I've heard that Hitcock was very controlling of what people knew about the film going in so most people had never seen anything like it before. I wonder if people thought Norman's mother was the killer and were kind of rooting for him up to the reveal.

I saw an interview with the writer Joseph Stefano where he said one of the emotional devices the film used was to keep the audience transferring allegiance to and away from Norman. He starts likeable enough, then comes the parlor scenes, then the audience roots for him to dispose of the car, then he gets testy with John Gavin, then the ultimate reveal.

Hitch always said he enjoyed playing the audience.

First time I saw it was as a sophomore at A&M. Roommate rented it because he had to watch for a history of film elective course or whatever it was called.

The instructor later explained all the meaning behind the theme music and imagery of all the lines going across the screen during the open. I don't recall what it meant.

My dad said that my mom would only take baths after that movie came out, and only if he or another relative was in the house. And that this was a problem around the country.

Truly groundbreaking.

Much of why Hitchcock was controlling about what people knew was because it was one of the first major movies to completely subvert the audience's expectations in regards to who the story was about.

You had movie star Janet Leigh as the centerpiece of the movie posters and promotions.

And then halfway through the movie she's offed. No one expected that.

In a literature comparison it's a Ned Stark... or IMO the closest we've actually seen in film since - Drew Barrymore in Scream.

Spoiler alert!

maroon barchetta said:

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First time I saw it was as a sophomore at A&M. Roommate rented it because he had to watch for a history of film elective course or whatever it was called.

The instructor later explained all the meaning behind the theme music and imagery of all the lines going across the screen during the open. I don't recall what it meant.

My dad said that my mom would only take baths after that movie came out, and only if he or another relative was in the house. And that this was a problem around the country.

Truly groundbreaking.

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My dad was a builder and would not do a shower without a light because of this movie. He was in Jr. high when it came out.

My mom had a similar reaction to this movie regarding when she would bathe. She also told me she recalled the movie being shocking for that brutal shower movie and for being one of the first movies she was aware of that featured a woman on screen in her underwear.