Psycho
Background info
(from IMDB)
- Janet Leigh received threatening letters after the film's release, detailing what they would like to do to Marion Crane. One was so grotesque she passed it on to the FBI. The culprits were discovered, and the FBI said she should notify them again if she ever received anymore letters
- Psycho (1960) has been rated and re-rated over the years. From PG, to PG-13 and 15.
- According to biographers, Alfred Hitchcock himself had a troubled relationship with his own domineering mother who, like Mrs. Bates, forced him to stand at the foot of her bed and tell her everything that had happened to him, although the real relationship was not as disturbed as that seen in the movie.
- After the film's release Alfred Hitchcock received an angry letter from the father of a girl who refused to have a bath after seeing Diabolique (1955) and now refused to shower after seeing this film. Hitchcock sent a note back simply saying, "Send her to the dry cleaners."
- cheaper to record in black and white, The blood was Bosco chocolate syrup. Alfred Hitchcock also thought the film may be quiet gory in colour. (even though in today's society it would be seen as having a lack of violence and gore that modern day horrors have)
- The film's most graphic depiction of violence occurs relatively early, in which a woman is suddenly stabbed to death with a butcher knife while showering. It is a fairly brutal murder sequence wherein the unknown intruder enters the bathroom and delivers multiple blows to the victim, who screams, unable to shield her body. The scene only suggests nudity, and no wounds are explicitly seen; however the weapon audibly penetrates her body and we see blood. The girl finally collapses onto the floor, her dying gaze fixated on the audience, and we witness the aftermath of the murder in real time: the wiping up of blood, the removal and dumping of the body, etc. The abruptness of the scene subsequently leaves the audience with a lingering feeling of dread.
- Later on, a man ascends a flight of stairs only to be stabbed once he reaches the top. We see blood splatter across his face and he tumbles backward, landing on the floor, his assailant following to finish the act. The scene quickly fades as the killer raises and lowers the knife again while the man screams.
Ratings history:
Originally released Approved (Certificate #19564) by the MPAA in 1960.
Submitted for re-release in 1968 and rated M (Suggested for mature audiences).
Re-submitted in 1984 and classified R (Persons under 17 require accompanying parent or adult guardian). Rating remains current but is disputed as being invalid.
Suggested updated rating with descriptor: PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned: Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13) for Suspense and frightening moments, Brief sensuality and partial nudity, Some bloody violence and Thematic elements.
Originally released Approved (Certificate #19564) by the MPAA in 1960.
Submitted for re-release in 1968 and rated M (Suggested for mature audiences).
Re-submitted in 1984 and classified R (Persons under 17 require accompanying parent or adult guardian). Rating remains current but is disputed as being invalid.
Suggested updated rating with descriptor: PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned: Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13) for Suspense and frightening moments, Brief sensuality and partial nudity, Some bloody violence and Thematic elements.
The most famous and shocking/scariest scene was known as the shower scene which occurs quiet early on in the film. The scene shows a young blonde woman taking a shower (no nudity is shown but there is some debate of a pair of naked breasts being seen when the character reaches for the shower curtain after being stabbed) behind the character through the frosted looking shower curtain is a mysterious character entering into the bathroom quietly (their identity being hidden from the director manipulating the lighting which creates an enigma) and the character then opens the curtains and stabs the female as she showers. This scene shows several quick straight cuts with only two showing the body and knife coming in contact, however, the speed of the shots are too fast to take in all the action that occurs.
AClockwork Orange (Rape scene)
In modern day cinema, A Clockwork Orange would be classified as 'Torture Porn Horror' as it is a film that that follows a group of roguish juvenile delinquents who create havoc wherever they go. They do home invasions, kill people, cripple men and women as well as injury each other. For example, one scene involves a home invasion into a womans house who just called the police to report a possible assault. The woman is then not shown being beaten with an art sculpture, after having a struggled attempt at escaping, but it does show the art sculpture is violently and quickly lifted above her and bought down to her face as she lays on the ground unable to move due to the male assailant being on top of her. After this the assailant runs out the house to his mates who then whack a glass milk bottle over his head. The thing that makes this disturbing is that they attack people and each other for no reason at all. The film therefore spawned the term "ultra violence" http://whatculture.com/film/10-film-scenes-of-astounding-ultra-violence.php/10 as it wasn't the common level of horror at the time (similar to what the human centipede is going through at the moment).
Even though they have all this violence one of the most famous scenes which makes the other scenes seem insignificant is when the gang steal a car and drive to a house pretending to be in need of help and in need of a telephone to report an accident. The group then, when let in, run around the house laughing and jumping around taking a female and male hostage, the male is kicked in the face and beaten as well as being tied up and forced to watch helplessly as the main character Alex destroys the house and sings "Singing in the rain" while doing so. Alex then slowly groupe the male hostages wife and cuts parts of her clothing and rips it off revealing her nude body parts, Alex then quickly undoes his trousers and sings a last note to the male hostage before performing a sex act on his wife while he watches. While the audience is unable to see Alex rape the woman they are disturbed by "the amount of sadistic glee Alex gets from it. He is positively revelling in the rape of a woman and singing while he degrades a woman is not only an act of ultra violence but also an act of complete and utter debasement." http://whatculture.com/film/10-film-scenes-of-astounding-ultra-violence.php/10
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