Enough to Drive a Man Psycho

A Hitchcock film reviewed by Marisol Gonzalez

I was left with nothing more than a deep sense of caution after Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 hit film Psycho had come to a close.

The story of a young and elegant stunner, Janet Leigh’s role of Marion Crane, paints her predicament with the law after dabbling in both theft and fraud as less of a federal offense, and as a reflection of the character and the harsh reality of the world behind closed doors. Continuously finding herself in boiling hot water, Marion finds refuge in a quaint, neglected motel hidden away from a newly built highway fronted by the warm face of Norman Bates. As Psycho unravels its countless motifs and ominous symbols embedded within its damning voyeurism, winged creatures, and mirrored perspectives of what is perceived in common world as “good” and “evil”, one could only bring the creative technique and mind of the man behind it all: Alfred Hitchcock.

It is no mystery that the man behind the lens of blockbuster hits such as The Birds [1963] and Vertigo [1958] disguises his dark obsessions with peeping on women and gruesome violence within his renowned work as a ploy for plot development. From Anthony Perkins’ representation of Norman Bates revealing a hole in the wall, exposing a view into Marion Cranes motel room. For an audience member inexperienced in the art of film to be able to entirely overlook the explicit nature of human behavior simply because of the interior framing of a scene is what makes Hitchcock’s work so unforgettable.

Psycho conveys the scariest monsters are the seemingly common faces that walk among you on a daily basis. This movie is perfect for those who take humanity with a grain of salt; those who adore the exploration of true human nature in its entirety, including the sides of it that the public refuses to acknowledge out of fear. Easily 4.8 out of 5 stars. I look forward to the privilege it will be to enjoy this film again.