78/52: Hitchcock's Shower Scene

2017 • 91 minutes

About this movie

The screeching strings, the plunging knife, the slow zoom out from a lifeless eyeball: in 1960, Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho changed film history forever with its taboo-shattering shower scene. With 78 camera set-ups and 52 edits over the course of 3 minutes, Psycho redefined screen violence, set the stage for decades of slasher films to come, and introduced a new element of danger to the moviegoing experience. Aided by a roster of filmmakers, critics, and fans—including Guillermo del Toro, Bret Easton Ellis, Jamie Lee Curtis, Eli Roth, and Peter Bogdanovich—director Alexandre O. Philippe pulls back the curtain on the making and influence of this cinematic game changer, breaking it down frame by frame and unpacking Hitchcock's dense web of allusions and double meanings. The result is an enthralling piece of cinematic detective work.

Ratings and reviews

It wasn't that long ago, the craft was part of movie making. How something was done was part of the magic. If you listen to commentary tracks on DVDs or are interested in how it was done, this is for you. My only complaint....there's still half of movie to get too. Part 2 anyone?

I once learned that the staccato violin sound effect was supposed to mimic an animal in distress. I was waiting for this to be mentioned in this film. Anyway, this was very good, and I enjoyed it very much! At the same time, I wondered if Hitchcock's filmmaking is being overanalyzed.