#14 - Psycho

Perhaps this is the classic horror movie. Everyone's heard of it, but only a few people I know have ever seen it. Alfred Hitchcock's most popular (best?) movie, this 1960 horror film tells the story of a young girl who steals a lot of money from her company and goes on the lam. One night while driving away she stays at a hotel. And then she takes a shower.

Having Marion Crane die only 47 minutes into the movie -- less than halfway through -- was a big deal. No one had ever seen that in 1960: a film that was said to star a woman whose death starts the real action of the movie. It's like two movies: everything leading up to and including her death is an intriguing, suspenseful horror movie. And then after her death, it's purely a detective story (with one gory death thrown in). This is unprecedented.

For these reasons, among others, critics returned mixed reviews for "Psycho" when it first came out. Some thought Hitchcock had really missed the mark with this one, but the more forward-thinking ones so it as an instant masterpiece.

Also interesting is the phobia-inducing effect of the movie. Much like "Jaws" prevented people from swimming in open waters, "Psycho" prevented some people from taking showers. One such person was Janet Leigh, who plays Marion Crane (who could blame her?). She would lock all the doors and windows when she had to bathe. She never realized until she first saw the film "how vulnerable and defenseless one is."

But more important than the film's shock factor or its amazing score (the violin strings seem to cut deeper than the knife would) is the film's quality of entertainment and dealing with tough issues. The 108 minutes are some of the most entertaining you will ever see -- I was gripped to my seat, and this wasn't the first time I'd ever seen it. Also, the film's upfront dealing with a man who is obviously psychotic (you'll have to watch the movie to see the full level of his disease) was refreshing now in a world of desensitized language. We all know he is crazy, he knows he is crazy, and he should be put out of sight for a very long while. This sense of justice gave the film great closure, and may be one of the film's most endearing qualities. An absolute must-see, no excuses.