Sunday, August 19, 2012

Adding to My DVD Collection: Psycho



When I first began this project or goal of adding to my measly DVD collection, I knew that a secondary goal would be to add to my Alfred Hitchcock collection. A collection that I only started adding to recently when I found out my sister hadn't seen a few Hitchcock staples. The first official Hitchcock purchase during my new goal of course had to be the Hitchcock film that meant the most to me--Psycho.

My love affair with Hitchcock began when I was in the 2nd grade, on a trip to Universal Studios during school vacation week. Obviously Universal Studios presented several rides of sheer terror that I knew to avoid *cough* JAWS., but it also excited me in its movie history nature. The most notable being when my parents took us to the Alfred Hitchcock experience or whatever it was called---a kind of display of the intrigue of Hitchock and most importantly the most groundbreaking Hitchcock film of all: Psycho.



I had never heard much about Psycho prior to 2nd grade. The "ride" highlighted the shower scene, and re-enacted it in live performance form (the Janet Leigh character donning a nude body suit and horrible blonde wig). I was terrified and intrigued all at the same time. Therefore it was much to my excitement that my parents suggested we rent Psycho upon returning to the hotel. The film was like nothing I had ever seen before. Black and white, violence, cross dressing sociopaths, dead bodies in fruit cellars. I didn't realize the extent of my excitement until I had to take a shower the next day. It took me probably double the amount of time it usually would because I couldn't stop looking out from the curtain to make sure a man wearing a wig wasn't coming at me with a giant knife. And also I was 98% positive that my older sisters were going to play a mean joke on me.



From that moment on--I was hooked. I immediately began acquiring a fascination for all things Hitchcock. I rented just about every Hitchcock movie from my public library that summer and absorbed myself in the fabulous Hitchcock book my parents bought me for Christmas that year.

So naturally, when wanting to add to my Hitchcock collection, Psycho was the film that I had to have immediately. It means so much to me as both a horror fan and young lover of movies. I would frame it if I could, like one of those infuriating toy collectors who keeps all the good stuff locked away from prying hands. I won't of course--because I need to watch it at least once a month, so I can stay captivated and intrigued for the rest of my life.

2 comments:

Christine Hadden said...

Yay for Psycho!

I am terribly ashamed at being so insanely jealous that you got to go to Universal Studios and do the whole "Hitchcock thing"! That is awesome!

Psycho for me is comfort horror, I throw it in when melancholy hits and wham! I feel so much better.
(Maybe it's because I realize that no matter how bad it is, it's very doubtful that someone is going to attack me in my shower with a knife. Well, they might attack me but at least I wouldn't be surprised - I have a bolt lock on my bathroom door!)

CashBailey said...

I remember, as a wee, macabre little lad, sitting up late one night, making my bed in the living room with a foam mattress, in front of our TV showing PSYCHO.

And the moment when Norman Bates burst into the cellar, knife raised and in that dress, I felt a huge chill go through my entire body that I haven't forgotten since.

Sure, in the years since then I've seen far more intense movies. But that initial reaction will never quite leave me.