Psycho

Notice the clothes, or lack thereof.

When thinking of good horror or thriller movies, one is likely to think of Pet Cemetery or The Exorcist. However, when thinking of good thrillers, many forget to mention one of the first thriller, Psycho. This movie will leave you with nails bitten off and perhaps pants that need washing. Do I recommend this film? Ya Sure. 

Normally, I am NOT a fan of thrillers and I have not watched a horror movie since 3rd grade (it left me with insomnia). However, this movie is more than a thriller. It plays with you mind, in a good way. You will want to watch the movie straight through to traverse the twists and turns with the characters. Leaving you with a final scene that brought back some of my insomnia.

Psycho debuted in 1960, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. This movie was ahead of its time and portrayed relationships in an honest manner. This movie had women "scantily" clad and revealed the inner workings of a bathroom (gasp). These few scenes, made the film realistic.

The film starts with the female lead, Marion Crane played by Janet Leigh, romping around in bed with her lover, Sam Loomis played by John Gavin. Marion has a secretarial position (one of the few positions a woman could hold then) for a Mr. Lowery played by Vaughn Taylor. Marion is tasked with depositing 40,000 in cash into the bank. However, this amount of money tempts the young naive woman. She steals the money and is going to live her dream with Sam.

On her escape, she falls asleep on the side of the road, catching the attention of a police officer. The officer follows her to a used car dealership where she gets a newer car for her old one plus $700.00. While trading vehicles  to "throw off" people tracking her, the cop is watching.

Marion continues driving through wind and rain until she reaches the Bates Motel. The Motel is run by Norman Bates played by Anthony Perkins. Norman, not leaving the motel often, falls for Marion and invites her to supper. Only to have his mother crush the dreams of his relationship.

Bates Motel. Looks classy.

Eventually, Sam and Marion's sister are on the look for Marion and cannot be found. A personal detective is hired only to find him and the cash missing. The case of the missing money, detective, and Marion must be solved. 

Although this movie does not have blood, guts, and gore, it has a mind bending plot. Psycho is as good today as it was in the 60's, even with the crude special effects. This film deserves your 109 minutes and will leave you thinking for 109 minutes more. Plus, after viewing, you will understand numerous SNL skits or Family Guy clips. Even if you shy away from thrillers or horror movies, this is a must see.

Special Thanks to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psycho_(film)
http://www.retroweb.com/universal_psycho.html
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b9/Psycho_(1960).jpg/215px-Psycho_(1960).jpg