The Mike's Top 50 Horror Movies Countdown: #3 - Psycho

Previously on the Countdown: Number 50 - Happy Birthday to Me  Number 49 - Prince of Darkness  Number 48 - House on Haunted Hill  Number 47 - The Monster Squad  Number 46 - Hellraiser  Number 45 - The Fog  Number 44 - Creature From the Black Lagoon  Number 43 - Zombie  Number 42 - Tales from the Crypt  Number 41 - Bubba Ho-Tep  Number 40 - Phantom of the Paradise  Number 39 - Dog Soldiers Number 38 - Pontypool  Number 37 - Dark Water  Number 36 - Army of Darkness Number 35 - The Legend of Hell House  Number 34 - Poltergeist  Number 33 - The Abominable Dr. Phibes  Number 32 - The Phantom of the Opera  Number 31 - The House of the Devil   Number 30 - Evil Dead II  Number 29 - Dead of Night  Number 28 - Carnival of Souls  Number 27 - Nosferatu  Number 26 - Candyman  Number 25 - The Texas Chain Saw Massacre  Number 24 - Horror of Dracula  Number 23 - The Wicker Man  Number 22 - Suspiria  Number 21 - The Omen  Number 20 - Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told  Number 19 - Rosemary's Baby  Number 18 - The Devil Rides Out  Number 17 - The Blob  Number 16 - Gremlins  Number 15 - Targets  Number 14 - Fright Night   Number 13 - Frankenstein  Number 12 - Alien  Number 11 - The Shining  Number 10 - An American Werewolf in London  Number 9 - The Thing  Number 8 - Dawn of the Dead  Number 7 - The Evil Dead  Number 6 - Night of the Living Dead  Number 5 - The Innocents  Number 4 - The Wolf Man

Psycho

(1960, Dir. by Alfred Hitchcock.)

Why It's Here:

Many of Hitchcock's films were slightly notorious in their day (actually, one of them WAS Notorious, but that's splitting hairs), but Psycho seems to be a thing of legend. (If you don't believe me, watch the movie about it this Thanksgiving.)  Groundbreaking in many ways - I love the claim that it was the first film to ever show a toilet flushing - Psycho is one of the most spoiled films in the world these days, yet it's still endlessly fascinating to film lovers everywhere.  And, for the rare viewer who can see it with a blind eye to the twist, it can still be quite shocking.

The Moment That Changes Everything:

C'mon - you know the moment. And I'm not gonna talk about it, just in case those blind eyes are reading. But man, is it good.

It Makes a Great Double Feature With:

If Psycho's just not sleazy enough for you, you could fast forward about 21 years and watch Brian De Palma's sinister homage, Dressed to Kill.  An all-star cast led by Michael Caine (back when he did random horror stuff) and Angie Dickinson (back when she never aged) is framed perfectly by De Palma's trademark style, and a ton of melodrama just makes the whole thing juicy and enjoyable.

What It Means To Me:

I love Hitchcock's films more than about anything in cinema, and I can't help loving his most "horror" film.  I was one of those kids that saw the movie without knowing what was coming, and I don't remember ever being so intensely involved with what was going on on the screen.  Anthony Perkins' performances as Norman Bates has long been my favorite in any film, and I can still watch Psycho any day and just be amazed by how well made it is.