7. The studio thought Psycho would bomb
In fact, they were so confident it would not do well, they agreed to make Hitchcock’s salary 60% of the film’s box office success. They thought this would be a pay cut, as his standard salary was $250,000. The movie ended up being a sleeper hit and Hitchcock earned $15 million.
8. There are hidden symbols of good and evil in the opening scene
Marion Crane is wearing a white bra in the opening scene because Hitchcock wanted to portray her as angelic. After she steals money, the following scene has her in a black bra, because she had then committed an act of evil
9. The film didn’t need to be shot in black and white
This choice was made by the director. He chose not to film in color, as he thought it would be too gory. Along with that, Hitchcock also wanted to save as much money on production as possible. Filming of Psycho ended up coming in under $1 million.
10. Norman Bates is based on a real person
The novel that the film is based on was inspired by Ed Gein. Ed was known as The Butcher of Plainfield, as he exhumed bodies from the local cemetery and fashioned trophies and keepsakes from their bones. Ed Gein only admitted to murdering two people during his spree, but his crimes also inspired Deranged: Confessions of Necrophile, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs.
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