Why Alfred Hitchcok's "Psycho" shook the world

Why Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” shook the world

Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” is a film that “changed the world”: first screened on 16th June, 1960, in New York City, it achieved an immediate success. People queued for very many hours to see “Psycho’s” first showings. Their enthusiastic word of mouth recommendations gave the film instant and positive publicity.

Alfred Hitchcock introduced new subjects into the film industry, which before “Psycho” had been avoided by filmmakers under government censorship and pressure. “Psycho” stretched many film boundaries and heavily influences today’s film industry. For instance, “Psycho” used black humour – so manipulating many millions who watched and continued watching “Psycho” into fear and loathing, which the horror movies that Boris Karloff starred in could not equal. Boris Karloff’s mummy as a figure of fear does not begin to compare with Norman Bates. Thus “Psycho” marks a significant dev...