Psycho

Psycho, American suspense film and psychological thriller, released in 1960, that was directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Adapted from a 1959 novel by Robert Bloch, it is loosely based on the real-life murders carried out by serial killer Ed Gein.

(Read how Alfred Hitchcock described film production for Britannica in 1965.)

After secretary Marion Crane (played by Janet Leigh) impulsively absconds from her job with $40,000, she checks into the eerie Bates Motel, which is run by shy, awkward Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) and his domineering elderly mother. While taking a shower, Crane is fatally stabbed by Norman’s mother, and Norman disposes of the body. Meanwhile, Crane’s boyfriend (John Gavin) and her sister (Vera Miles) launch a frantic search that eventually takes them to the Bates home. There they fend off an attack by Norman’s mother, who, dressed as the long-deceased Mrs. Bates, in reality is Norman. A psychiatrist later determines that Norman suffers from a split personality that led him to commit murder.

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In 1960, the same year that director Michael Powell’s career was nearly ruined for releasing the sexually oriented murder film Peeping Tom, Hitchcock found his greatest success with this equally disturbing film along similarly shocking plotlines. Hitchcock made Psycho on a limited budget by shooting in black and white and using the crew from his television series Alfred Hitchcock Presents. The director financed much of the film himself in return for a large percentage of the profits, which earned him millions. The murder in the shower, one of the most famous scenes in cinematic history, was a textbook example of brilliant film editing, but the scene is probably best remembered for Bernard Herrmann’s masterful score, in which violins, cellos, and violas screech in unison with each slash of Norman’s knife. The production design of the old house on the hill where the eccentric Norman Bates lived is famous for its nightmarish effect.

Production notes and credits

• Studio: Paramount Pictures
• Director and Producer: Alfred Hitchcock
• Writer: Joseph Stefano
• Music: Bernard Herrmann
• Running time: 109 minutes

Cast

• Anthony Perkins (Norman Bates)
• Janet Leigh (Marion Crane)
• Vera Miles (Lila Crane)
• John Gavin (Sam Loomis)
• Martin Balsam (Arbogast)

Academy Award nominations

• Supporting Actress (Janet Leigh)
• Art Direction
• Cinematography
• Director