Believe whatever you see!
First, I would call this more of a suspense movie with a touch of slasher movie thrown in than a horror movie, although that's admittedly through a modern lens.
There are really only a couple of scenes that were "horrific" - one being the famous shower scene and one being the revelation of Norman's mother near the end of the movie.
Otherwise you get a mystery - with the end surprise being fairly clearly telegraphed to anyone who was paying attention.
The suspense starts with Marion (Leigh) stealing a large sum of money from the real estate agency where she works and running off, eventually coming to the Bates Motel to spend the night.
Since the murder in the shower is the classic scene of the movie, you don't expect it to come as early as it does, and you don't expect that so much of the movie is going to revolve around Lila (Miles) and Sam (Gavin) as they search for Marion. A lot has already been said about this film, so I won't comment too much on what it's actually about, and instead I'll only comment on significance and my reactions to it.
"Psycho" has a plot based heavily in reality: adapted from the novel of the same name by Robert Bloch, the book and film were loosely based on the crimes of real-life Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein.
"Psycho" finds its story revolving around Marion Crane (the late Janet Leigh), a lowly Phoenix, Arizona, secretary who embezzles $40,000 from her boss and hits the road, later stopping in at the isolated Bates Motel, and meets the owner and sole employee of the establishment, Norman Bates (the late Anthony Perkins).
First, I would call this more of a suspense movie with a touch of slasher movie thrown in than a horror movie, although that's admittedly through a modern lens.
There are really only a couple of scenes that were "horrific" - one being the famous shower scene and one being the revelation of Norman's mother near the end of the movie.
Otherwise you get a mystery - with the end surprise being fairly clearly telegraphed to anyone who was paying attention.
The suspense starts with Marion (Leigh) stealing a large sum of money from the real estate agency where she works and running off, eventually coming to the Bates Motel to spend the night.
Since the murder in the shower is the classic scene of the movie, you don't expect it to come as early as it does, and you don't expect that so much of the movie is going to revolve around Lila (Miles) and Sam (Gavin) as they search for Marion. A lot has already been said about this film, so I won't comment too much on what it's actually about, and instead I'll only comment on significance and my reactions to it.
"Psycho" has a plot based heavily in reality: adapted from the novel of the same name by Robert Bloch, the book and film were loosely based on the crimes of real-life Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein.
"Psycho" finds its story revolving around Marion Crane (the late Janet Leigh), a lowly Phoenix, Arizona, secretary who embezzles $40,000 from her boss and hits the road, later stopping in at the isolated Bates Motel, and meets the owner and sole employee of the establishment, Norman Bates (the late Anthony Perkins).