance in most of his movies. During the office scene, near the beginning of the film, you didn’t show it here, but he can be seen briefly on the sidewalk, through the front window. Jamie Lee Curtis is the daughter of Janet Leigh and actor Tony Curtis. Some other great Hitchcock movies you should see are Rear Window, North by Northwest, To Catch a Thief, and The Man Who Knew Too Much.

[@stokerbramwell]

I love how you picked up on the mirrors so quickly. That's extremely perceptive!

[@ammaleslie509]

Yes! I have watched most of the Psycho reactions on KZbin and this is one of the very best and most insightful

[@s.tupper4159]

FYI, in 1960, it was illegal for unmarried adults to be in the same hotel room and it was scandalous to have premarital sex.

[@HugoBossOffiziell]

Aaasaaahahaha

[@VictorLugosi]

Random fact, it wasn’t illegal stop getting your info from KZbin comments.. it was frowned upon, it was only not allowed in family run businesses..

[@s.tupper4159]

@@VictorLugosi You are wrong. I was there. Cohabitation was almost impossible in the United States prior to the 1970s. Laws prevented unmarried couples from registering in hotels and it was very difficult for an unmarried couple to obtain a home mortgage. Women could not even get a credit card without their husband or father's permission prior to 1975.

[@Greenwood4727]

@@s.tupper4159 yeah it was a lot about moral panic, how it would stop the family structure, you just had to look at the stories, Unfortunately many people forget that he 60's was the start of a new era

[@ShaunHensley]

@@Greenwood4727how right they were😂

[@BrendanRWolfe]

I would recommend Rear Window, North by Northwest, and Vertigo. Those are my three favourites. But, my plan is to watch all of his films A little fun fact. Hitchcock would make cameos in some of his films. There's actually a Wikipedia page that explains which films he does

[@ammaleslie509]

The Birds! And Hitchcock makes a cameo in all his films. Look for him!

[@jamespetkwitz8737]

You really need to see Psycho 2. it was made over 20 years after the OG... It is an amazing example of a really great follow up to a classic, where it lives up to the original while doing it's own thing! it is a MUST SEE

[@randykling138]

The 2012 movie, "Hitchcock" is a biography of Hitchcock during the making and release of "Psycho." Great acting and fascinating story. Well worth watching and answers many of the questions regarding the story behind "Psycho."

[@Reclining_Spuds]

This score gave Paul McCartney the inspiration for "Eleanor Rigby"

[@amexgirl84]

Really hope you’ll do more Hitchcock! There are so many amazing films by him. Even his failures are fascinating to watch. Great reaction!

[@BillySBC]

This was really the first film to get into the mind of a deeply disturbed individual and give the public an almost psychoanalysis of a dysfunctional family relationship resulting in split personality and psychiatric compensation. Hitchcock knew how to get into the center of your mind and scare you.

[@TedLittle-yp7uj]

Spellbound, The Snake Pit, and The Three Faces of Eve are only three of the many psychological films that predate Psycho. After the Second World War, filmmakers were fascinated by psychology.

[@BillySBC]

@@TedLittle-yp7uj None of those films reached the greater public nor had the impact on the subject of mental illness with the average person that this film had.

[@TedLittle-yp7uj]

@@BillySBC What do you mean? All the films I mentioned were very popular, and are considered classics. The Snake Pit and Spellbound both received multiple Oscar nominations including best picture, and Joanne Woodward won an Oscar for Three Faces of Eve.

[@JohnRedshaw]

Bernard Herrmann's score is a masterpiece on its own. It, and just about everything else in this film, makes it a classic, and one I've watched many times, because it reveals depth of the many facets of the characters. By the way, it's candy Korn that Norman is constantly eating. Corn, like a bird, and I love the very amazing camera angle as Arbogast is looking at the motel register. Norman looks down and we see under his chin as he's nervously chews on the candy. I would go to "Rear Window" "Vertigo" "North by Northwest" and "The Birds." OH, and "Strangers on a Train."

[@tomstanziola1982]

Hitchcock couldn't get a studio to finance PSYCHO, so he invested his own money in the production. Brilliant! 👏👏👏👏

[@southron_d1349]

"Eroica" is Beethoven's Third Symphony. It means "heroic".

[@geneparadiso6258]

Hitchcock’s triumphant accomplishment. It’s withstood the test of time. So many movies were compared to this and have fallen short. It is a masterpiece and is considered a top ten movie!!

[@michaelrowand898]

It was one of the most popular and profitable Hitchcock movies ever. I feel like it’s his style at its purest.

[@jackmessick2869]

Lead actors Perkins and Leigh were given the freedom to interpret their roles and improvise as long as it did not involve moving the camera. An example of Perkins's improvisation is Norman's habit of eating candy corn. Throughout filming, Hitchcock created and hid various versions of the "Mother corpse" prop in Leigh's dressing room closet. Leigh took the joke well, and she wondered whether it was done to keep her in suspense or to judge which corpse would be scarier for the audience.