Psycho (1998)

Review by Erin Walker

With respect to the innocent few who don't know the big secret about Norman Bates (Vince Vaughn) and his mother, I'll keep the plot vague. Desperately in love with Sam (Viggo Mortensen), who won't marry her because he's crippled by family debt, Marion (Anne Heche) is presented with the opportunity to leave with $400,000 and impulsively succumbs. She never gets to Sam's place, and is last seen at the Bates Motel, which twitchy Norman runs while caring for his sick old mother.

Anthony Perkins so made the part of Norman his own that it haunted his career, but Vaughn gives an amazing performance as Norman Bates, as do Heche, Mortensen and Julianne Moore, who plays Marion's concerned sister Lila. I must say, however, Van Sant's supporting cast is better than the original, and Van Sant faithfully mimics Hitchcock's striking compositions and camera moves. He adds a couple of bizarre inserts during the film's second murder scene, though he also restores a couple of images -- a fly buzzing around Sam and Marion's seedy hotel room, an overhead shot of a corpse draped crudely over the edge of a tub -- originally lost to censorship and other considerations.

This version of Psycho is by far the one I prefer. However, that is the opinion of a 22 year old woman. :)

Rating:

Trivia:

Aside from the original script by Joseph Stefano, the original music was also used, although it was revamped and re-orchestrated by Danny Elfman, who has scored such films as Back to School, the Batman films, and Good Will Hunting, to name a few. Assisting Elfman is Steve Bartek, who played guitar in Elfman's 80's new-wave pseudo-punk band, Oingo Boingo.

Links:

Psycho 90's Style, with several Psycho related links

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