Psycho (1960)
If someone were to ask me where I thought Psycho excelled the most, I would answer: The plot twists. The first plot twist involved the destruction of the “plot armor” the main character of a series or movie is often equipped with. In many cases the main character of a series is immune to the dangerous occurrences surrounding them and are often seen to escape near death situations repeatedly. However, as someone who never saw the film before, it was shocking to see the demise of Marion at the halfway mark. A character who was set on improving her life and escaping the “trap” she found herself in had her story abruptly ended by the knife of Norman Bates. On the topic of Bates being the killer, the second and final plot twist that took me by genuine surprise was the reveal of Norman’s split persona as his mother. The psychological trauma that led him to kill his mother and take on the role of a caregiver immensely envious of anyone who gained her son’s affection was strikingly haunting. Furthermore, the seeds regarding this reveal planted through Norman’s nervous reactions under investigation and his refusal to let anyone meet his mother made the revelation more rewarding.
Despite my satisfaction with the two major plot twists, there were certain moments that disrupted my engagement with the content of the film. The fact that the knife did not convincingly touch Marion once, removed any sort of fear I would have felt watching the death of someone at the peak of vulnerability in the shower. Additionally the soundtrack to the film, while iconic in the context of horror, became very recurrent and monotonous midway through the movie. These aspects coupled with exaggerated acting made the process of immersing myself fully into the realm the movie tried to create difficult. Overall, while I can understand the movie’s position as a classic, I would not watch it again.
I 100% agree that the best parts of Psycho were the plot twists. I feel like those are the only parts of the film where I as an audience member feel some time of thrill at all. One thing that always took me out of the shock of the reveal of Norman's "double life" is how easily explainable it is by the psych doctor at the end. I feel like it takes the mystery of Norman's situation out of it and it just makes me feel kinda bad for him. All he needed was some therapy and maybe he would've alright but idk.
ReplyDelete