When Psycho was first released in theaters, no one ever really expected it to be the box office hit and the revolutionary genre-changing picture it turned out to be. However, that’s exactly what it became after its original run in theaters back in 1960.  Critics of the time were blown away by the effectiveness of Hitchcock’s greatest work in horror. Called “the most intelligent and disturbing horror film ever made” by Eighty Years of Cinema, Psycho has rightfully earned its place as Hitchcock’s personal display of his mastery over the horror genre and boasts an impressive 97% fresh rating on RottenTomatoes by critics accompanied by a 90% audience rating.

Psycho received enormous praise for its effectiveness in controlling its audience.

“Certainly this is Hitchcock’s most visually involving film and his most successful in terms of audience participation.” –George Sadoul, Dictionary of Films

The film has been widely celebrated for breaking boundaries that were widely avoided by filmmakers of the time. AMG’s Mark Deming writes, “Few movies of its time were more direct and unapologetic in their violence or served it up with such disorienting abruptness or tongue-in-cheek wit.” Psycho had it all. It criticized the American dream and shocked its audience with forbidden territory in films by hinting at nudity, sex outside of marriage, and shocking violence.