psycho!

[teamcool]

just watched psycho(hitchcock 1960) and I noticed a lot of bird references in the film (marion 'crane', city of phoenix, and norman stuffs birds etc). does anyone know the meaning of this? what do ab members think of the film? the shower scene scared me witless!

[andy hughes]

I have seen this film several times, but I never noticed the 'bird' references before. As a film, it is probably the finest of its type. As Hitchcock confirmed, the idea - revolutionary at the time - was to have a seriously shocking scene early on, and the ratchet up the tension until the 'cellar' scene, and the equally creepy final shot of Norman bates' eyes as the final frame.

My dad saw this film when it was released, and bearing in mind that cinema audiences were far less sophisticated, or aware in those days - four women fainted when Mrs Bates was revealed!

[ICEMANSAV]

probably a relation to the film " The birds" also directed by Hitchcock. Excellent film!

[libertie]

Smashing film, a real creepy! and funnily enough I remember reading somewhere that in a survey which asked what made women nervous the majority of those questioned said that they didn't really like having a shower / bath in an empty house - suppose they had Norman to thank for that!!

[andy hughes]

It is said that Janet Leigh - who died recently - refused to shower from the completion of the film until her death - she would only have baths. It may be a bit of Hollywood hype, butr when you see the film, you could believe it - hitchcock was famous for treating his actresses quite cruelly in order to coax genuine reactions of fear and horror from them while he was filming. 

[Litchick]

My mother could not even take a BATH without having my father in there for "security!"

What was cool about that shower scene is that you really don't see anything.  It's all those images being thrown at you and what you THINK you are seeing.

[ChocClare]

I first saw this as a teenager at my aunt's house.  We were all being big and brave and told each other it wasn't that scary - but as we went up to bed, the hall light fused - and we thought it might just be a wise precaution to send the dog up first...

The other really great thing about this film which Hitchcock put in to scare people witless (apart from the fantastic music which - like the music to Jaws - tells you something awful is about to happen) is the very final sequence when Anthony Perkins says "they'll see I wouldn't hurt a fly...".  If you play it frame by frame on a video or DVD you'll see that his face becomes a skull right at the very end.  It only lasts for a frame or two, and Hitchcock put it in so that people would feel scared but wouldn't know why.  Brilliant, eh?!

[karabulut]

Hitchcock at his finest!!

[galltin]

In my opinion the best director of the lot. The bird references were there simply because Hitchcock liked doing that sort of theme thing, and he felt birds in general were scary.