Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho is one of the first scary movies I watched at seventeen, after quitting horror at age twelve because I watched The Omen (1976) and couldn’t sleep for a week due to nightmares.

I had concrete plans never to watch a scary movie again, but my media studies course included a slasher horror movie module, and I had no plans to fail. The only comfort was that all the films we had to see for the course were watched in the daytime during class, meaning there was a good chance I’d be able to sleep peacefully, at bedtime. 

Fast forward to the present day, before rewatching Psycho, a movie known for starting the slasher horror movie sub-genre, I only remembered two things about Hitchcock’s classic. Firstly, Norman Bates has an unhealthy obsession with his mother. Second, Janet Leigh’s character Marion Crane dies an iconic death that makes showering in a hotel alone a far less peaceful experience than it once was, especially for those with overactive imaginations. 

I’d completely forgotten the events that led to Marion ending up at the Bates Motel, a place run by a troubled man and his overbearing mother. No wonder the theme of ‘punishing badly behaved young women’ is a thing in slasher horror films. 

Psycho is very much a classic for a reason. It’s well-written, brilliantly paced and very well-shot and acted. The suspenseful moments were intense, especially considering how unsuspecting the victims were. Composer Bernard Herrmann’s musical score is another noteworthy highlight. 

The other bit of good news for me is that Psycho did not lead to nightmares. Additionally, Scream (1996) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), two other slasher films on my course watch list, proved to be more fun, clever and funny than nightmare-inducing scary. 

The only unfortunate thing Psycho suffers from is the brief moment of dated special effects at the end.

Lastly…

‘A boy’s best friend is his mother?’ _Norman Bates

Not that mothers and sons can’t be best friends in a perfectly healthy way. But, poor Norman. Poor murderous Norman Bates.

Watch Psycho because it’s masterful and clever.

Happy Film Loving,

G