Psycho was actually a break from Hitchcock's normal fayre of repertory actors and big budget effects. Based on Robert Bloch's novel of the same name Hitchcock bought up thousands of copies of the book so nobody would know the ending. Audiences were also told not to reveal the outcome to their friends.
Janet Leigh puts in a sterling performance as the greedy secretary who decides to make a quick getaway when her boss entrusts her with money he wants depositing in a bank.

On the road to a richer life which she hopes to spend with her intended she stops off during a rainy night at the Bates Motel. This is to be her downfall as she encounters the slighly creepy owner Norman who supposedly lives alone with his mother.
The film is so famous I needn't say much more apart from the fact that Alfred Hitchcock truly was the Master of Suspense. From setting the scene to bringing the audience into the characters' lives Psycho is certainly a masterclass in film direction. I also love the highly dramatic music that at times reminded me of some of the cello work on ELO's first album!

What made it even better for me was seeing it blown up on the college wall. It was a bit like watching it at the pictures.