Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Movies»Movies by Decade»Movies - 1960s
    Movies - 1960s Movies - P 3 Mins Read

    Psycho (1960)

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    With Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock took his biggest risk and had his biggest success. The risk was not financial – at less than one million dollars Psycho was a comparatively cheap film to make – but there was considerable risk in the subject matter.

    The film was about a deranged split personality, and if the public and press found it distasteful, the careers of actor Anthony Perkins and of Hitchcock himself would suffer a severe setback.

    Hitchcock considered Psycho a “fun film” – like a roller coaster ride where the audience delights in the pleasure of a good fright.

    Pretty secretary Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) embezzles $40,000 from her firm and heads for California and Sam Loomis (John Gavin), a storekeeper who cannot afford to marry her.

    She stops at the rundown and isolated Bates Motel run by Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), an odd youth whose hobby is taxidermy.

    From that point on the movie is basically structured around three shocks; The murder of the heroine (Leigh) in the shower; the murder of the private detective Milton Arbogast (Martin Balsam) who has gone to look for her; and the discovery of the mummified body in the cellar which holds the clue to the identity of the murderer. The biggest shock is the first, coming completely out of the blue.

    From that point onwards, the movie becomes less horrific but more tense, because the horror has been transferred to the minds of the audience.

    psycho_07The shower murder has become one of the most famous and analysed of all screen sequences. The British censor, John Trevelyan, made cuts to the scene because he thought it sadistic. Fourteen stabs were reduced to three.

    In terms of visual gore, it is relatively restrained, but the scene has an enormous impact thanks to the icily effective screaming violins of Bernard Hermann’s score, the fast cutting of the sequence which corresponds with the slashing of the knife, and the fact that the victim is not only a star, but the character with whom we have been identifying so far in the film – The murder literally cuts the ground from under our feet.

    From this point on, Anthony Perkins’ performance rules supreme. He gives the performance of his life (as does Janet Leigh).

    Hitchcock broke the rules with Psycho. Prior to the 1960 film, movie audiences could be reasonably confident that the star of a movie would make it through to the final credits – or, at worst, expire in the last minute of the film as appropriate music swelled on the soundtrack.

    Because of Hitchcock’s cinematic genius, this movie has proved an inexhaustible treasure-trove for movie and horror buffs . . . and motels and showers have never seemed quite the same since.

    The unforgettable Bernard Hermann soundtrack was an afterthought. Alfred Hitchcock originally wanted no music at all in the movie.

    Norman Bate
    Anthony Perkins
    Marion Crane
    Janet Leigh
    Lila Crane
    Vera Miles
    Sam Loomis
    John Gavin
    Milton Arbogast
    Martin Balsam
    Sheriff Chambers
    John McIntire
    Dr Richmond
    Simon Oakland
    Caroline
    Patricia Hitchcock

    Director
    Alfred Hitchcock

    Video

    Related Posts

    • Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
      Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
      George Romero's directorial debut was shot in black and white over several weekends in Pennsylvania and chronicles the desperate efforts…
    • Shock Corridor (1963)
      Shock Corridor (1963)
      Bent on winning a Pulitzer Prize, ambitious reporter Johnny Barrett (Peter Breck) has himself committed to a mental institution to…
    • Court Martial of Major Keller, The (1961)
      Court Martial of Major Keller, The (1961)
      Major Keller (Laurence Payne) is a highly decorated and respected British army officer, who is now facing a court-martial for…
    • Birds, The (1963)
      Birds, The (1963)
      This tense and terrifying thriller was crafted by the master of the suspense genre, Alfred Hitchcock. Beautiful blonde Melanie Daniels…
    • Visit, The (1964)
      Visit, The (1964)
      Bernard Wicki's film of Friedrich Dürrenmatt's play (also known as Time and Again) is a fascinating work. The tragi-comedy (as Dürrenmatt…
    • Circus Of Fear (1966)
      Circus Of Fear (1966)
      Circus Of Fear starts with a dramatic and meticulously-planned armoured car heist against the backdrop of Tower Bridge. It all goes…
    • Tall Story (1960)
      Tall Story (1960)
      Tall Story is dated, but deliciously so. June Ryder (Jane Fonda in her film debut) is a new student at Custer…
    • That Kind of Girl (1963)
      That Kind of Girl (1963)
      In 1960s London, beautiful and free-spirited Austrian au pair Eva (Margaret Rose Keil) finds herself wrestling with the affections of…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticlePsychedelic Priest, The (1971)
    Next Article Pure Hell of St Trinian’s, The (1960)

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    You May Also Like
    • Down the ‘Gate
      1 9 7 5 – 1 9 7 6 (UK) 12 x 30 minute episodes The bustle […]
    • Falling Joys, The
      The Falling Joys formed as a three-piece outfit in Canberra […]
    • Questions, The
      Stephen Lennon, John Robinson, Paul Barry and Chris Kowalski […]
    • Chart Show, The
      1 9 8 6 – 1 9 9 8 (UK) 30/60 minute episodes 1986 saw the […]
    • That’s Your Funeral
      1 9 7 1 (UK) 7 x 30 minute episodes Premiering on Friday 15 […]
    • Buck-a-roo!
      Buck-a-roo! came from Milton Bradley. The idea was to load the […]
    Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

    OUR LATEST FACEBOOK POSTS

    edition.cnn.com/2023/01/30/entertainment/cindy-williams-dead/index.html

    More sad news 😢
    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    'Laverne & Shirley' star Cindy Williams dead at 75 | CNN

    edition.cnn.com

    Cindy Williams, the dynamic actress known best for playing the bubbly Shirley Feeney on the beloved sitcom "Laverne & Shirley," has died, according to a statement from her family, provided to CNN by a...
    3 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64442824 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Television frontman Tom Verlaine dies at 73

    www.bbc.co.uk

    His band rose to fame in the 1970s New York punk scene, scoring UK hits including Marquee Moon.
    5 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64418847 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Mr Blobby costume sells for more than £62,000 on eBay

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The character, made famous by BBC show Noel's House Party, had been in storage since the 1990s.
    6 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Put some beefiness into your mid-week menu with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the Radio Times on 30 September 1965.

    Put some "beefiness into your mid-week menu" with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the "Radio Times" on 30 September 1965. ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    They were awful. An overpowering savoury flavour that lingered in your mouth for hours. Heaven knows what unmentionable parts of a bull went into making them 😳

    More sad news 😪

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    US rock legend David Crosby dies aged 81

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Crosby, who co-founded both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash, had been ill for some time.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened? 

All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened?

    All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 54
    • Shares: 22
    • Comments: 7

    Comment on Facebook

    I thought we would have moving pavements by now when I was a kid 😂

    Totally agree!!!

    The new Tesla, 4.6 next century.

    We got transvestite story hour instead

    We appear to be going backwards

    There's actually a very good David Graeber essay on this very topic: thebaffler.com/salvos/of-flying-cars-and-the-declining-rate-of-profit

    The Jetsons strike again.

    View more comments

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

https://nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

    nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    That is so sad to hear 😥 rest in peace 🙏 🕊 xx

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    😍😍😍😍

    Vale Jeff Beck. Dead at 78. 😢

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Jeff Beck: British guitar legend dies aged 78

    www.bbc.co.uk

    One of rock's most influential guitarists, he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Hi everyone. Were in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes.

    Hi everyone. We're in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes. ... See MoreSee Less

    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 5
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 2

    Comment on Facebook

    Ironically, this post has jumped off the page at me. You'll probably get most traffic today because everyone will want to see what they might be missing!

    Martin Platt

    Load more
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Sport Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.