Psycho: 108 Minutes and 15 Seconds Too Long

Good e-e-e-evening.

Sorry, given the subject, I just had to start with that intro. We all know the works of the late, great Alfred Hitchcock, don't we? That "Master of Suspense" moniker? He didn't get that by accident. Vertigo, Rear Window, The Birds, you name it. Of course, we know about the TV shows as well. The half-hour Alfred Hitchcock Presents, which aired from 1955-1962. That was followed by the hour-long extension of the series, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, from 1962-65. Hitch did it all, but his greatest claim to fame was Psycho.

So I kept hearing for years.

I was just a kid when I learned about this film and saw the various parodies, though they all centered on one moment in the film: the shower scene. We all know that scene. It's from early in that film; Marion Crane, who checks into the famous Bates Motel, takes a shower, and then she's hacked to death by a maniac wielding a knife. 45 seconds of iconic horror and suspense, with the amazing music strings to cover it. I had to see this film. I had to.

And then, the film came on TV when I was about eight or nine. And on that night, I learned a hard lesson: that shower scene was the only thing worth a damn.

All that talk I heard about how great Psycho was, and at a young age, I learned that the 109-minute long movie was basically one great scene along with 108:15 of pure filler. Even the obvious Norman Bates revelation about him taking on his nutjob mom's persona was filler. I remember waiting to see something else stand out in this film. Nothing. Not a single thing.

It was The Great One himself, Wayne Gretzky, who said, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." Psycho proves that even the greats miss once in a while. Thankfully, I watch Nathan MacKinnon--a great who never misses.

Psycho was released in New York City on June 16, 1960, and was released nationwide on September 8, 1960. The main star was Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates, and regarding Marion Crane, she was played by the late, great Janet Leigh--the iconic mother of actress Jamie Lee Curtis. Vera Miles, another Hitchcock actress, played Marion's sister, Lila Crane, who went on to become the film's true main protagonist.

The film did spawn quite a franchise, though. Nearly 23 years later (and three years after Hitchcock's passing), Psycho II was released on June 3, 1983. The film centered on Norman Bates' release after 22 years, and sees Vera Miles reprise her role as Lila Crane, who undergoes a surprise heel turn after serving as the first film's hero protagonist. A third film, Psycho III, came out on July 2, 1986, followed by another sequel, Psycho IV: The Beginning, which premiered on Showtime on November 10, 1990. The fourth film was a sequel that also served as a prequel, as it featured flashback to Norman's early life prior to the events of the first film, with the late, great Olivia Hussey portraying Norman's mother, Norma Bates, in the flashbacks.

Anthony Perkins reprised his role as Norman Bates in all three sequels, while also directing the third film. I actually saw the sequels, but not in their entirety, and it was a long time ago, but I know this: they were better than the original. The fourth film was one of Perkins' final appearances prior to his passing on September 12, 1992. In 1998, a remake of Psycho hit theaters, and I remember this one. Vince Vaughn was cast as Norman Bates, and I saw the trailers to this--it didn't look appealing. On March 18, 2013, Bates Motel, a prequel series to Psycho, premiered, and featured Freddie Highmore as a young Norman Bates, as well as Vera Farmiga (The Conjuring film series) as Norma Bates.

Hitchcock's made a number of classics, but Psycho being put on that pedestal as his greatest one is a big reach. Only 45 seconds of that movie is worth watching, and it's the same 45 seconds that has been homaged on Tiny Toons, The Simpsons, and so many other show and films. Psycho, overall, is definitely not as iconic as so many make it out to be.