Alfred Hitchcock's film "Psycho" is a 1960 American suspense and psychological thriller. It is based loosely on the real-life crimes of serial murderer Ed Gein. The story follows Marion Crane, a secretary who steals $40,000 and checks into the eerie Bates Motel, run by Norman Bates and his domineering mother. After Marion is fatally stabbed in the famous shower scene, her disappearance leads her boyfriend and sister to investigate, uncovering Norman's split personality disorder, where he assumes his mother's persona and commits murder. "Psycho" was made on a limited budget in black and white, with crew members from Hitchcock's television show. Its innovative and shocking storytelling, iconic shower murder scene enhanced by Bernard Herrmann's string score, and unsettling production design contributed to its lasting fame. Initially divisive among critics, the film became a huge commercial success and is now regarded as one of Hitchcock's best and most influential works, pioneering elements of the slasher film genre and breaking new ground in the portrayal of violence and deviant behavior in cinema. It received four Academy Award nominations and has been preserved as culturally significant by the U.S. National Film Registry.
