Hitchcock’s macabre masterpiece broke all of the existing rules for horror films and filmmakers, set the standard for a generation of new ones and kept uncounted masses wary of entering showers. It remains a benchmark for the technique of audience manipulation. Undoubtedly Hitchcock’s most calculated work, he was ably supported by the extraordinary leading performances of Anthony Perkins as the psychotic motel owner and Janet Leigh as the hapless thief, reinforced by Bernard Herrmann’s evocatively dissonant musical score. Based on the novel by Robert Bloch.
Content notification
Our collection comprises over 40,000 moving image works, acquired and catalogued between the 1940s and early 2000s. As a result, some items may reflect outdated, offensive and possibly harmful views and opinions. ACMI is working to identify and redress such usages.
Learn more about our collection and our collection policy here. If you come across harmful content on our website that you would like to report, let us know.
How to watch
Stream, rent or buy via
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
314573
Languages
English
English
English
French
French
Greek
Italian
Spanish
Audience classification
MA
Subject categories
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Motion picture trailers
Crime, Espionage, Justice, Police & Prisons → Murder
Family, Gender Identity, Relationships & Sexuality → Mothers and sons
Feature films → Feature films - United States
Literature → American literature - Film and video adaptations
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
DVD; Access Print (Section 1)