Psycho, 50th anniversary edition on Blu-Ray. What can I say about this classic tale by Robert Bloch about a boy who is swallowed alive by his Mother?
Do I start with a beautiful Janet Leigh who plays the would be thief, who shows so much paranoia and stress about her deed, I actually as the viewer felt guilty myself? Re-watch the scene between her and the cop in this new edition and see real tension. This is acting folks.
Do I start with the absolutely perfect acting of Anthony Perkins? Perkins OWNS this part with part humility, and 9 parts savagery. His obsession with taxidermy and speaking of purity surely inspired generations of horror writers, and musicians. (See Possum Creek by the Toadies)
Or do I speak of the great Alfred Hitchcock himself, arguably the greatest director besides Orson Welles in the history of film? In this jaded age of film it is hard to imagine the devastating impact this film made on a 1960 film audience, yet Hitchcock gives us gore AND suspense! Who honestly suspected the twist ending upon a first viewing?
All I can say, is this is simply a MUST own BLURAY for any film fans collection for many reasons, too many to list here. Now let's go over the Blu-Ray quality itself.
Video: 4.5 out of 5
Unapologetically black and white, and damn near perfect in every scene, and frame. This team really seemed to love this film, and it shows in eerie quality. It obvious Norman did not leave the indoors much as it is absolutely clear his skin was porcelain white, and blemish free. Janet Leigh was quite striking even in the 1960's style, and the HD treatment brings out every emotion, from lust, to the realization she was going to die, and nothing was going to stop it. The only minor problem is that in high def, it is obvious the actors are not driving, and props are more noticeable. I saw no noticeable dirt, or grain. Fantastic.
Audio: 4 out of 5
What can I say here? This was not a blasting, devastating soundtrack. What is presented is crystal clear sound, in a pretty decent 5.1 audio track takes from a 1.0 mono track.
Overall: 4.5 out of 5
Get this bluray, and see the evil perversion of Norman and Mrs. Bates get an upgrade. This is what horror/suspense is all about.
Psycho, 50th anniversary edition on Blu-Ray. What can I say about this classic tale by Robert Bloch about a boy who is swallowed alive by his Mother?
