Psycho

By the end of the 1950s, Alfred Hitchcock was at the absolute peak of his career. His suspenseful thrillers such as The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), Vertigo (1958), and North by Northwest (1959) used rich colors, attractive locations, and star-studded casts to tell stories of false accusation, danger, and obsession. In the legendary Psycho, however, the director unexpectedly changed course and drew inspiration from the techniques associated with his popular television show Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955–1962). To attract attention to a low-budget, black-and-white film without famous stars such as Cary Grant and James Stewart, Hitchcock collaborated with the distribution company Paramount to mount a sophisticated promotional campaign based on shock value. It worked perfectly. Psycho became the most commercially successful film in Hitchcock’s filmography and still terrifies anyone who wants to take a refreshing shower after a hard day. (mh)