COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN: DAY 22-“PSYCHO”

In honor of the witching season, we’ll profile a new Halloween-centric title every day throughout the month of October.

HE WOULDN’T HURT A FLY.

Article by Adam Mast

PSYCHO (Not Rated)-1960

Alfred Hitchcock was and forever will be the master of suspense. While he’s made a great number of films that we could rightfully call classics, PSYCHO might be his most popular effort. It might also just be his scariest picture thanks in part to the shower sequence to end all shower sequences.

In PSYCHO, Lila Crane (Vera Miles) is a woman on the run. During her lengthy road trip to a new life, exhaustion, coupled with a nasty rain storm, prompts Lila to stop for a good night’s rest in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully, “The Bates Motel” has plenty of vacancies.

Upon checking in, lovely Lila meets hotel proprietor Norman Bates, a boyish introvert who is as friendly as he is nervous. Unfortunately though, Norman has a very overprotective mother and she doesn’t take kindly to her boy socializing with customers; most notably, attractive female customers.

There are few thrillers as iconic as PSYCHO. It’s simply a must see for film fans. It is the very personification of cinematic perfection. What’s more, it’s capped off by the kind of reveal that has been duplicated more times than you can count.

Hitchcock’s direction is the stuff of legend and there have been entire semester-long film school courses built around his storytelling style. Beyond that, we can’t get through a PSYCHO piece without talking about the importance of the incomparable Anthony Perkins. His performance as sweet Norman Bates is one for the record books. He’s absolutely fantastic in this picture–particularly in the last 15 minutes–as the quintessential mamma’s boy.

PSYCHO has spawned countless imitators, a pointless shot-for-shot remake (directed by Gus Van Sant), a popular t.v. series, and a couple of theatrically released sequels that are far better than they are given credit for, particularly part II (directed by FRIGHT NIGHT helmer Tom Holland.) In the end though, they all take a back seat to the masterwork that started it all.

If you have yet to experience this classic, you owe to yourself to watch it before October 31st.

COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN

October 21st-“Killer Klowns From Outer Space”– Click Here
October 20th- “Horrorfest 2015” – Click Here
October 19th- “Hocus Pocus” – Click Here
October 18th-“The Exorcist”– Click Here
October 17th-“Prince of Darkness”– Click Here
October 16th- “The Omen” – Click Here
October 15th-“Dawn of the Dead”– Click Here
October 14th- Student Bodies”–Click Here
October 13th-“Habit”–Click Here
October 12th- “The Twilight Zone” – Click Here
October 11th- “Creepshow” – Click Here
October 10th-“Shaun of the Dead“-Click Here
October 9th-“Invasion of the Body Snatchers”– Click Here
October 8th-“The Final Girls”–Click Here
October 7th-“Something Wicked This Way Comes”–Click Here
October 6th- “We Are Still Here”–Click Here
October 5th-“Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn”–Click Here
October 4th- “Phantom of the Paradise“-Click Here
October 3rd-“Poltergeist“-Click Here
October 2nd-“The Babadook“-Click Here
October 1st-“John Carpenter’s The Thing“-Click Here

Adam Mast

Adam Mast has been a lifelong film enthusiast dating back to age 6 when his parents took him to see a little movie called JAWS at a drive-in theater in Northern California. This would lead him to several writing stints for various publications and outlets. Mast would also have a hand in several film projects of various shapes and sizes. In 2014, Mast would join forces with colleague John Pugh to create Cinemast.net as a means discuss film from a fan and analytical perspective. Together, Mast and Pugh would also create the 501 (C)(3) nonprofit, Film and Media Alliance of Southern Utah (FMASU) in 2017. FMASU’s mission is to encourage, inspire and educate filmmaking talent and to preserve film history. Adam currently resides in southern Utah with his amazing wife, Tonja, and their four wonderful children.