On this day in Horror History, Psycho would premier in New York City. Theatre goers would flock to see what would not only become Alfred Hitchcock’s first horror film, but the most definitive in his career. Loud speakers bellowing a countdown to “Psycho Time” and posters conveying that no one would be admitted in after the film rolled, guaranteed that the masterpiece would be seen in its entirety by a public who couldn’t have anticipated the moment in history that they were about to witness. Arguably the most influential horror film to date, Psycho not only set a standard for the slasher movie becoming one of the most identifiable premises in the industry, it shaped cinema as a whole by testing the limits at which films were rated and what was deemed acceptable in American motion pictures.
Fifty Three years later, the film which brought Hitchcock into horror infamy, continues to invoke terror and a state of unrest in those who indulge upon the ’60 Classic. Placed before the ratings board several times in the last half century, what once was considered to be racy and obscene, and shunned by many of critics for its “distasteful” elements of horror, still holds the same ever-present fright with a now rating that equals that of some Disney films…
Ironically, Walt Disney himself would not allow Hitchcock to film in Disneyland in the early sixties stating the reason being that he made “that disgusting movie, 'Psycho'."
“It's not like my mother is a maniac or a raving thing. She just goes a little mad sometimes. We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven't you?” –Norman Bates
