Psycho (1960)
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An on-the-run woman finds herself in a tense encounter with a mysterious motel proprietor and his disturbed mother.
The story
After embezzling $40,000 from her employer to help her boyfriend's debts, Marion Crane flees to the town of Fairvale, California. During a rainstorm, she stops at the secluded Bates Motel. There, she meets the proprietor, Norman Bates, and his mother. While staying at the motel, Marion becomes aware of the unsettling dynamic between Norman and his mother. The atmosphere grows tense as Marion's disappearance is noted by her sister and her lover, who eventually begin to investigate her whereabouts, leading them to the mysterious Bates property.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Marion Crane embezzles $40,000 and flees to Fairvale, California, where she stays at the Bates Motel. She meets the proprietor, Norman Bates, and hears him arguing with his mother. While showering, Marion is murdered by a shadowy figure. Norman hides her body and the stolen money. A week later, Marion's sister Lila and her lover Sam Loomis begin searching for her, joined by a private investigator, Arbogast. Arbogast becomes suspicious of Norman's behavior at the motel. After Arbogast is also murdered by a shadowy figure, Sam and Lila investigate the Bates house. They discover that Norman's mother died years ago; Norman has been treating her corpse as if it were alive and has developed a split personality where 'Mother' takes over. The film ends with Norman in a cell, hearing his mother's voice claim the murders were his doing.
- First release year
- 1960
- Runtime (minutes)
- 109
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Writers
- Joseph Stefano · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Anthony Perkins · Norman Bates; Vera Miles · Lila Crane; John Gavin · Sam Loomis; Martin Balsam · Private Investigator Milton Arbogast; John McIntire · Deputy Sheriff Al Chambers; Janet Leigh · Marion Crane
- Genres
- horror; thriller
- Themes
- identity; mental illness; guilt
- Tone and mood
- tense; suspenseful
- Premise and plot tags
- slasher; psychological thriller
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1959 novel by Robert Bloch
- Franchise connections
- Yes
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- Initially divided critics due to controversial subject matter, it was later re-evaluated as a masterpiece of cinematic art, noted for its atmosphere and iconic scenes.
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Director · Nominated; Academy Award · Best Supporting Actress · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The shower scene is one of the best-known scenes in all of cinema.; It was the first film sold in the US on the basis that no one would be admitted to the theater after the film had started.; It was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1992.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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