Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20056 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

Incredible! The best film of all time - easily.
I am nearly thirteen years old and first saw the Alfred Hitchcock film 'Psycho' about 18 months ago. Hearing the opening violin music sent shivers down my spine and I instantly knew I was going to love the film. It has a storyline so magnificent that it will not be an anticlimax. The soundtrack by Bernard Hermann is amazing, completely revolutionary for its time. I loved the film and it is my all-time favourite.
For my 12th birthday I invited my friends over. We went shopping and then they wanted to watch a film at my house. I picked 'Pschyo.' At first the group of girls were scornful - comments such as 'it's in black and white, how boring,' were thick on the ground.
However within ten minutes of the film beginning my friends were bewitched by its magic. They watched spellbound as Janet Leigh's character died in the shower and I had to rewind the second murder and play it again at least three times before they were satisfied. The ending shocked and dazed them and as the film drew to a close (with Marion Crane's car being dragged from the lake) they were all declaring this 'SO the scariest film ever!'
Needless to say, none of them were happy about the light being turned off that night leaving them in the dark with Norman Bates's face grinning menacingly at them in their mind...
A great film! Classic, classic movie suitable for anyone - it will shock you, but you will never again be able to resist the 'high' of adreneline watching 'Psycho' gives you.

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Lock the Bathroom Door!
For those who have been living on another planet, Psycho is the granddaddy of all slasher/psychological thrillers, and still the best. Janet Leigh plays Marion, a small-time thief who checks into the wrong motel for the night. It is run by Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), an odd young man who really loves his mother. It seems Mother doesn't like Marion, and Janet's character is dispatched in the first reel. More mayhem follows, and Perkins' bravura performance as the insane psycho is absolutely terrific.

Much of the film takes place in the world's scariest house, with its dark, empty rooms, long starcase, and creepy cellar. The movie is spine-tingling and shocking. Those who saw it in the theatres on its first run were overwhelmed by the violence, and many still can't take a shower without locking the bathroom door, thanks to the infamous "shower scene." The soundtrack was completely original at the time, and was the prototype of terrifying mood music. If you want thrills, Psycho is the movie for you. The acting and script are outstanding. The movie is in black and white, but I think that makes it even better!

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!