Hitchcock's shocker sent audiences screaming up the aisles in 1960. And it's no wonder they were scared. For its time, Psycho really did break all the rules. Not only does Hitch kill off his heroine halfway through the movie, but it's worth remembering that well before the nasty music kicks in, he's had her steal $40,000, meet her lover for a lunchtime shag and - - in a Hollywood first - - flush the loo. Defining moments like the shower scene and the segment in the cellar when Vera Miles is treated to a dose of Mother's charm are shored up by a great Joseph Stefano script that mixes the darkly funny ("'Mother is not quite herself today"') with oddball poetry (like '"It's as hot as fresh milk in here'" and '"Sometimes Saturday night is a lonely sound'").

DVD Extras:

Production notes, theatrical trailer, cast and film-makers notes.So often with older films on DVD there's nothing to supplement the main course (see M below). But Universal has hit the jackpot with this one. The production notes come in a glossy full-colour booklet including material from Janet Leigh, Anthony Perkins and Hitchcock himself. The disc's piece de resistance, though, is the original Psycho cinema trailer, a mini-masterpiece in which Hitchcock hams it up and takes us on a guided tour around "a quiet, perfectly harmless-looking little motel", all the while giving deliberately heavy-handed hints about the horrible events that took place there. An absolute thrill.