Psycho (1998)

Psycho (1998) remake (see below for trailer and preview images)

Psycho
 
Directed by
Gus Van Sant

Screenplay by
Joseph Stephano

Starring:
 
Anne Heche as Marion Crane
Vince Vaughn as Norman Bates
Julianne Moore as Lila Crane
Viggo Mortensen as Sam Loomis
William H. Macy as Milton Arbogast
 
Based on the 1959 thriller novel Psycho by Robert Bloch
 
Budget $60M                          Box Office $37.2M
 
IMDb 4.6/10               Rotten Tomatoes 38%            Metacritic 47/100
 

This was a true remake.  They didn’t mess with anything from the original movie.  They just updated it to a current era for the time of release and left the rest of it the same.  It seems to take place in the early 90s when Walk-Mans and od school headphones were in style and new technology.
 
The story is almost word for word to the original.  This is uncharacteristically parallel to the original film.  It’s so hard to find a remake where they didn’t change the whole story.
 
The kill scenes are a nostalgic throw back to the 1960 film where we don’t see the actual blade slice into flesh but we see the screaming and panic, the blood and the fear, the dead lifeless bodies.
 
Vince Vaughn stepped completely out of his realm to play this role and he embraced it with the imitation innocence and constant aloofness of Norman Bates.  He is excellent at giving the creepy vibes throughout the movie and he is perfect at turning from the well known extrovert that he is into a reclusive introvert.  He seems to have done some research on the character.
 
Another fascinating thing in the remake film of 1998 is that the Bates house behind the motel looks exactly like the Bates house in the original.  Even the interior is the same.  A very nice touch to truly honor the classic genius of this film.
 
Definitely worth seeing.  I don’t care what the critics say.  I think Vaughn was spectacular and pulled off the Norman Bates character perfectly.
 
I would recommend this to any Psycho fan and almost all horror fans.  It’s worth the watch.
 
RATINGS
4/5 Stars