Psycho: Collector`s Edition (US)

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A new and altogether different screen excitement!
Certificate: R
Running Time: 109 mins
Retail Price: $29.98
Release Date:

Synopsis:
Alfred Hitchcock`s masterpiece of the macabre stars Anthony Perkins as the troubled Norman Bates, whose "old dark house" and adjoining motel are not the place to spend a quiet evening. No one knows that better than Janet Leigh, the film`s ill-fated heroine who is victimized in the now-notorious "shower scene". Vera Miles, Martin Balsam, John Gavin and John McIntire co-star in Hitchcock`s most compelling and terrifying film. Screenplay by Joseph Stefano.

It`s been written that no film made before or since has equalled Psycho`s ability to scare people out of their wits and leave irremovable splinters of disquiet in their memories. A landmark of suspense cinema, this Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece shattered attendance records in 1960 and had people fleeing up the theatre aisles.

The grandaddy of today`s horror films was based on a novel by Robert Bloch which, in turn, had been inspired by real-life events.

Special Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Acces
Theatrical Trailers
Censored Scenes
Production notes
The Shower Scene With or Without Music
Additional Newsreel Footage
Production Photographs

Video Tracks:
Widescreen Anamorphic 1.85:1

Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital Mono English
Dolby Digital Mono French

Subtitle Tracks:
Spanish
CC: English

Directed By:
Alfred Hitchcock

Written By:


Starring:
Janet Leigh
John McIntire
Martin Balsam
John Gavin
Vera Miles
Anthony Perkins

Soundtrack By:
Bernard Herrmann

Director of Photography:
John L. Russell

Editor:
George Tomasini

Production Designer:
Helen Colvig

Producer:
Alfred Hitchcock

Distributor:
Universal Pictures

Your Opinions and Comments

10 / 10
Alfred Hitchcock`s Psycho is a gem and is put together perfectly. The style he uses to build up suspense is genius especially in the creepy music throughout the film. This is one of the first films ever made thought to be explicitly violent, but by todays standards, its quite mild. Though its not as gory as many of todays films, it still has a suspensful theme and is argueably one of the best horror films ever made.

Anthony Perkins is brilliant as Norman, a hotel owner who lives with his grouchy mother. They live in a house behind the hotel and his mother is often bossing him around or giving him trouble. Later, when a girl checks into the hotel she is brutally murdered in the shower with a knife. Norman finds the body and does his best to get rid of it and all of the evidence. But now a detective shows up at his hotel to question him and he is also stabbed to death. With two people missing, a suspicious wife and her husband make their way to the hotel to get to the bottom of it. They soon discover that Norman`s mom had died years ago. So who was that woman in the window? And who murdred the girl and the detective?

This movie looks surprisingly good transfered onto dvd, still in black and white, and very sharp looking.

The sound for this dvd is very good, a great deal of the brilliant sound comes from the haunting music adapted by Alfred Hitchcock.

SPECIAL FEATURES
Interactive Menus
Scene Acces
Theatrical Trailers
Censored Scenes
Production notes
The Shower Scene With or Without Music
Additional Newsreel Footage
Production Photographs

The Special features for this dvd are ok. There are several photographs of production that take you inside Psycho as well as some additional newsreel footage. You have the option of watching the famous shower scene with or without music! Besides that, the trailers, scenes, notes, and censored scenes aren`t very exciting.

I viewed this film for the first time last night not expecting a scare at all. But with the haunting music and the creepy stabbing scenes as well as the superb story and acting, i was very impressed. Though it didn`t scare me as much as some films, its a masterpiece and will remain a great movie for decades to come.
posted by Aaron Arneson on 16/2/2003 00:19