78/52 (2017)

78/52

• Alfred Hitchcock. That’s all you need to say. Let’s just take a moment and realize that he filmed a shower scene, that was less than a minute, and it turned into one of the most influential, monumental, and important moments in cinema history. There’s cinema before ‘Psycho’, and then there’s cinema after ‘Psycho’. Not just horror films, but CINEMA. This documentary does a really great job at breaking down the shower scene (as well as the rest of ‘Psycho’), in a digestible and entertaining way. It’s not too technical, so even if you know absolutely nothing about film, you can still watch this and appreciate the mastery behind the shower scene. It was also really cool to hear from figures like Osgood Perkins, Elijah Wood, Eli Roth, and Danny Elfman discuss their connections and thoughts on ‘Psycho’. The documentary is shot entirely in black and white (other than the use of color from color films), which was thematically pleasing. The pacing was also nice. Nothing feels too cramped, and you have enough time to sit and let the shower scene mull over in your mind. It’s cinematic genius. There’s no denying it. I even have my own personal connection to ‘Psycho’. To make a very long, very personal story short, it’s the first true horror film I saw that really got me into the genre, and I watched it religiously when I was younger. I also made my own eleven minute ‘Psycho’ stop motion Lego short film. It was very low quality, but I’m awfully proud of my own shower scene. It turned out pretty well, if I may say so. Anyways, this documentary is great, as it discusses a true revelation of cinema, and makes you love Hitchcock and horror even more than you may already. I would recommend it to everyone, even if you haven’t seen ‘Psycho’. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go watch it now!