SPOILERS

I think Psycho was a great film. In the 1960’s, when the movie came out, viewers thought it was truly terrifying. I wasn’t terrified watching it but I thought it was scary enough to be a good horror movie. I’ve never seen a black and white movie before but I think that this movie would have been less ominous in color. The story and dialogue were well written and certain lines just stuck with you like when Norman said “ A boy’s best friend is his mother.” Alfred Hitchcock is a magnificent director and really made the movie as great as it was. Bernard Herrmann made the soundtrack to this movie and it’s truly menacing. There were several scenes where nothing really important was happening but the tense music made me feel on edge. When Marion Crane was packing her suitcase or even just driving, the music playing made me feel as worried as Marion was. The violin screeches during the shower scene were perfect and made the whole scene so much better and more menacing. I liked how you really got to see Marion’s character and her story before she arrives at the Bates Motel. I thought that most of the actors were great especially Anthony Perkins as he became Norman Bates. He was so much fun to watch. Bates was super creepy but I couldn’t help but like him.The scene when Norman Bates and Marion Crane talk while being watched by eerie stuffed birds was a great scene. Yet, no part is as famous as the shower scene. When the shower curtain was pulled back and there was a figure there with a knife it scares the crap out of you. After she is stabbed, she slides down and rips the shower curtain and that part really creeped me out. Another great thing about this film was that it wasn’t overly gory or bloody and it was more suspenseful than scary. It keeps you guessing until the very end where everything is explained by a psychiatrist. Personally, I thought that scene was about a bit much and I think it would’ve been better for Norman to explain his twisted thought process but nonetheless I enjoyed the ending.