Psycho (1960)

Regisseur:

Alfred Hitchcock

Drehbuchautoren:

Robert Bloch (novel)
Joseph Stefano (screenplay)

Premierendatum:

16. Juni 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Werbezeile:

A new- and altogether different- screen excitement!!!

Plot:

A young woman steals $40,000 from her employer's client, and subsequently encounters a young motel proprietor too long under the domination of his mother.

Plot Keywords:

Talking | Stabbed In The Chest | Overhead Camera Shot | Stabbed To Death | Psychopath

Filmpreise:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 3 nominations

Nutzerkommentare:

The Greatest Horror Film Ever

Besetzung

Anthony Perkins	...	Norman Bates
Janet Leigh	...	Marion Crane
Vera Miles	...	Lila Crane
John Gavin	...	Sam Loomis
Martin Balsam	...	Milton Arbogast
John McIntire	...	Sheriff Al Chambers
Simon Oakland	...	Dr. Fred Richmond
Vaughn Taylor	...	George Lowery
Frank Albertson	...	Tom Cassidy
Lurene Tuttle	...	Eliza Chambers
Patricia Hitchcock	...	Caroline (as Pat Hitchcock)
John Anderson	...	California Charlie
Mort Mills	...	Highway Patrol Officer

Alternativ:

Wimpy (USA) (fake working title)
Psycho (Österreich) (Bundesrepublik Deutschland) [de]

Länge:

109 Min | Germany:108 Min (cut)

Produktionsland:

USA

Sprache:

Englisch

Farbe:

Schwarzweiss

Seitenverhältnis:

1.85 : 1

Tonverfahren:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Altersfreigabe:

Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1969) | Portugal:M/12 | Chile:14 (re-rating) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1965) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1960) | Brazil:14 | Germany:12 (re-rating) (2006) | West Germany:16 (original rating) | Netherlands:12 | Chile:18 (original rating) | South Korea:15 | Iceland:16 | Argentina:13 (re-rating) | Argentina:16 (original rating) | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | France:-12 (re-release) | France:-16 | Israel:16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1960) | Peru:14 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (re-release) | UK:15 (video rating) (1986) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:Approved (original rating) | USA:M (re-rating) (1968) | USA:R (re-rating) (1984)

Drehorte:

4270 Lankershim Boulevard, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Firma:

Shamley Productions

Dies und das:

Janet Leigh has said that when he cast her, Alfred Hitchcock gave her the following charter: "I hired you because you are an actress! I will only direct you if A: you attempt to take more than your share of the pie, B: you don't take enough, or C: if you are having trouble motivating the necessary timed movement."

Pannen:

Abfolgefehler: When the police officer backs in behind Marion's car on shoulder of the highway, no tire tracks from his vehicle are visible in the soft dirt.

Dialogzitate:

[first lines]
Sam Loomis: You never did eat your lunch, did you?
Marion Crane: I better get back to the office. These extended lunch hours give my boss excess acid.
Sam Loomis: Why don't you call your boss and tell him you're taking the rest of the afternoon off? Its Friday, anyway - and hot.
Marion Crane: What do I do with my free afternoon? Walk you to the airport?

Bezüge zu anderen Titeln:

Wird parodiert in What to Do? (2000)

The Greatest Horror Film Ever

When you look up the phrase "Horror Film" in the dictionary .. a picture of Janet Leigh screaming in a shower should appear next to it. Undoubtedly, Psycho is the greatest horror film ever made, bar-none. The story is incredible. The acting is near perfection. The cinematography is godly. The soundtrack is perfect. It's hard to find anything wrong with Psycho. Perhaps the only imperfection I can find with Psycho is the inability to stand the test of time. One of the reasons the shower scene has become so notorious is that it's not only filmed to perfection, but because the elements of sexuality and murder are so surreal. In 1960, seeing a nude women being murdered in a shower was something that no-one had experienced yet, and was quite shocking. Nowadays, seeing Jason double-spearing two lovers having sex is nothing uncommon. I envy those who experienced Psycho in 1960 in the theaters .. those experienced the full terror of Psycho.

Aside from this though, the movie is flawless. I won't even go into to how incredible the cinematography is. One thing I think people seem to forget about the movie is the incredible soundtrack. Sound is such an important element in movies and Psycho is undaunted when it comes to sound. The only other horror movie that even comes close to using sound with such perfection is Halloween (1978).

The movie is perfectly casted as well. Janet Leigh as the beautiful Marion Crane, Vera Miles as the concerned sister, Lila Crane, and of course the unforgettable performance from Anthony Perkins as the eerie yet charismatic Norman Bates.

I would recommend this movie to any horror movie film fanatic. I would especially recommend this movie to any horror movie fan not desensitized by Friday The 13th, Nightmare On Elm Street, or Scream .. if such a fan exists.