ON THIS DAY IN HORROR - December 4th
"PSYCHO" released in 1998
"PSYCHO" released in 1998
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When Marion Crane (Anne Heche) steals $400,000 from her employer to get her boyfriend, Sam Loomis (Viggo Mortensen), out of debt, she flees Phoenix, Arizona, by car. While en route to Sam's California home, she parks along the road to sleep, and is later awoken by a highway patrol officer (James Remar) who, suspicious of her agitated state, begins to follow her into town. Trading in her car at a dealership, Marion returns to the road but, rather than drive in a heavy storm, decides to spend the night at the Bates Motel. The odd hotel owner Norman Bates (Vince Vaughn) tells Marion he rarely has customers because of a new interstate highway nearby and mentions he lives with his mother Norma in the house overlooking the motel. Later he invites Marion to have supper with him; but Marion later overhears Norman arguing with his mother about letting Marion in the house. During supper in the office parlour, Marion angers Norman by suggesting he institutionalize his mother, though he admits he would like to do so, but he does not want to abandon her. Returning to her room, Marion resolves to return to Phoenix to return the money. After calculating how she can repay the money she has spent, Marion dumps her notes down the toilet and begins to shower. An unidentified female figure, presumed to be Norman's mother, enters the bathroom and stabs Marion to death. Later, finding the corpse, Norman is horrified. He cleans the bathroom and places Marion's body, wrapped in the shower curtain, and all her possessions — including the money — in the trunk of her car and sinks it in a nearby swamp.
Sometime later, Sam is contacted by both Marion's sister, Lila (Julianne Moore), and private detective Milton Arbogast (William H. Macy), who has been hired by Marion's employer to find her and recover the money. Arbogast traces Marion to the motel and questions Norman, who lies unconvincingly that Marion stayed for one night and left the following morning. Norman also refuses to let Arbogast talk to his mother, claiming she is ill. Arbogast calls Lila to update her and tells her he will contact her again in an hour after he questions Norman's mother. Sneaking into Norman's house, Arbogast is attacked and murdered by the Mother figure at the top of the stairs. When Arbogast does not call Lila, she and Sam contact the local police. Deputy Sheriff Al Chambers (Philip Baker Hall), who is perplexed to hear that Arbogast saw a woman in a window, as Mrs. Bates had been dead for ten years. Meanwhile Norman confronts his mother and urges her to hide in the cellar. She rejects the idea and orders him out of her room, but Norman carries her to the cellar against her will.
Determined to discover thr truth, Sam and Lila check into the Bates Motel, posing as a husband and wife. After checking into the same room that Marion had, the pair discover proof that Norman may have known about the $400,000 Marion stole, hypothosing that Norman killed her for the money. Knowing that the Norman's mother holds the key to the mystery, Sam distracts Norman in his office, while Lila sneaks into the house to question the mother. Realizing Lila is not around, Norman knocks Sam unconscious with a golf club and rushes to the house. Lila sees him and quickly hides in the cellar where she discovers the mummified body of Norman's mother, in a shocking revelation where Lila will soon face Norman's real "Mother"!
Sometime later, Sam is contacted by both Marion's sister, Lila (Julianne Moore), and private detective Milton Arbogast (William H. Macy), who has been hired by Marion's employer to find her and recover the money. Arbogast traces Marion to the motel and questions Norman, who lies unconvincingly that Marion stayed for one night and left the following morning. Norman also refuses to let Arbogast talk to his mother, claiming she is ill. Arbogast calls Lila to update her and tells her he will contact her again in an hour after he questions Norman's mother. Sneaking into Norman's house, Arbogast is attacked and murdered by the Mother figure at the top of the stairs. When Arbogast does not call Lila, she and Sam contact the local police. Deputy Sheriff Al Chambers (Philip Baker Hall), who is perplexed to hear that Arbogast saw a woman in a window, as Mrs. Bates had been dead for ten years. Meanwhile Norman confronts his mother and urges her to hide in the cellar. She rejects the idea and orders him out of her room, but Norman carries her to the cellar against her will.
Determined to discover thr truth, Sam and Lila check into the Bates Motel, posing as a husband and wife. After checking into the same room that Marion had, the pair discover proof that Norman may have known about the $400,000 Marion stole, hypothosing that Norman killed her for the money. Knowing that the Norman's mother holds the key to the mystery, Sam distracts Norman in his office, while Lila sneaks into the house to question the mother. Realizing Lila is not around, Norman knocks Sam unconscious with a golf club and rushes to the house. Lila sees him and quickly hides in the cellar where she discovers the mummified body of Norman's mother, in a shocking revelation where Lila will soon face Norman's real "Mother"!
Norman Bates: A boy's best friend is his mother.
Top: As Norman Bates (Vince Vaughn) explains; "She just goes a little mad sometimes... We all go a little mad sometimes";
Above: Marion Crane (Anne Heche) is murdered in the recreation of the infamous shower scene.
Remaking, borrowing and referencing Hitchcock has long been a cinematic and televisual phenomenon, but when Universal announced Gus Van Sant's intention to not only remake the classic horror film Psycho, but also remake it practically shot-for-shot, it did raise the inevitable question: Couldn’t the original movie do? However, Van Sant's motives were considered mostly noble for a variety of reasons. Among them were that many contemporary movie-goers were unfamiliar with the original Psycho and even fewer had any idea who Alfred Hitchcock even was! And rather than see a timeless classic be forgotten, decided to make a "true" remake of it for a modern audience. And on a more personal note, when asked why he wanted to direct a remake of Psycho, Van Sant revealed, "So nobody else would have to". In fact Psycho was not the first - or last - shot-for-shot-remake: For example Michael Haneke directed an almost identical version of his own Funny Games (1997) about a decade later: Funny Games (2007). And it wasn't the first or last time a pre-existing music score was re-used: For example Martin Scorsese's Cape Fear (1991) remake re-used the score by Bernard Herrmann from Cape Fear (1962). And many seem to forget that Hitchcock himself remade one of his own movies The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) as The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), although it was not shot-for-shot.
While reusing Joseph Stefano's script, Van Sant relied on the actors to develop their own motivations more fully to flesh the supporting characters more, because one thing he didn't like about the original film was that Norman was the only fully developed character, while everyone else was portrayed to advance the plot. Some changes are pervasive: as the film opens, it is made clear that it is set in the late 1990's, so minor changes are made throughout the dialogue to reflect the new timeframe. For example, all the references to money are updated (how much Marion Crane steals, how much a car costs, how much a hotel room costs), as are references to terms from the original script that would seem anachronistic in the new setting. The cinematography and the cinematic techniques were consistent between the two films in many of the film's most memorable scenes, including the shower scene, scenes of the mother, scenes of the swamp, and the scene of Arbogast on the staircase, but other scenes changed significantly, particularly the climax, and the Dr. Simon monologue at the end, which was much shorter. Van Sant explained that many of the updates was for the need to make the film more accessible to a new audience.
While reusing Joseph Stefano's script, Van Sant relied on the actors to develop their own motivations more fully to flesh the supporting characters more, because one thing he didn't like about the original film was that Norman was the only fully developed character, while everyone else was portrayed to advance the plot. Some changes are pervasive: as the film opens, it is made clear that it is set in the late 1990's, so minor changes are made throughout the dialogue to reflect the new timeframe. For example, all the references to money are updated (how much Marion Crane steals, how much a car costs, how much a hotel room costs), as are references to terms from the original script that would seem anachronistic in the new setting. The cinematography and the cinematic techniques were consistent between the two films in many of the film's most memorable scenes, including the shower scene, scenes of the mother, scenes of the swamp, and the scene of Arbogast on the staircase, but other scenes changed significantly, particularly the climax, and the Dr. Simon monologue at the end, which was much shorter. Van Sant explained that many of the updates was for the need to make the film more accessible to a new audience.
[Simon's explains Norman's condition to Sam, Lila, and Al Chambers]
Dr. Fred Simon: Like I said... the mother... Now to understand it the way I understood it, hearing it from the mother... that is, from the mother half of Norman's mind... you have to go back ten years, to the time when Norman murdered his mother and her lover. Now he was already dangerously disturbed, had been ever since his father died. His mother was a clinging, demanding woman, and for years the two of them lived as if there was no one else in the world. Then she met a man... and it seemed to Norman that she 'threw him over' for this man. Now that pushed him over the line and he killed 'em both. Matricide is probably the most unbearable crime of all... most unbearable to the son who commits it. So he had to erase the crime, at least in his own mind. He stole her corpse. A weighted coffin was buried. He hid the body in the fruit cellar. Even treated it to keep it as well as it would keep. And that still wasn't enough. She was there! But she was a corpse. So he began to think and speak for her, give her half his time, so to speak. At times he could be both personalities, carry on conversations. At other times, the mother half took over completely. Now he was never all Norman, but he was often only mother.
Top: Private detective Milton Arbogast (William H. Macy) becomes "Mother's" next victim;
Above: Marion's sister and lover respectively, Lila (Julianne Moore) and Sam Loomis (Viggo Mortensen) listen to the psychiatrist's explantion of the events with local Sheriff Al Chambers (Phillip Baker Hall).
Cast in the pivotal role of Marion Crane was actress Anne Heche, who, by her own admission, had never even seen the original film herself: she just wanted to work with Van Sant. Julianne Moore, who was one of many actresses considered for the role of Marion, eventually was cast as her sister Lila. For the role of Marion's boyfriend Sam Loomis, Van Sant approached Viggo Mortensen, making Psycho the second Hitchcock remake Mortensen had starred in (the first being A Perfect Murder (1998), a remake of Dial M for Murder (1954)). William H. Macy, Philip Baker Hall, and recent Academy Award nominee Robert Forster were added to the cast, playing provate detective Milton Arbogast, local Sheriff Al Chambers, and the psychiatrist Dr. Simon Richmond, respectively. Tobey Maguire, Christian Bale, Robert Sean Leonard, Jeremy Davies, Henry Thomas and Joaquin Phoenix were considered for the role of Norman Bates, before Vince Vaughn was cast in the role. According to Van Sant, Heche, some actors, such as Macy, chose to stay true to the original, while others, such as Vaughn and Moore, interpreted the dialogue and scenes from the original film differently; Moore's version of Lila Crane, for example, was much more aggressive than the one portrayed by Vera Miles.
Although the original Motel exterior from the original Psycho had long since been demolished, the exterior motel set seen in the remake was originally constructed for Psycho II, but with added touch to the sign stating "Newly Renovated". However, the house was an entirely new set and was constructed directly in front of the old house on the backlot at Universal Studios. During filming, Van Sant brought along a DVD player and played the original Psycho to use for reference. It was then that he spotted a mistake (a door opening without a key), and decided to put the same mistake into his film! Van Sant also cameos with a superimposed Alfred Hitchcock at the exact same scene where Hitchcock cameo-ed in the original (apparently it's supposed to be Hitchcock scolding Van Sant). In staying true to the original's aesthetic, Van Sant was adamant that they recreate the original shot of Arbogast's fall down the stairs in the same exact detail, using the same type of rear-projection that Hitchcock did. Macy, however, felt the it looked too unrealistic and even volunteered to throw himself down the stairs for real, but Van Sant remained steadfast.
Van Sant would also fulfill one of Hitchcock's own ambitions with his remake. In the original Psycho, Hitchcock had wanted his opening shot to be a long, complete pan/zoom over the city into entering Marion's hotel room. Sadly, the technology was not yet perfected, and instead achieved his effect through a series of pans and dissolves. Van Sant was therefore determined to complete the traveling shot exactly as Hitchcock had intended!
Although the original Motel exterior from the original Psycho had long since been demolished, the exterior motel set seen in the remake was originally constructed for Psycho II, but with added touch to the sign stating "Newly Renovated". However, the house was an entirely new set and was constructed directly in front of the old house on the backlot at Universal Studios. During filming, Van Sant brought along a DVD player and played the original Psycho to use for reference. It was then that he spotted a mistake (a door opening without a key), and decided to put the same mistake into his film! Van Sant also cameos with a superimposed Alfred Hitchcock at the exact same scene where Hitchcock cameo-ed in the original (apparently it's supposed to be Hitchcock scolding Van Sant). In staying true to the original's aesthetic, Van Sant was adamant that they recreate the original shot of Arbogast's fall down the stairs in the same exact detail, using the same type of rear-projection that Hitchcock did. Macy, however, felt the it looked too unrealistic and even volunteered to throw himself down the stairs for real, but Van Sant remained steadfast.
Van Sant would also fulfill one of Hitchcock's own ambitions with his remake. In the original Psycho, Hitchcock had wanted his opening shot to be a long, complete pan/zoom over the city into entering Marion's hotel room. Sadly, the technology was not yet perfected, and instead achieved his effect through a series of pans and dissolves. Van Sant was therefore determined to complete the traveling shot exactly as Hitchcock had intended!
TRIVIA: Bernard Herrmann's score for Psycho (1960) was adapted by Danny Elfman and Steve Bartek for this remake. Elfman and Bartek even used vintage microphones for the recording.
Top: A split screen shot showing Alfred Hitchcock's original cameo in the 1960 version (on the left) and in the remake (right), where superimposed Hitchcock admonishes new director Gus Van Sant;
Above: Director Van Sant on location
Van Sant's version of Psycho received negative reviews; it was awarded two Golden Raspberry Awards, for Worst Remake or Sequel and Worst Director for Gus Van Sant, while Anne Heche was nominated for Worst Actress (where she lost the trophy to the Spice Girls for Spice World). Literary critic Camille Paglia commented that the only reason to watch it was "to see Anne Heche being assassinated", and that "it should have been a much more important work and event than it was." Film critic Roger Ebert, who gave the film one-and-a-half stars, wrote that the film "demonstrates that a shot-by-shot remake is pointless; genius apparently resides between or beneath the shots, or in chemistry that cannot be timed or counted." Janet Maslin, however, gave the film a positive review, calling it an "artful, good-looking remake (a modest term, but it beats plagiarism) that shrewdly revitalizes the aspects of the real Psycho (1960) that it follows most faithfully but seldom diverges seriously or successfully from one of the cinema's most brilliant blueprints"; she noted that the "absence of anything like Anthony Perkins's sensational performance with that vitally birdlike presence and sneaky way with a double-entendre ("A boy's best friend is his mother") is the new film's greatest weakness."
A number of critics and writers viewed Van Sant's version more as an actual experiment in shot-for-shot remakes, with many people referring to this film as a duplicate of the 1960 film rather than a remake. Even Van Sant admitted in 2005 that it was an experiment that proved that no one can really copy a film exactly the same way as the original. On February 24, 2014, a mashup of Alfred Hitchcock and Gus Van Sant's versions of Psycho appeared on Steven Soderbergh's Extension 765 website. Retitled Psychos and featuring no explanatory text, the recut appears to be a fan edit of the two films by Soderbergh, with the opening credits intermingle names from both the 1960 and 1998 versions, and all color has been removed from Van Sant's scenes. Seemingly however, reaction to the mashup appeared only to reinforce the prejudice against the 1998 film.
A number of critics and writers viewed Van Sant's version more as an actual experiment in shot-for-shot remakes, with many people referring to this film as a duplicate of the 1960 film rather than a remake. Even Van Sant admitted in 2005 that it was an experiment that proved that no one can really copy a film exactly the same way as the original. On February 24, 2014, a mashup of Alfred Hitchcock and Gus Van Sant's versions of Psycho appeared on Steven Soderbergh's Extension 765 website. Retitled Psychos and featuring no explanatory text, the recut appears to be a fan edit of the two films by Soderbergh, with the opening credits intermingle names from both the 1960 and 1998 versions, and all color has been removed from Van Sant's scenes. Seemingly however, reaction to the mashup appeared only to reinforce the prejudice against the 1998 film.
ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE: 37%
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