Psycho

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6:31

Psycho

R

1960

1h 49m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

117 Reviews

95%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Phoenix secretary Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), on the lam after stealing $40,000 from her employer in order to run away with her boyfriend, Sam Loomis (John Gavin), is overcome by exhaustion during a heavy rainstorm. Traveling on the back roads to avoid the police, she stops for the night at the ramshackle Bates Motel and meets the polite but highly strung proprietor Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), a young man with an interest in taxidermy and a difficult relationship with his mother.

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Critics Consensus

Infamous for its shower scene, but immortal for its contribution to the horror genre. Because Psycho was filmed with tact, grace, and art, Hitchcock didn't just create modern horror, he validated it.

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Wendy Ide

The Times (UK)

09/28/2023

The impeccable craft of Alfred Hitchcock is showcased even more effectively here, in the director’s take on a B-movie, than it is in many of his loftier projects.

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Adam Kempenaar

Filmspotting

02/10/2023

5/5

Not that [Marion] or we are guilty of the horrors [Norman] is, but this is a movie fundamentally about shame, of which guilt is an inextricable component.

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Peter John Dyer

Sight & Sound

01/11/2020

Psycho comes nearer to attaining an exhilarating balance between content and style than anything Hitchcock has done in years. Of course, it is a very minor work. But its virtues of tension, surprise, virtuosity and control are all major ones.

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Chris Barsanti

PopMatters

01/08/2025

Murder might have been rife in Hitchcock's earlier work, but the gutting sense of random mortality in 'Psycho' is as far as one can get from the semi-jocular bloodless deaths of 'Strangers on a Train' and 'The Trouble with Harry.'

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Sarah Marloff

Washington City Paper

09/23/2024

...remains one of the most unnerving moments in film history and Norman Bates still gets under your skin in the creepiest ways...

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Brian Bisesi

Horror Movie Club Podcast

06/05/2024

4/5

Anthony Perkins' iconic performance makes Norman Bates one of the most indelible villains in cinematic history. And the camerawork, direction and dialogue in his scenes all give the viewer a unique sense of intimacy with Norman and his troubled psyche.

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melissa

Sep 21

The lights went on (all the way) when the movie was still going on! There were still several minutes left.

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Kia B

Sep 20

better on the big screen! ❤️

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Christine

Sep 20

I loved seeing it on the big screen as Hitch wanted it seen. It made a difference!

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Kevin Kubrick

Sep 20

Seeing this masterpiece on the big screen was magical for me. The black and white is beautiful, the score is all time. 10/10

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Brian G

Sep 20

Hitchcock scariest film is a blast on the big screen. The picture is crisp, the sound design is superb, Hermann’s score is screechy and relentless, and the actors are in perfect sync with Hitch’s rhythms. He’s in complete control of the dark material.

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William H

Sep 20

For whatever reason why this was in the theaters for one day only, Im happy it was. Such a classic.

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Alfred Hitchcock

Director

Anthony Perkins

Norman Bates

Janet Leigh

Marion Crane

Vera Miles

Lila Crane

John Gavin

Sam Loomis

Martin Balsam

Det. Milton Arbogast

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Synopsis

Phoenix secretary Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), on the lam after stealing $40,000 from her employer in order to run away with her boyfriend, Sam Loomis (John Gavin), is overcome by exhaustion during a heavy rainstorm. Traveling on the back roads to avoid the police, she stops for the night at the ramshackle Bates Motel and meets the polite but highly strung proprietor Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), a young man with an interest in taxidermy and a difficult relationship with his mother.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Screenwriter: Robert Bloch, Joseph Stefano
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount, Shamley Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 16, 1960, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 12, 2014
Runtime: 1h 49m
Sound Mix: Mono

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