Film Notes
     "At last, a great American movie available on video for the first time in its original aspect ratio. For all the slasher pictures that have ripped off Psycho (and particularly its classic set piece, the "shower scene"), nothing has ever matched the impact of the real thing. More than just a first-rate shocker full of thrills and suspense, Psycho is also an engrossing character study in which director Alfred Hitchcock skillfully seduces you into identifying with the main characters, then pulls the rug (or the bathmat) out from under you. Anthony Perkins is unforgettable as Norman Bates, the mama's boy proprietor of the Bates Motel; and so is Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, who makes an impulsive decision and becomes a fugitive from the law, hiding out at Norman's roadside inn for one fateful night." (Jim Emerson, Amazon.com)
     Based on the eponymous novel by Robert Bloch. In its original release, which was before the MPAA, the film had no rating; It was rated M (for Mature Audiences) by the MPAA for a 1968 re-issue; then re-rated R in 1984. Followed by Psycho II (1983), directed by Richard Franklin; Psycho III (1986), directed by Anthony Perkins; and Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990), directed by Mick Garris. Winner of the 1960 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Screenplay. Approximate Budget: $800,000 "Psycho" was the first Hollywood film to show an image of a toilet flushing. MCA/Universal issued the video in a new package look on May 23, 1995.