Psycho Turns 50

for proper ambiance press play.

On June 16, 1960, Alfred Hitchcock's immortal classic Psycho opened and scared audiences for the first time. I so truly wish I was alive back then to experience the elemental fright (of course while wishing, I'd hope to continue to be the same age I am today.) For that experience has become a thing of legend, and the crappy thing about modern horror films, aside from the fact they're rarely any good, or scary-- is the fact that the vast majority of it's audience is desenstized from any scares. But aside from that, Psycho, even at 50, hasn't aged at all really-- sure the black and white won't pass for certain modern audiences (shame on them), and Freudian analysis isn't that big today, but aside from that, the film perfectly lives on, scene by scene-- really is there a shot in this movie that isn't iconic, or boundary breaking on some front?

Just an example of Hitchcock's brilliance at creating mood in such a subtle way- Psycho was the first film to feature a toilet. That sounds tame and not revelatory, but when thinking about garnering suspence from unexpected places, it might be odd for audiences from 1960, who have never seen a toilet in a film before, to actually see a toilet. Therefore it generates a mood of something askew, but not in a way that anyone would practically notice. And then of course the leading lady is violently murdered in the first act of the film in one of the most bravura sequences in film history. Really, has any other sequence in any other film been so heavily dissected, examined, studied, duplicated, or fetishly re-shot (courtesy of Gus Van Sant), than the tour-de-force shower scene, ever the history of filmmaking?

Psycho is famous for a number of reasons: first in a change for Hitchcock, known for making big (albeit amazing) movies, felt this one needed a grindhouse look, and therefore insisted this one be a considerably smaller budget than his usual (he employed the artisans of his TV show Alfred Hitchcock Presents), felt it needed to be in black and white (even though 1960 was mostly in color), and it presents the first film to focus on serial killer Ed Gein (made even more famous as the subjects of both The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Silence of the Lambs.) But there was more as Hitchcock was definitely a major self promoter, and this film showcases that to the tilt-- he insisted that no one was allowed into Psycho after the film started (really try and imagine a contemporary filmmaker with the authority to do that), all this promotion made Psycho even more a zeitgeist film for it's time.

Of course there's more to the story-- Psycho has lived on for half a century not just because of it's groundbreaking nature, but because it's a great film, made with the precision of a master working at the height of his talents. As well as a great performance piece for both Anthony Perkins (who sadly never did overcome playing Norman Bates) and Janet Leigh. It's still talked about and revered because it's one of the few films ever that totally connected into the American pop culture lexicon and never left, like Star Wars and Citizen Kane, I feel it's one of the most essential of American moviegoing experiences, not just because of quality, but because missing out on something like Psycho, is missing out on a part of the essential fabric of Americana. It's a scary movie, but also a frankly sexual one, and a psychological one, all of which were ahead of it's head, and in some cases, I truly believe, we're still catching up with Alfred Hitchcock.

Psycho was a success in 1960, but not necessarily from the critical perspective as it is today. It was viewed as violent and scuzzy. It did however recieve four Oscar nominations-- for director, supporting actress (Janet Leigh), art direction, and cinematography. Nothing for Anthony Perkins, or shamefully for Bernard Herrmann's beyond classic score.

So do yourself a favor and celebrate the anniversary of one the best movies of all time and stay out of the shower!