Psycho (1998)

Psycho Series Episode 6

No, this will not be a shot-for-shot remake of our first Psycho review.

Psycho IV: The Beginning closed the book on Norman Bates, seemingly ending the story that began with Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. But no horror icon stays buried for long. When the genre roared back in the late 1990s, Universal invited audiences to check back into the Bates Motel with a remake. Directed by Gus Van Sant, the new Psycho featured a stacked cast. Vince Vaughn stepped into Norman’s shoes, with Anne Heche as Marion Crane, William H. Macy as Arbogast, and supporting turns from Julianne Moore, Viggo Mortensen, and Rita Wilson. On paper, it looked like a prestige revival. In practice, it was widely rejected. Van Sant went from an Oscar nomination in 1997 to a Razzie nod the very next year. Is this a misunderstood experiment or a shot-for-shot misfire that should have stayed locked in the shower? Donate to support Now Playing Podcast and listen to find out.