I've just watched Psycho, the 1960 thriller by Alfred Hitchcock. I've heard so much about this film and it's famous shower murder scene, I just had to watch it. Unlike thriller shows nowadays with their gory, bloody and violent scenes, Psycho has a lot of dialogue in it and requires one to really listen if you want to get the storyline. Yes, it has violent scenes, but somehow these are different from the ones nowadays. The actions, shadows, tensions are there, but things are much simpler and it leaves much room for the audience to imagine what has happened.

Music plays an important role in this film. Watching the documentary on the making of Psycho that accompanied the DVD, it showed the shower murder scene with and without the music, and really, it makes a difference to the whole atmosphere created. The music is so simple, just screeching high strings, yet it's so effective.

Alfred Hitchcock was quite involved in the promotion of this film. He appeared in the publicity posters. He was even quite strict about how his audiences were to watch the film. Audiences were required to watch Psycho from the beginning and no one was allowed into the cinema once the film had started. I guess he wanted audiences to savour the plot and tension right from the beginning.

It was interesting to note that Alfred Hitchcock's signature was appearing somewhere in the film. He would appear as an extra on the set as a passer-by for just a brief moment, anytime, anywhere. Audiences would always look out for him. I like the way he makes his signature move. It makes his films uniquely his.

I'll be on a lookout for other Alfred Hitchcock films. Psycho is his most famous, but there are others.