'Psycho' 50th Anniversary Blu-ray Details Announced

On June 16th, Psycho turns 50. The godfather of modern horror films is a tad dated, particularly because the Hays Code wouldn't let Alfred Hitchcock get deeper into the perversion of Norman Bates and because the psychological explanation at the end is pretty overwrought. Outside of that: Just about perfection, and it established the slasher genre, which still has yet to improve upon the example. In honor of the big five-oh, Universal is releasing a "meticulously restored" 50th anniversary Blu-ray on October 19th that includes a new 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack in addition to the restored mono soundtrack. Blu-ray.com has all the specs on the new single-disc release, and we just stole them:

-Feature-length audio commentary with Stephen Rebello (Author of Alfred Hitchcock and the making of Psycho).
-The Making of Psycho: A feature-length documentary on Hitchcock's most shocking film -In the Master's Shadow – Hitchcock's Legacy: Some of Hollywood's top filmmakers discuss Hitchcock's influence and why his movies continue to thrill audiences.
-Hitchcock/Truffaut Interviews: Excerpts from a 1962 audio interview with Alfred Hitchcock.
-Newsreel Footage: The Release of Psycho: Vintage newsreel on the unique policy Alfred -Hitchcock insisted upon for the release of the film.
-The Shower Scene: A look at the impact of music on the infamous "shower scene."
-The Shower Scene: Storyboards by Saul Bass: Original storyboard design.
-Production Notes: Read an essay on the making of the film.
The Psycho Archives: See the gallery of on-set photo stills from the film's production.
-Posters and Psycho Ads: See a gallery of original posters and ads from the theatrical campaign.
-Lobby Cards: View a gallery of promotional lobby cards from the film's theatrical campaign. -Behind-The-Scenes Photographs: View rare photos showing the cast and crew at work.
-Psycho Sound: A never-before-seen piece that looks at the re-mastering process required to create a 5.1 mix from the original mono elements using Audionamix technology.
-Theatrical Trailer: Watch the original promotional trailer from the film's theatrical campaign.
-Re-Release Trailers: Watch the promotional trailer created for the re-release of the film.

Hitch's Vertigo was one of the first digital restorations, maybe even the very first, so this one is long overdue. Psycho is one of the films that are now fully a part of cinematic language. From Bernard Hermann's score to the shower scene to the daring decision to - SPOILER ALERT - kill off the heroine 45 minutes in, Psycho was just unlike other movies that had come before it and really shaped the way films were made ever since. So this Blu-ray is a must-own, as is Rebello's book, referenced above and Hitchcock's Notebooks, which came out about four or five years ago. Incidentally, if you're wondering what the "unique policy" was that Hitch insisted be instituted for Psycho, I guess it was that there was no late admittance to the film. You had to see it from the very beginning. Do you really? No, but it's a good marketing device.

Comments

[MRPigg]

I still can't imagine what it would have been like to see this thing in 1960 and have absolutely no idea what was going to happen halfway in...

I was always disappointed with the heavy handed speech as the ending of the film, but I guess we have to take into consideration how much society has evolved and realize that ambiguity was not normal back in those days.

[rrr]

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