Psycho

Okay outside of growing up watching the Wizard of Oz, re-runs of the Twilight Zone on TV, or riding the Great Movie Ride, I feel like I’ve never had much exposure to this era of Hollywood. And tbh I’ve always thought people that revere these films were being slightly pretentious or they just liked it because of nostalgia. I was so wrong. I feel like I have a new definition of timeless because this movie from 65 years ago is still so good. Even though everybody knows the ending of Psycho by this point it was still so tense. I was surprised at how attached I was to Marion Crane. Her story was already riveting had me stressing out before she ever stepped foot into the Bates Motel. I can only imagine what a complete shock her story would’ve been to the audience back in the 60s. She was a complex, relatable, yet flawed female character at a time I was always told that didn’t exist.  And Norman Bates. Brooooo Anthony Perkins is so good in this role. Even though I knew who the character would turn out to be, I couldn’t help but sympathize with the character when he’s first introduced. He doesn’t actually come off as sinister at all — even when he’s covering up for ‘Mother’s’ crimes — until Hitchcock reveals the truth and I think that’s a huge part of why this works so well. Hitchcock’s direction is also what makes this film so good. There’s a scene early on where Marion is being followed by a cop, and you can see her eyes staring in panic at the rearview mirror and how it melts into relief when the cop takes the exit off the highway. It’s funny seeing this after watching One Battle After Another because it reminded me so much of the highway scene and now I wonder if PTA directed that with Psycho in mind. I think the lesson learned here is that I need to start watching more of the classics.