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I’ve 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 it’s a classic horror read. I didn’t 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 appall...
I have a confession to make. Here I sit, a 45-year-old man who has been a horror nut since I was in junior school, and I have never... seen... ‘Psycho’. I know, I know... the shame.I’ve always want to see it but just never got around to it. When I think of some of the dross I have found time for I can’t help but wonder if there’s something wrong with me.You know... other than the obvious.Anyway, I thought it was finally time I watched Hitchcock’s horror masterpiece but, just as I was about to...
What a great classic to read leading up to Halloween. And what better costume could you come up with than that of, my man, Norman Bates. Just put on dead moms dress, smear on some make-up and let's get crazy. I think the book is very close to the movie version. Obviously you get a greater visual of the shower scene in the movie, but the book really put me more in the head of Norman and I could see the psycho in him much deeper than is revealed in the movie. Psycho is well written, short, and giv...
I am a huge fan of the tv show based off this book. Such a huge fan that I was prepared to be disappointed because the book couldn’t possibly be better than the show. I was obviously delusional because this book is bloody fabulous and heaps better than the show! There’s just something about the written word that is unbeatable when it comes to horror stories. Our minds can conjure up much more terrifying images than the big screen can ever bring to life. Bloch has a stunning way of really making
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 comfortabl...
We all go a little crazy sometimes.My generation and everyone since has grown up with the concept of Psycho, stemming from Sir Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 thriller, but all this began with Robert Bloch’s 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 Bloch’s vision, there were some departures and these were enjoyable to experience. Bloch’s prose is tight and the atmosphere developed
Horror is my "go to" genre, my bread and butter. Although more than 50 years have passed since the movie was made, Psycho remains at the top of the tree on my list of best horror flicks. It's dated, certainly. Filmed in black and white, complete with melodramatic music and exaggerated close-ups, but it works beautifully by leaving something to the imagination. The book, written in 1959, stands the proverbial test of time, as well. 'You do not want Mother using her keys.' Quite right. The poundin...
2.5 "sensationalistic, dated, a tad ridiculous, entertaining" stars !!!Ok...yes...I was mildly entertained while I mostly cringed-characters....not well formed....1950s stereotypes-writing....written at a grade four level but for adults-knowledge of psychopathology....amateurish, outlandish, unbelievable-plausibility......low no make that very lowdespite this I was entertained, mildly entertained but it would have sufficed to have just seen the movie and I have seen it several timesI will not mo...
A gripping story!If you've seen the movie this is better, you get that missing insight of being in Norman's mind. The story is a page-turner. Bloch is a good writer and has plotted the story well no sentence is wasted or boring. After reading Darkly Dreaming Dexter I thought I would try and get into rambling mind of a different kind of killer. Bates is obsessed with his mother wants to be like her And wants her to be part of him.Some factsThe novel "Psycho", written by Robert Bloch, was actu
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...
Very creepy. I have never seen the movie but when I saw the book was available for free I had to read it. Bloch really included a lot of small hints to keep the reader engaged, and even though I knew what the big reveal at the end would be he still kept it suspenseful and kept me on my toes.
Absolutely one of my favourite classic horror stories. I loved Norman Bates in the tv show Bates Motel and I love him in this book!!(I will not be posting a full review on my blog. I don't have a lot to say about it)
So it is that Psycho really IS very much like The Exorcist. Both may vie for the Scariest Film title, but apart from that: the books are stupendous. & if you like the movies, you are making yourself a disservice by not reading the literary progenitors. Psycho may be perfect. Strange how little Norman Bates gets the Oscar in the book--you actually miss him in the parts where he is not a figure. And his obsessions/psychosis/murderin' are the fault of the town, of his circumstances. And, although i...
When Mary Crane skips town with $40,000 of her boss's money, she drives and drives, bedding down at the Bates Motel. She meets Norman Bates, who harbors secrets even more interesting than stolen money...Everyone knows the basic beats of Psycho due to the iconic Alfred Hitchcock film. Woman gets knifed in the shower, psychotic mama's boy, etc. When it popped up for ninety-nine cents, I figured, what the hell? Shooting Star / Spiderweb was pretty good. Psycho was definitely worth the buck.Inspired...
*3.5 stars *Good old fashioned horror but preferred the movie!
I did not think I was going to enjoy this book as much as I did because of my fierce love for the Hitchcock movie adaptation. I went into this book with eyes wide open. I already know the story. I would be anticipating certain plot twists, right? How can it deliver on any shocking reveals if the reader is already in on them?Well, Robert Bloch is an excellent storyteller, that's how. This book delivers even *if* you think you know. It's basically what you don't know from watching the movie that h...
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 first o...
The 1950's a simpler more innocent time when a man could dress up as his dead mother and kill people. Oh memories. Unless you live under a rock you know what Psycho is all about. The famous shower scene. I've seen the movie probably 40x I'm a Hitchcock fanatic but I had never read the book upon which the movie was based. I had watched a documentary about the man who inspired it Ed Gein, btw he was really psycho. I mean Mr. Gein inspired both Psycho and Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs. Qui...
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/4.5 Stars That’s what I tell my boys all the time. I hope they turn out just as friendly and loyal to their momma as Norman did.Is there anyone even on the planet who hasn’t at least heard of Psycho before? What can I say that you don’t already know? Well, I can confirm that this book is short at roughly 200 pages. Due to its brevity, I can also say not a paragraph is wasted on filler. Every scene that occurs does so for a reason. W...
“We're all not quite as sane as we pretend to be.”I am a great fan of Alfred Hitchcock and his films, but this is the only film that I haven't watched more than once. Sure, that includes a string of other Oscar winners like Shawshank Redemption and Forest Gump; I'm just a weirdo. Psycho really scared me when I was young, though. There was no way to explain how the silhouette of mother's chair rocked on its own while Norman was at the hotel. I don't like unexplainable things.The novel was actuall...