QUICK THOUGHTS: I wonder if there is anyone out there that doesn’t like Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. I could perhaps understand someone losing interest in the film’s misdirection from the outset, but once Anthony Perkins shows up it is just a roller-coaster ride to one of the best endings I’ve ever seen. Much like re-watching One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest recently (my review), this one just feels fresh every time I see it. The shot of Janet Leigh’s face against the bathroom floor or the moment when Perkins busts open the door at the end are simply brilliant and never fail to impress me. As for this new Blu-ray, you get a new transfer and new audio track.
First for the transfer, while it is incredibly impressive, I would swear there has been a significant amount of digital scrubbing. Grain is at a minimum and some of the close-ups early on, particularly when Marion is dealing with the police officer, it seemed the detail wasn’t as crisp as it could have, or should have been. As the film moved along I felt things improved, but none of that detracts from the fact this is certainly an upgrade visually.
The audio also gets a bit of a boost as the only previously unreleased featurette on this disc details the new 5.1 audio track created from the original mono elements using Audionamix technology. As impressive as all that sounds I can’t say I noticed much of a difference, at least not one that makes the new audio an improvement or something you’ll feel is a necessity. Instead it’s more of a curiosity and the accompanying featurette is quite interesting, especially once they begin digging deep into the audio revealing the sounds of birds in the original recording that were not meant to be there giving more information about when and where the audio was recorded rather than improving on the film itself.
SUPPLEMENTS: Like I just said, the only new feature outside the improved audio and video is the supplement detailing the new 5.1 audio mix. In fact, this disc is one feature shy of the Legacy DVD edition released two years ago as it doesn’t come with the episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents “Lambs to the Slaughter”. However, the features on this disc are impressive from the 94-minute making of featurette, interviews with Francois Truffaut and Hitchcock and my personal favorite, the “In the Master’s Shadow” featurette in which today’s filmmakers talk about Hitchcock’s influence.
FINAL THOUGHTS: I won’t say this is a “must have” in terms of upgrades, but if you haven’t yet upgraded to either the Legacy Edition of Psycho or the edition released with 2005’s Master Collection then this is a release you should really consider. Otherwise, I think those previously remastered editions should satisfy.
