Horror and film connoisseurs alike have discussed Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho for decades. This is for one reason and one reason only. It’s the same reason why Universal Studios continues to feature Norman Bates on the studio back lot tour in California. This film has left such a lasting impact on the industry, one that has gone on for over sixty years. Psycho came out in 1960, and if you still haven’t seen it that’s on you. There will be spoilers ahead, but come on it’s 64 years old!
Psycho – A Summary
Psycho starts in Phoenix, Arizona where Marion Crane is tasked with delivering a large sum of cash to the bank after spending her lunch hour with her boyfriend Sam Loomis. But Marion doesn’t go to the bank, she goes home and packs a suitcase. She plans on moving to Fairvale, California where her boyfriend lives and operates a hardware store.
She stops at the Bates Motel and is greeted by Norman Bates. Before settling in for bed, she gets killed in the shower by a mysterious figure. Marion’s sister, Lila, and Sam start to search for her with a private investigator. But when the private investigator goes to the motel he doesn’t return either.
After involving the nearby sheriff, Sam and Lila learn that Norman killed Marion and the investigator under the persona of “Mother”. He’d carry on conversations in his head with his dead “mother” and dress up like her and kill his victims.
Setting
The majority of this movie is centered around Norman and the Bates Motel. The motel is in a remote location, although it wasn’t as secluded before the highway moved. Now, it usually doesn’t get much business. Especially since Norman doesn’t even turn on the sign half the time. His house is set back a couple hundred feet behind the motel, and is also shrouded in darkness. It’s implied heavily that this is the middle of nowhere, with the closest town being Fairvale, which is fifteen miles away.
A remote location is one of the key components for any horror movie. It’s not always secluded, but it definitely makes it more believable as to how victims are subjected to such horrors without anyone stumbling upon them. Some well-known movies that utilize this type of setting are Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), all of the Friday the 13thmovies, and Cabin in the Woods (2011). Naturally these aren’t the only movies that feature remote locations, but each of these incorporate the seclusion into the plot of their respective film.
Does a Remote Setting Always Make Sense?
Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), obviously takes place in Texas. That being said, it’s not a stretch for the Sawyer house to be in the middle of nowhere. In Texas, you can drive for miles before finding even a gas station. It just makes sense, and that’s why we don’t question the fact that no one stumbles upon the Sawyers’, as they proceed to maim Sally Hardesty and her friends. The only reason Sally was found at all was sheer luck, making it to the road just as a truck was passing by.
The Friday the 13th franchise has so many entries due to the setting itself. Camps are already remote, have almost nothing nearby usually, so add in a serial killer and the story writes itself. Police don’t know what’s going on way out there, plus the fact there’s no cell reception (at least the entries after cell phones were made), so there’s no way to really get in contact with anyone after Jason kills the landline.
Antagonist
Anthony Perkins has become synonymous with Psycho and Norman Bates ever since 1960. In short, it’s because his performance as Norman Bates is legendary. But diving into the character, it’s because the way he’s portrayed makes you really give a damn about his character. He acts a little awkward, but is charismatic simultaneously. At that point it doesn’t matter if he has weird hobbies or he’s “best friends” with his mother. Even after they kill people, you’re still invested in their character. This is why we love antagonists, sure they give the protagonist a run for their money. But it’s really about the personality the actor gives life to onscreen.
Charisma
Freddy Krueger is an excellent example of this, he’s very talkative and has an iconic look and weapon. But that wouldn’t matter if he wasn’t portrayed by Robert Englund. He gave Freddy his voice, and the iconic line “Welcome to prime time, bitch!” which was improvised by Englund in Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. And now whenever someone talks about any of the Nightmare On Elm Street movies the first thing to come to mind is Robert Englund’s Freddy Krueger. That’s the very reason why the 2010 remake didn’t work, it just didn’t feel like Freddy.
The same goes for our most modern horror icon, Art the Clown portrayed by David Howard Thornton. Art’s personality is even more impressive when you consider the fact he has no speaking roles. He is the most brutal killer we have seen in decades, from sawing a woman in half to scalping another while she was still alive, laughing silently all the while. David Howard Thornton brings Art a fun personality that entertains even as he’s massacring the entire town. The original Art actor Mike Gianelli just didn’t have this effect. His portrayal of Art left a lot to be desired. David uses body language, as well as making faces to get his character’s emotions across, and is so skilled at it because he has a mime background.
And while these are individual franchises, it wouldn’t have been possible without Norman Bates being the first slasher icon. Whenever we think of these movies we think of the villains first, they really make these movies.
Real Life Inspiration for Psycho
If you’re unfamiliar with true crime, you may not recognize the name Ed Gein. Ed Gein was the real life inspiration for Norman Bates and Psycho. Ed’s crimes mainly consisted of grave-robbing and murder. His mother shaped most of his life, telling him women were evil and essentially brainwashing him. This caused him to suffer from an Oedipus complex. And when his brother spoke “ill” of their mother it wasn’t long until he was found dead in a fire. It’s speculated Ed committed the crime although he was never charged for it. He never even moved out of his mother’s house even after she died. Gein murdered and grave-robbed women that looked like his mother. Even going as far as crafting home furnishings out of the flesh of victims, such as lamps, belts and more.
Now that you’re familiar, it should be obvious how Norman is based off of Ed Gein, mostly pertaining to the relationship with his mother. The main difference being Ed didn’t dig up his mother. But after having this perspective, when Norman says “a boy’s best friend is his mother”, it hits so much harder. After Psycho was so successful after being based off of this real life killer, it was only a matter of time before another movie took a stab at it (sorry had to).
Ed Gein in Other Media
Texas Chainsaw Massacre took the inspiration of Ed Gein in a different direction. Instead of having a detrimental relationship with a matriarch, it leans more toward the grave-robbing aspect. The film opens on a graveyard that’s been ravaged. Sally and her brother Franklin hear their grandfather’s grave has vandalized, so they go to investigate. One detour later, they’re being attacked by Leatherface and the Sawyer family. Leatherface wears a mask made of human skin, and is blindly obedient to his family. Much like the way Ed Gein was to his mother.
Gein also cut off his fair share of human faces and wear them as masks. Around the Sawyer household, you’ll also notice different pieces of furniture made of human body parts. Even the novel, Silence of the Lambs and subsequent movie adaptation based the character Buffalo Bill on Gein. He cut skin off heavier women to create a woman suit because he thought he believes himself to be a transgender person and didn’t qualify for gender reassignment surgery.
No One Escapes Death
Without a doubt the most recognizable scene in Psycho is the shower scene. Marion starts taking a shower and before long we see a knife rise into the air before hearing sound effects as the knife stabs her to death. And we don’t see much of the actual carnage, but in 1960 seeing the blood rush out of her body and down the shower drain was a big deal for the time. The success of the movie and this scene helped push the boundaries of what audiences want to see. And we’re still craving new and twisted ways to see characters get killed.
Her death was unexpected to say the least. Marion (Janet Leigh) was by all accounts the main character. And she was killed off halfway into the movie. And now, essentially no one is safe. Scream (1996) solidified that by casting Drew Barrymore and having her in all the promotional materials to have her character be killed in the first ten minutes.
TLDR;
Psycho paved the way, it laid the groundwork for the entire future of horror. It’s acted like a blueprint for a basic slasher movie for the past six decades, it included a desolate setting, charismatic villain, loose ties to real life, and pushed the industry further than it had ever been at the time.
Some movies pay homage to this horror movie pioneer by leaving references to it in their movies. Most notably is Dr. Samuel Loomis in Halloween (1978) and Billy Loomis in Scream (1996), referencing Marion Crane’s boyfriend Sam Loomis.
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