Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8095 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-04-21
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Black & White, Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Dutch, English, Swedish
• Dubbed in: German, Polish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 109 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
For all the slasher pictures that have ripped off Psycho (and particularly its classic set piece, the "shower scene"), nothing has ever matched the impact of the real thing. More than just a first-rate shocker full of thrills and suspense, Psycho is also an engrossing character study in which director Alfred Hitchcock skilfully seduces you into identifying with the main characters--then pulls the rug (or the bathmat) out from under you. Anthony Perkins is unforgettable as Norman Bates, the mama's boy proprietor of the Bates Motel; and so is Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, who makes an impulsive decision and becomes a fugitive from the law, hiding out at Norman's roadside inn for one fateful night. --Jim Emerson

Special Features
1.85 Wide Screen
DVD 5
German\Polish
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital Mono English German Polish
Dolby Digital Mono
Production Notes
Filmographies
Trailers
Dutch\English\Swedish

Synopsis
Credited with inventing the genre of the modern horror film, PSYCHO has had its share of sequels and imitators, none of which diminishes the achievement of this shocking and complex horror thriller. Alfred Hitchcock's choreography of elements in PSYCHO is considered so perfect it inspired a shot-by-shot remake by Gus Van Sant in 1998. However, Hitchcock's black-and-white original, featuring Anthony Perkins's haunting characterization of lonely motel keeper Norman Bates, has never been equaled. Bates presides over an out-of-the-way motel under the domineering specter of his mother. The young, well-intentioned Bates is introduced to the audience when Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), a blonde on the run with stolen money, checks in for the night. But Momma doesn't like loose women, so the stage is set for this classic tale of horror--and one of the most famous scenes in film history. PSYCHO was initially received by audiences with shock and amazement, and it still terrifies today. Though it is now considered prototypical Hitchcock, its setting, pace, and emphasis on terror were major departures for the director at the time, coming after the more classically grand NORTH BY NORTHWEST.

Customer Reviews

Creepy!
I didn't know the plot of this film at all (apart from seeing the infamous shower scene on all the top 10 horror movies lists)

Basically, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) goes on the run with $40 000, and on the way to her boyfriends she checks into a motel where she meets the somewhat odd Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins)

It was really creepy, the atmosphere builds up and the murders are scarier for the fact that they are not graphic, something which I think spoils modern horrors. I guessed the "twist" at the end almost as soon as she checked into the motel though.

Perkins is outstanding, far outshining all other slasher baddies.

As with all Hitchcock films this is a definate must see, highly recommended!!!

Reasons Not To Use A Shower
This simply is one of the greatest films ever, containing one of the greatest scenes ever, the infamous `shower scene'. Hitchcock referred to it as his `first horror film'. It may be far from today's standards of horror following this ever-evolving film medium, but it certainly is a gruesome story. Anthony Perkins impeccably performs the role of a man who has preserved his mother's corpse for a decade, moving it round the house, dressing in its clothes and mimicking its voice, whilst quietly running the practically deserted motel. Hitchcock's slow-paced and deviously manipulative direction is masterful. The fact that the leading character, the famous Janet Leigh, is killed off less than half way through the film, having been developing a `red-herring' of a plot, is a stroke of brilliance.

Apparently, the choice of filming in black and white was a budget-driven decision (as the film was recorded by the crew for his TV show), but actually creates an eerie addition to the sinister effect. Hitchcock was already accustomed to Bernard Hermann's skill and a screen composer, and his skeleton string score is totally seamless in completing and augmenting the atmosphere Hitchcock created. Again, the lack of a full orchestra was probably an issue with budget, but again adds to the unique genius.

With such films around in 1960 as `Exodus', `Le Trou', `Plein Soleil', `Room at the Top', `Elmer Gantry', `The Apartment' (1961 Oscar), the horror `Peeping Tom', and, of course, `Spartacus', there was heavy competition around. Yet, `Psycho', seems to have gained a status as `the film' of 1960, and is certainly a milestone in the Hitchcock legacy.

The legendary masterpiece from Hitchcock!
Without doubt, Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" is one of the greatest films of all time, a compulsive horror that is nothing short of being a masterpiece.
If you haven't seen this black and white before, shame on you, but do be sure to buy this DVD because "Psycho" is one of those films that you must see before you die.
An amazing horror film!