Psycho

I have a pretty mixed history with Hitchcock's films. I typically enjoy them, but I can't stand the way he ends his films. The greatest offender is North by Northwest where the ending almost ruins the rest of the film. It's such a lazy and abrupt ending to an otherwise pretty great film. Vertigo and The Birds also could have much better conclusions in my mind. Most recently I watched Rope which really surprised me. The film wrapped up neatly and exactly how it should. Now, I'm aware I have many more of his films to see, but the one that has always been my favorite and has the best finale is Psycho. I was worried that since I have seen this once already, the impact of the reveals and twists would be lessened. Fortunately Hitchcock really was on his A-game when he made Psycho despite the lower than normal budget. Psycho is essentially the first slasher film. Halloween, Friday the 13th, Texas Chainsaw, Scream even Silence of the Lambs, all of these insanely popular films owe a lot of their success to Psycho. Without it, they might have never been made. When it came out, some people were so scared by it that they ran out of the theater screaming. What defines something as scary has changed so much since then, but the way suspense builds in this film is perfect. The characters, the writing, and the subversion of expectations are what makes it work. Norman is an extremely complex character that is supported by his excellent dialogue. His written in a way that demands trust and understanding even though something is clearly off with him. Marion is also very interesting and her relationship with John Gavin is well established in the beginning of the film. Even though they haven't gotten much screen time before they are separated you do want them to succeed despite the fact that Marion makes some questionable choices. This film is virtually flawless. My only issue with it is the explanation at the end. As always, I prefer when filmmakers respect the audience's intelligence enough to not explain every detail especially when it's very clear what is going on like in this film. I know I said this has my favorite ending and I do think that's still the case. The final shot is phenomenal and makes up for the "meh, this is what happened, meh" right before that. Aside from that, Psycho really is Hitchcock's masterpiece. Lists: Hitchcock Ranked, Favorite Films, & Favorites From Every Year