13 - "Psycho" (1960)

    Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Psycho is one of the most influential suspense/horror films of all time. It was the original slasher flick and it broke boundaries that no other film had dare do up to that point. The film stars Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, an unhappy office worker who wants to start a new life with her lover, Sam Loomis (John Gavin). When her boss asks her to go to the bank to deposit $40,000 cash that a customer has left with them, Marion sees her opportunity and decides to take the money and flee. She has a close call with a nosy cop who senses something is wrong, but she eventually gets him off her tale and drives into the night. She is on a deserted road when it starts to rain very hard. Unable to drive safely any longer, she happens upon the Bates Motel, a small, secluded motel in the middle of nowhere. The innkeeper, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), lives in a large house behind the motel. He comes down to meet Marion and provides her with a room, and also someone to talk to. Norman really likes Marion, but he doesn't pursue the relationship further because he doesn't feel his mother would approve of it....I think that's where I will stop for now, just in case someone hasn't seen the movie and wants to now. (Although the movie was made in 1960...let's get to it people). Psycho is pure Hitchcock; a slow intense build before ratcheting things up and shocking us. The movie will always be remembered for it's famous, or infamous, shower scene. I consider it one of the best scenes in cinema history. By today's standards, it is pretty tame, but back then it was extremely brutal and you just didn't see stuff like that. But Hitchcock was a trend setter, not a trend follower, and so many movies today in this genre owe a special gratitude to Mr. Hitchcock. Psycho was the original...and still one of the best.