Psycho (Psycho #1)
But Alfred Hitchcock only needed about nine grand to buy the rights to this book. Then it only took a blonde, a shower, and a butcher knife to create one of the defining scenes in horror history. There might be a lesson in that story somewhere, Hollywood.
Legend has it that Hitchcock had all the available copies of the book bought up after he obtained the rights so that he could keep the story secret for his version. If that isn’t true, it should be. I’ve often wished that I had a way to temporarily blank out my memory of certain stories so that I could read or see them for the first time all over again and be completely surprised. Unfortunately, alcoholic blackouts are extremely unreliable at this so I just have to try and imagine what it would have been like to read this book before the story became a classic. I bet it was a complete mind fuck for those poor bastards who did read it back in 1959.
It holds up remarkably well despite knowing the story and it being over 50 years old. Shifting narration to the inner dialogues of different characters was very effective, especially with Norman himself. My only real complaint is that I wished it would have been the sister Lila and not Mary who took the infamous shower because Lila is a shrill nagging harpy that annoyed the hell out of me.
Well-written. Straightforward third-party alternating narrations. No wasted words. Memorable classic scenes that have the ability to stay in your mind for a long time. Who has not seen the movie? Who does not remember the shower scene? The house on the hill behind the hotel? The old woman sitting on a rocking chair by the window?This is a classic crime book featuring the popular serial killer called Norman Bates. This 1959 book may not be the pioneer in this genre but the English film director
Other than Norman being a Tubby Trooper in the book instead of the Starved Stanchion he is in the movie and television series, I found no glaring differences between the Hitchcock film and the book. I can't even say that the book is better than the movie. They are completely equal in my eyes. Now the sequels? I haven't a clue. I have not seen the later movies, nor have I read the follow-up novels Bloch published (Psycho 2 and Psycho House). Now that I've tackled the first book, I feel
I've been meaning to get around to reading this defining work of horror for quite some time. In fact, SK recommended it to me within Danse Macabre, and I just knew that someday, somehow, I'd come back around to it.Of course, this book was already old when I read that SK book back in '89 and now I feel kinda foolish for putting off this classic so damn long.What's my excuse? I thought the story would be kinda... you know... old. Out of date. Without tension.I really shouldn't listen to myself.
We all go a little crazy sometimes.My generation and everyone since has grown up with the concept of Psycho, stemming from Sir Alfred Hitchcocks 1960 thriller, but all this began with Robert Blochs 1959 novel.Reading this after having seen the film and grown up with the story, I dealt with a fair amount of theatrical irony. While the film stayed mostly true to Blochs vision, there were some departures and these were enjoyable to experience. Blochs prose is tight and the atmosphere developed is
Ive always shied away from books in the horror genre as I think they will be too gruesome for me. The violence, the blood, guts, and gore, and overall creepiness are not things I enjoy reading about or envisioning in any way. I decided to give Psycho a chance as its a classic horror read. I didnt know much going in just that the main character is Norman Bates, he lives at a hotel with his mother, and there is both a TV series and a movie based on the book. I figured if things got too appalling
Psycho is one of my all time favourite movies, so I was curious too see how close the movie which was adapted only a year after the book was release is.After impulsively stealing $40,000 from her work, Mary finds a motel to rest for the evening.Owned by bachelor Norman Bates and hes mother, the motel seemed pleasant enough...Its a little more graphic than the movie and Anthony Perkins is a nicer looking version of Norman, but everything else is reassuringly similar.Im more likely to rewatch the
Robert Bloch
Paperback | Pages: 208 pages Rating: 4.1 | 50847 Users | 2231 Reviews
Identify Appertaining To Books Psycho (Psycho #1)
Title | : | Psycho (Psycho #1) |
Author | : | Robert Bloch |
Book Format | : | Paperback |
Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 208 pages |
Published | : | January 31st 1999 by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (first published April 10th 1959) |
Categories | : | Horror. Fiction. Classics. Thriller. Mystery. Crime. Audiobook |
Chronicle To Books Psycho (Psycho #1)
Nowadays, it seems like every horror movie is either a remake, a sequel or the kind of vile torture porn that makes you want to puke in your bag of popcorn. Filming one of these flicks requires tens of millions of dollars for a platoon of pretty actors, gallons of fake blood, special effects and a marketing campaign. Oddly, they don’t seem to spend any money on scripts for these things.But Alfred Hitchcock only needed about nine grand to buy the rights to this book. Then it only took a blonde, a shower, and a butcher knife to create one of the defining scenes in horror history. There might be a lesson in that story somewhere, Hollywood.
Legend has it that Hitchcock had all the available copies of the book bought up after he obtained the rights so that he could keep the story secret for his version. If that isn’t true, it should be. I’ve often wished that I had a way to temporarily blank out my memory of certain stories so that I could read or see them for the first time all over again and be completely surprised. Unfortunately, alcoholic blackouts are extremely unreliable at this so I just have to try and imagine what it would have been like to read this book before the story became a classic. I bet it was a complete mind fuck for those poor bastards who did read it back in 1959.
It holds up remarkably well despite knowing the story and it being over 50 years old. Shifting narration to the inner dialogues of different characters was very effective, especially with Norman himself. My only real complaint is that I wished it would have been the sister Lila and not Mary who took the infamous shower because Lila is a shrill nagging harpy that annoyed the hell out of me.
Specify Books In Favor Of Psycho (Psycho #1)
Original Title: | Psycho |
ISBN: | 0747545251 (ISBN13: 9780747545255) |
Edition Language: | English |
Series: | Psycho #1 |
Characters: | Norman Bates, Mary Crane, Lila Crane, Sam Loomis |
Setting: | California(United States) |
Rating Appertaining To Books Psycho (Psycho #1)
Ratings: 4.1 From 50847 Users | 2231 ReviewsEvaluation Appertaining To Books Psycho (Psycho #1)
First published in 1959, there is no doubt about it, PSYCHO is an absolutely great horror classic.If by some freak of nature you happen to be in the dark regarding Robert Bloch's Psycho I will warn you not to go in the shower at the Bates Motel, and be green with envy that you can read the novel with no prior knowledge of the intriguing plot.If you are familiar with Alfred Hitchcock's movie version (released in 1960) then you will notice two obvious differences when reading the book, the firstWell-written. Straightforward third-party alternating narrations. No wasted words. Memorable classic scenes that have the ability to stay in your mind for a long time. Who has not seen the movie? Who does not remember the shower scene? The house on the hill behind the hotel? The old woman sitting on a rocking chair by the window?This is a classic crime book featuring the popular serial killer called Norman Bates. This 1959 book may not be the pioneer in this genre but the English film director
Other than Norman being a Tubby Trooper in the book instead of the Starved Stanchion he is in the movie and television series, I found no glaring differences between the Hitchcock film and the book. I can't even say that the book is better than the movie. They are completely equal in my eyes. Now the sequels? I haven't a clue. I have not seen the later movies, nor have I read the follow-up novels Bloch published (Psycho 2 and Psycho House). Now that I've tackled the first book, I feel
I've been meaning to get around to reading this defining work of horror for quite some time. In fact, SK recommended it to me within Danse Macabre, and I just knew that someday, somehow, I'd come back around to it.Of course, this book was already old when I read that SK book back in '89 and now I feel kinda foolish for putting off this classic so damn long.What's my excuse? I thought the story would be kinda... you know... old. Out of date. Without tension.I really shouldn't listen to myself.
We all go a little crazy sometimes.My generation and everyone since has grown up with the concept of Psycho, stemming from Sir Alfred Hitchcocks 1960 thriller, but all this began with Robert Blochs 1959 novel.Reading this after having seen the film and grown up with the story, I dealt with a fair amount of theatrical irony. While the film stayed mostly true to Blochs vision, there were some departures and these were enjoyable to experience. Blochs prose is tight and the atmosphere developed is
Ive always shied away from books in the horror genre as I think they will be too gruesome for me. The violence, the blood, guts, and gore, and overall creepiness are not things I enjoy reading about or envisioning in any way. I decided to give Psycho a chance as its a classic horror read. I didnt know much going in just that the main character is Norman Bates, he lives at a hotel with his mother, and there is both a TV series and a movie based on the book. I figured if things got too appalling
Psycho is one of my all time favourite movies, so I was curious too see how close the movie which was adapted only a year after the book was release is.After impulsively stealing $40,000 from her work, Mary finds a motel to rest for the evening.Owned by bachelor Norman Bates and hes mother, the motel seemed pleasant enough...Its a little more graphic than the movie and Anthony Perkins is a nicer looking version of Norman, but everything else is reassuringly similar.Im more likely to rewatch the
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