Psycho (1998 film)

Psycho
In a rectangular space atop a black background, an outline of a woman in a shower has her hands presing towards us, with the bottom half of the space growing red (resembling blood) as it goes down, reaching the film's logo and billing block. The tagline on top of the poster reads "Check in. Relax. Take a shower."
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGus Van Sant
Screenplay byJoseph Stefano
Based onPsycho
by Robert Bloch
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyChristopher Doyle
Edited byAmy E. Duddleston
Music byBernard Herrmann[i]
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • December 4, 1998 (1998-12-04)
Running time
104 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$60 million
Box office$37.2 million

Psycho is a 1998 American psychological horror film produced and directed by Gus Van Sant, and starring Vince Vaughn, Julianne Moore, Viggo Mortensen, William H. Macy, and Anne Heche. It is a modern remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film of the same name, in which an embezzler arrives at an old motel run by a mysterious man named Norman Bates; both films are adapted from Robert Bloch's 1959 novel.

Though filmed in color and set in 1998, the film is closer to a shot-for-shot retelling than most remakes, often copying Hitchcock's camera movements and editing, including the original script by Joseph Stefano (and uncredited writer Alma Reville) mostly being carried over. Bernard Herrmann's musical score is reused as well, though with a new arrangement by Danny Elfman and Steve Bartek, recorded in stereo. Some changes are introduced to account for advances in technology since the original film and to make the content more explicit. The film's murder sequences are also intercut with surreal images.

Psycho was a commercial failure and received polarized reviews from critics who criticized the similarities to the original film. It won the Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Remake and Worst Director, and was nominated for Worst Actress (Heche). However, it earned two Saturn Award nominations for Best Actress (Heche) and Best Writing (Stefano).

  1. ^ Stanley 2000, p. 416.
  2. ^ "PSYCHO (15)". British Board of Film Classification. December 10, 1998. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016.


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