In 1998, director Gus Van Sant remade Psycho “shot-for-shot.” He believed that the remake of a “great movie” like Psycho should remain as true to the original as possible, so he kept the script, music, and most of the action almost identical to the original film. 

​

There were a few notable differences between the two films, however, including the fact that the film was in color, the modern-day setting, and the actors’ portrayals of their characters, particularly Vince Vaughn’s portrayal of Norman Bates.  Van Sant says that he expected his remake to be “a huge blockbuster.”

​

However, the film received a generally negative response from critics, including Roger Ebert, who wrote that watching the film was like “watching a provincial stock company doing the best it could without the Broadway cast.” 

​

The fact that many viewers were dissatisfied with such a close remake of Psycho is a testament to people’s appreciation of Hitchcock’s original film and the impact it has continued to have over the years.