Hitchcock explores many different subjects that were considered taboo for the time the movie was released. Many scenes in the movie push the boundaries of what is acceptable for the public eye. These controversial subjects are a part of what made Psycho so successful and influential for future horror movies.​

In the first scene of the movie, Marion Crane is in a hotel room with her lover, Sam Loomis. They are both half naked, lying on the bed in compromising positions. Sam is married and is having an affair with Marion. He claims the reason that he has not yet separated from his wife is because he cannot afford his wife’s alimony.  From the beginning of the movie, Hitchcock begins to develop two main characters that are mischievous and leaves the audience in uncertainty.  Psycho was also the first movie to show a toilet flushing. Before Psycho, anything associated with bathrooms was considered too inappropriate to be seen on television.​

Psycho was the first psychological thriller of its time. For the first time, the danger wasn’t hiding under your bed or flying down from outer space, it was inside the mind. The role of Norman Bates is played by a handsome young actor, Anthony Perkins. Norman Bates’ character is seemingly normal, which disturbs the audience even more when they find out he suffers from an extreme mental disorder. Mental Disorders are very misunderstood in this time and are not openly discussed.  Psycho caused a lot of controversy by creating a plot that involves the actions of a person suffering from a mental disorder. Before Psycho, all antagonists were some kind of monster or alien but after the movie was created, the public was left with a haunting feeling that no one was safe from psychological terror.

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The use of birds as a motif is very evident in Psycho. It is most obvious when Marion and Norman are eating dinner in the parlor. The parlor walls are covered in stuffed birds. The angle that the birds are hung on the wall makes it look like they are watching over the room. Norman tells Marion that his favorite hobby is taxidermy and in that same scene he also tells her that she “eats like a bird”.  This bird motif is seen throughout the film in less obvious ways. For example, Marion’s last name is crane, which is a type of bird. The movie also takes place in Phoenix, Arizona. A Phoenix is a mythological bird.