Psycho (1960)

Psycho: Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. With Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Janet Leigh. A Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer’s client, goes on the run, and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.

“Most modern-day horror films make the killer to be an absolutely inhuman, grotesque, unimaginable monster in order to scare the audience out of its wits. Most of the time, however, these stereotypes create a generic murderer a raving, ranting, clearly demented psychopath. One of the few memorable cinematic killers that does not adhere to these restraints and cliches is, of course, Anthony Hopkinsu0026#39; Hannibal Lecter, whom manages to effectively cause the audience to recoil without such drek as the aforementioned devices.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnthony Perkinsu0026#39; skillfully crafts his performance as Norman Bates, avoiding a ranting, raving, drooling, murder-happy, manic characterization; instead his performance as Norman is subtle, creepy, cool, and unsettling. He is brilliant; from his quiet conversations with Marion Crane amidst the stuffed birds, to his weasling wimpiness when confronted by Arbogast, his performance is so exact that it chills the viewer, all without the unnecessary disturbing images prevalent in more modern films (read The Cell, Henry: Portrait of A Serial Killer).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003ePerkinu0026#39;s fine performance, a tight script, and Bernsteinu0026#39;s classic score make Psycho a film that is now and will always be remembered as one of the pinnacles of the horror genre.”