'The MARCH of Death, Day 2: Psycho

The MARCH of Death, Day 2: Psycho

REMINDER: These reviews will be brief, as there are 31 in total to write this month. The purpose is to give a few quick thoughts about each film and consequently open the door to discussion.

To state that a movie like Psycho comes along once in a lifetime would be selling this groundbreaking film short. It's often said that Alfred Hitchcock brought to the screen the first true depiction of a serial killer. Whether this is true or not is of course up for debate. However, what the maestro of the macabre did, was bring mental illness to the masses. With the Bate's House high on that hill looming threateningly over the motel; and in Norman Bates, American film-goers were shown two things: how a homicidal maniac acts, and what drove this particular “psycho” to his actions. What else was so daring was the casting of Janet Leigh. This was a leading lady. A woman who embodied both thief and heroine. A women who would be propped in front of the audience as it's protagonist; only to be killed at the end of the first act in a scene so shocking, that the sound design of that moment lives on even today. While her blood circles that shower drain, we all feel our expectations shattered, and we to begin spiraling out of control. As is true with most defining performances, Anthony Perkins forever became linked to his psychotic alter ego. Janet Leigh became the first scream queen. And Alfred Hitchcock pierced our mind's eye with what has became recognized as the pinnacle of his 50 year film career. A boy's best friend is his mother...

Psycho
1960
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh

9/10 Farmhouses ~ Chris Conduit