In a fairly beleaguered bit of prose regular readers will associate with my comics reviews, one writer for Pop Matters dissects the famous shower scene, asking (along the way) if it is the most famous movie scene of all time and, if so, what that says about film, the movie, Alfred Hitchcock, that face on Mars, and some more shit.
An interesting read that I decided to include as much for its own sake as for the fact that it discusses the movie, Psycho. I did not see Psycho until I was well into my 20s for no reason, whatsoever - it just never came-up as a movie to rent or whatever. In fact, I barely seem to recall a faintly pink (or maybe dark green) VHS cover with the iconic picture of Janet Leigh's screaming face, but I could be making that image up entirely; I don't recall seeing Psycho at many movie rental shops when I was younger. I saw it on TCM.
But let me say, even to this very day, that it packs all the wallop you've ever heard; this is no Citizen Kane, this is an honest-to-god slasher flick that totally deserves its place in pop-culture, and the designation of "grandfather of the slashers." I must admit, even as a film-lover, I find I have to work harder to suspend my disbelief for black and white movies, simply because they lack color, and Psycho is one of the few that grabs you quickly and pulls you along - far better than any other movie you've seen in the last 3-4 years or so.
Okay, go watch the movie first.
Happy birthday, Psycho!
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
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