Search - Psycho [Collector's Edition] on DVD

Psycho [Collector's Edition]

Actor(s): Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Julianne Moore, Viggo Mortensen, William H. Macy
Director(s): Gus Van Sant
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Movie Details

MPAA Rating: R
Content Advisory: Violence, Brief Nudity, Profanity
Movie Release: 1998
DVD Release: 06/08/1999
Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
Edition: Dual Layered,Special Collection
Audio Tracks: English, French
Subtitles: English
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Number of Discs: 1
Run Time: 1 hrs 44 mins
Studio: Universal Studios
Total Copies: 18
Genres: Thriller, Slasher Film, Psychological Thriller

DVD Synopsis

Independent film director Gus Van Sant attempts a first in American film history: a shot-by-shot remake of the classic 1960 Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho. With a few minor, modern-day changes (including filming it in color), his version is essentially the same film with a different cast and the same Bernard Hermann music. Psycho was and still is the story of Marion Crane (previously played by Janet Leigh and now by Anne Heche), an adulterous woman who steals a stack of money from her boss and hits the road hoping for financial freedom. Pulling over in an old motel for the night, she meets the creepy owner of the Bates Motel, Norman Bates (Vince Vaughn doing his best Anthony Perkins), who lives with his jealous nagging mother. Most people know the film Psycho for what happens next -- the shower scene, where Marion is brutally stabbed in the most over-analyzed scene in movie history. The money, the car, and Marion's remains are quickly sunk in a nearby swamp. As a detective (William H. Macy) and Marion's sister Lila (Julianne Moore) come looking for her, they begin to uncover the dark mysterious secret lurking in Norman Bates' life. ~ Arthur Borman, All Movie Guide

Actors

Vince Vaughn - Norman Bates
Anne Heche - Marion Crane
Julianne Moore - Lila Crane
Viggo Mortensen - Sam Loomis
William H. Macy - Milton Arbogast

Editorial Review of DVD

Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece of suspense and horror gets a highly respectable release on DVD in this Collector's Edition. The quality of the 1.85:1 widescreen transfer is superb, and though the print shows some signs of age, the overall effect is that one is viewing moving, high-contrast, black-and-white photographs. The audio is also first-rate. Bernard Herrman's sinister, punishing score is scarier than ever here. All in all it's a technically masterful digital presentation; the movie has never seemed more chilling. The bonus materials are enlightening and thorough. The "Making of Psycho" documentary is one-and-a-half hours of juicy behind-the-scenes nuggets. Interviews with Janet Leigh, writer Joseph Stephano, and other cast and crew members are edited together with scenes from the movie for a historical, entertaining look at the modern classic. The theatrical trailer is nearly seven minutes in length; it's the tongue-in-cheek, bizarre, and now quite famous tour of the Bates Motel, with Hitchcock as the tour guide. "Production Notes" and "Cast & Filmmakers" provide the usual static images, brief biographies, talent filmographies, and movie trivia information. This Collector's Edition DVD of =Psycho consistently stuns and shocks, allowing the full impact of Hitchcock's creepy opus to unnerve and distress future generations of unsuspecting viewers. ~ Tim DiGravina, All Movie Guide

Member Movie Reviews

Susan G. (liliroze) from NEW CASTLE, DE wrote on 4/5/2009...

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

How do you do a remake of a perfect film? By re-doing it shot for shot. This movie is on homage of love by Vince Vaughn, and although citics panned it and made fun of the "walk through" on the shot-for-shot filming, it is a good film. Why fix what ain't broken?

Vince Vaughn actually does a great job as Norman Bates. He's no Anthony Perkins, but that doesn't matter. He delivers his lines a little differently, but it works. He's not trying to "be" Anthony Perkins, just his version of Norman Bates, and he does it well.

The last scene, which is probably the epitome of acting subtlety that was done perfectly by Perkins in the original, is actually done very very well by Vaughn. I think Vaughn shows he has more than just comedy talent. He has a broader range here than anyone would expect, and the end result is done well. Hitchcock fans will appreciate it.

Jeff V. (burielofmel) from HARRIMAN, TN wrote on 8/6/2008...

1 of 5 member(s) found this review helpful.

Anne Hech steals some money from her boss and then stops at this motel called the Bates motel. Vince Vaughn works there. He keeps his dead mother's corpse in a rocking chair up in the house while he dresses up as her and then stabs Anne to death while she is taking a shower. A lot of people hate this shot-for-shot remake but I like it.