Psycho
A young woman steals $40,000 from her employer’s client, and subsequently encounters a young motel proprietor too long under the domination of his mother.
- Director: * Alfred Hitchcock
- Genre:Horror / Thriller
- Runtime:109 minutes
Cast
Anthony Perkins : Norman Bates
Vera Miles : Lila Crane
John Gavin : Sam Loomis
Martin Balsam : Milton Arbogast
John McIntire : Deputy Sheriff Al Chambers
Set in Phoenix, Arizona, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) steals $40,000 from her employer to marry her boyfriend Sam Loomis (John Gavin), and she flees to Sam’s house with the money. Along the way, she trades in her car to evade authorities, and during a storm on the trip, she checks into the isolated Bates Motel. The proprietor, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), invites her to dinner at his family house on the hill overlooking the motel. When he leaves to prepare dinner, Marion hears him arguing with his mother, who tells him that she “won’t have him bringing in strange, young girls for supper.” Norman brings dinner to the motel to eat there instead. The two proceed to have a conversation over dinner, topics ranging from taxidermy to Norman’s mother. When Marion suggests that his mother be institutionalized, he gets upset, saying he wants to do so but does not want to abandon her. He compares his life to being in a “trap,” and observes that this could apply to many situations. Marion agrees with him, telling him that she “stepped into a private trap [back in Phoenix].” Afterward, Marion returns to her room, where she decides to avoid a similar trap and resolves to return the money. Norman, who has become intrigued with her, watches her undress through a hole in the wall, obscured by a painting. After Marion counts the money, she takes a shower. During the shower, an anonymous female assailant enters the bathroom and stabs her to death. Back at the house, Norman calls out to his mother “Mother! Oh, God, mother! Blood! Blood!” He runs to the motel, where he finds the corpse and is horrified. Norman presumes his mother killed Marion, so he tries to erase all traces of the crime to protect her. He puts Marion’s body and all her possessions, including money hidden in newspaper, into the trunk of her car and sinks it in a nearby swamp.
Sam is contacted by Marion’s sister Lila (Vera Miles) and private detective Milton Arbogast (Martin Balsam), who was hired by Crane’s employer to recover the money. Arbogast traces Marion to the motel and questions Norman, who unconvincingly lies that Marion only stayed for one night. Arbogast wants to question Norman’s mother, but Norman refuses to give permission, saying that she is ill. Arbogast calls Lila to update her and tells her he will call again after he questions Norman’s mother. Arbogast returns to the house, and proceeds up the staircase. At the top of the stairs is attacked by a person who slashes his face with a knife, pushes him down the stairs, and then stabs him to death. Back at Sam’s shop, Lila and Sam are puzzled that Arbogast has not returned for three hours, considering he said it would only be an hour. At the house, in an unseen conversation, Norman confronts his mother and urges her to hide in the fruit cellar, theorizing that more people will come looking for both Marion and Arbogast. She rejects the idea and orders him out of her room, but against her will Norman carries her down to the cellar. Read more
