With advancements in cinematography, special effects, sound, color, and more, suspense and terror is much easier to transmit in a modern day film than in the Golden Age of Hollywood. Some classic thrillers are just as suspenseful today as they were the day they came out, none more than Alfred Hitchock‘s legendary film Psycho.
Psycho is one of the most influential movies ever made, single-handedly changing the horror and thriller genres forever. It initially follows an embezzler on the run who is suddenly murdered in the most famous death scene in all of cinema. This plot twist changes the film into a dark investigation into the creepy hotel manager Norman Bates, and the unsettling relationship he has with his mother. Though polarizing on its release, Psycho was a smash hit at the box office, earning the modern-day equivalent of $544 million, and thoroughly earns its reputation as the Most Suspenseful Classic Movie according to Collider.
While Some Critics Were Appalled, Psycho Changed Film Forever
The shocking violence and dark subject matter of Psycho was too much for some critics to handle: The New York Times said “there is not an abundance of subtlety” with the film; Newsweek called Psycho “a gimmick; a critic for The Observer walked out of the viewing and resigned as a film critic.
Today, the movie is almost unanimously seen as a masterpiece. The cinematography, editing, and music are all iconic, and Hitchcock’s ability to generate empathy for his characters made the violence particularly shocking, as are the multiple twists that keep audiences unsure of what’s coming next. It is regularly seen as one of the greatest movies ever made, and the shower scene is commonly listed as one of the scariest moments in movie history. Even though it is over 65 years old, Psycho‘s thrills are just as chilling today.
