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Psycho #1
袩褋懈褏芯
芦袩褋懈褏芯禄 鈥� 褉芯屑邪薪, 蟹邪褋薪芯胁邪薪懈泄 薪邪 褉械邪谢褜薪褨泄 褨褋褌芯褉褨褩, 褖芯 薪邪斜褍胁 褋褌邪褌褍褋 泻褍谢褜褌芯胁芯谐芯 蟹邪胁写褟泻懈 褋谢邪胁薪芯蟹胁褨褋薪褨泄 械泻褉邪薪褨蟹邪褑褨褩 袗谢褜褎褉械写邪 袚褨褔泻芯泻邪.
袧芯褉屑邪薪 袘械泄褌褋 卸懈胁械 胁褨写谢褞写薪懈泻芯屑 褍 谐谢懈斜芯泻褨泄 锌褉芯胁褨薪褑褨褩, 写械 泻械褉褍褦 蟹邪薪械褏邪褟薪懈屑 锌褉懈写芯褉芯卸薪褨屑 屑芯褌械谢械屑. 校褋械 泄芯谐芯 卸懈褌褌褟 鈥� 褑械 写芯谐谢褟写 蟹邪 褋褌邪褉械薪褜泻芯褞 屑邪褌褨褉鈥櫻� 泄 褔懈褌邪薪薪褟 泻薪懈卸芯泻 褍 锌械褉械褉胁邪褏 屑褨卸 芯斜褋谢褍谐芯胁褍胁邪薪薪褟屑 薪械褔邪褋褌懈褏 锌芯褋褌芯褟谢褜褑褨胁. 袩褉芯褌械 胁褨薪 屑邪褦 芯写薪褍 褋褌褉邪褕薪褍 褌邪褦屑薪懈褑褞, 蟹薪邪褌懈 锌褉芯 褟泻褍 薪械 屑芯卸薪邪 薪褨泻芯屑褍. 袧芯褉屑邪薪褍 褔褍写芯胁芯 胁写邪褦褌褜褋褟 褌褉懈屑邪褌懈 胁褋械 锌褨写 泻芯薪褌褉芯谢械屑 邪卸 写芯 锌褨蟹薪褜芯谐芯 写芯褖芯胁芯谐芯 胁械褔芯褉邪, 泻芯谢懈 胁 屑芯褌械谢褨 蟹褍锌懈薪褟褦褌褜褋褟 褔邪褉褨胁薪邪 谐芯褋褌褟.
袧芯褉屑邪薪 袘械泄褌褋 卸懈胁械 胁褨写谢褞写薪懈泻芯屑 褍 谐谢懈斜芯泻褨泄 锌褉芯胁褨薪褑褨褩, 写械 泻械褉褍褦 蟹邪薪械褏邪褟薪懈屑 锌褉懈写芯褉芯卸薪褨屑 屑芯褌械谢械屑. 校褋械 泄芯谐芯 卸懈褌褌褟 鈥� 褑械 写芯谐谢褟写 蟹邪 褋褌邪褉械薪褜泻芯褞 屑邪褌褨褉鈥櫻� 泄 褔懈褌邪薪薪褟 泻薪懈卸芯泻 褍 锌械褉械褉胁邪褏 屑褨卸 芯斜褋谢褍谐芯胁褍胁邪薪薪褟屑 薪械褔邪褋褌懈褏 锌芯褋褌芯褟谢褜褑褨胁. 袩褉芯褌械 胁褨薪 屑邪褦 芯写薪褍 褋褌褉邪褕薪褍 褌邪褦屑薪懈褑褞, 蟹薪邪褌懈 锌褉芯 褟泻褍 薪械 屑芯卸薪邪 薪褨泻芯屑褍. 袧芯褉屑邪薪褍 褔褍写芯胁芯 胁写邪褦褌褜褋褟 褌褉懈屑邪褌懈 胁褋械 锌褨写 泻芯薪褌褉芯谢械屑 邪卸 写芯 锌褨蟹薪褜芯谐芯 写芯褖芯胁芯谐芯 胁械褔芯褉邪, 泻芯谢懈 胁 屑芯褌械谢褨 蟹褍锌懈薪褟褦褌褜褋褟 褔邪褉褨胁薪邪 谐芯褋褌褟.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published April 10, 1959
1203 people are currently reading
71618 people want to read
About the author
Robert Bloch
1,056听books1,227听followersRobert Albert Bloch was a prolific American writer. He was the son of Raphael "Ray" Bloch (1884, Chicago-1952, Chicago), a bank cashier, and his wife Stella Loeb (1880, Attica, Indiana-1944, Milwaukee, WI), a social worker, both of German-Jewish descent.
Bloch wrote hundreds of short stories and over twenty novels, usually crime fiction, science fiction, and, perhaps most influentially, horror fiction (Psycho). He was one of the youngest members of the Lovecraft Circle; Lovecraft was Bloch's mentor and one of the first to seriously encourage his talent.
He was a contributor to pulp magazines such as Weird Tales in his early career, and was also a prolific screenwriter. He was the recipient of the Hugo Award (for his story "That Hell-Bound Train"), the Bram Stoker Award, and the World Fantasy Award. He served a term as president of the Mystery Writers of America.
Robert Bloch was also a major contributor to science fiction fanzines and fandom in general. In the 1940s, he created the humorous character Lefty Feep in a story for Fantastic Adventures. He also worked for a time in local vaudeville, and tried to break into writing for nationally-known performers. He was a good friend of the science fiction writer Stanley G. Weinbaum. In the 1960's, he wrote 3 stories for Star Trek.
Bloch wrote hundreds of short stories and over twenty novels, usually crime fiction, science fiction, and, perhaps most influentially, horror fiction (Psycho). He was one of the youngest members of the Lovecraft Circle; Lovecraft was Bloch's mentor and one of the first to seriously encourage his talent.
He was a contributor to pulp magazines such as Weird Tales in his early career, and was also a prolific screenwriter. He was the recipient of the Hugo Award (for his story "That Hell-Bound Train"), the Bram Stoker Award, and the World Fantasy Award. He served a term as president of the Mystery Writers of America.
Robert Bloch was also a major contributor to science fiction fanzines and fandom in general. In the 1940s, he created the humorous character Lefty Feep in a story for Fantastic Adventures. He also worked for a time in local vaudeville, and tried to break into writing for nationally-known performers. He was a good friend of the science fiction writer Stanley G. Weinbaum. In the 1960's, he wrote 3 stories for Star Trek.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,657 reviews
September 17, 2014
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鈥檛 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 shower, and a butcher knife to create one of the defining scenes in horror history. There might be a lesson in that story somewhere, Hollywood.
Legend has it that Hitchcock had all the available copies of the book bought up after he obtained the rights so that he could keep the story secret for his version. If that isn鈥檛 true, it should be. I鈥檝e often wished that I had a way to temporarily blank out my memory of certain stories so that I could read or see them for the first time all over again and be completely surprised. Unfortunately, alcoholic blackouts are extremely unreliable at this so I just have to try and imagine what it would have been like to read this book before the story became a classic. I bet it was a complete mind fuck for those poor bastards who did read it back in 1959.
It holds up remarkably well despite knowing the story and it being over 50 years old. Shifting narration to the inner dialogues of different characters was very effective, especially with Norman himself. My only real complaint is that I wished it would have been the sister Lila and not Mary who took the infamous shower because Lila is a shrill nagging harpy that annoyed the hell out of me.
But Alfred Hitchcock only needed about nine grand to buy the rights to this book. Then it only took a blonde, a shower, and a butcher knife to create one of the defining scenes in horror history. There might be a lesson in that story somewhere, Hollywood.
Legend has it that Hitchcock had all the available copies of the book bought up after he obtained the rights so that he could keep the story secret for his version. If that isn鈥檛 true, it should be. I鈥檝e often wished that I had a way to temporarily blank out my memory of certain stories so that I could read or see them for the first time all over again and be completely surprised. Unfortunately, alcoholic blackouts are extremely unreliable at this so I just have to try and imagine what it would have been like to read this book before the story became a classic. I bet it was a complete mind fuck for those poor bastards who did read it back in 1959.
It holds up remarkably well despite knowing the story and it being over 50 years old. Shifting narration to the inner dialogues of different characters was very effective, especially with Norman himself. My only real complaint is that I wished it would have been the sister Lila and not Mary who took the infamous shower because Lila is a shrill nagging harpy that annoyed the hell out of me.
May 7, 2025
Norman Bates.
The iconic mamma's boy.
Not gonna lie, didn't know this was a book.
And as a reader who loves to annoyingly proclaim at every available instance that the book was better than the movie, I should be embarrassed.
But I'll bet half of you didn't know it was a book, either. And the other half of you can just put your hand down, there's no need to add your braggy comment to my thread.
So.
This was good! <--I know, right?
But seriously, if I had read this when it first came out, I would have been floored that Norm's mother wasn't the killer. Also,
Now, it's not exactly a pulse-pounding thriller. There is a lot of the characters thinking about their life choices and pondering their own backstories happening here. Buuuut the way the story unfolded was interesting and it was a fairly short read.
The movie stays fairly faithful to this. But the book goes behind the scenes and peels back the layers to give you the motivations behind the characters' actions in a way the movie can't, which makes it a must-read for any fan of the cinema version.
For those of you who like audiobooks, Richard Powers narrated the one I listened to, and I thought he did a great job.
Recommended.
The iconic mamma's boy.
Not gonna lie, didn't know this was a book.
And as a reader who loves to annoyingly proclaim at every available instance that the book was better than the movie, I should be embarrassed.
But I'll bet half of you didn't know it was a book, either. And the other half of you can just put your hand down, there's no need to add your braggy comment to my thread.
So.
This was good! <--I know, right?
But seriously, if I had read this when it first came out, I would have been floored that Norm's mother wasn't the killer. Also,
Now, it's not exactly a pulse-pounding thriller. There is a lot of the characters thinking about their life choices and pondering their own backstories happening here. Buuuut the way the story unfolded was interesting and it was a fairly short read.
The movie stays fairly faithful to this. But the book goes behind the scenes and peels back the layers to give you the motivations behind the characters' actions in a way the movie can't, which makes it a must-read for any fan of the cinema version.
For those of you who like audiobooks, Richard Powers narrated the one I listened to, and I thought he did a great job.
Recommended.
October 22, 2020
*3.5 stars *
Good old fashioned horror but preferred the movie!
Good old fashioned horror but preferred the movie!
May 21, 2025
Never using another motel shower!
I always loved Hitchcock鈥檚 1960 masterpiece and enjoyed the Bates Motel series 鈥� it was time to read the classic that inspired them both. It didn鈥檛 disappoint.
I was completely hooked despite knowing the outcome. Bloch expertly created an ominous atmosphere and strong sense of foreboding that got under my skin. The writing was tight 鈥� no words wasted here. Everything served the story and helped build the menacing vibes and suspense that lingered throughout.
鈥淚 think perhaps all of us go a little crazy at times.鈥�
In some ways, the novel felt more intense than the film. Bloch transplants the reader deep into the mind of Norman Bates 鈥� a disturbing place to be. He鈥檚 such an intriguing character 鈥� particularly multi-layered for villains of the time. Despite a different physical appearance in the book, I kept alternating between picturing him as Anthony Perkins and Freddie Highmore.
Mary Crane was another well-written character. In a single chapter, Bloch made us feel sympathy for her and placed us effortlessly in her corner. It was hard not to root for her after learning her backstory. This provided great context for why she would steal $40,000 from her employer and seek to forge a new life with her lover, Sam Loomis.
鈥淣ow she had missed her turn and it was raining; the night had come down and she was lost, on a strange road.鈥�
Mary鈥檚 sister, Lila, was quite likeable too and I enjoyed her interactions with Sam while they pursued answers for Mary鈥檚 disappearance.
Somehow the infamous shower scene managed to shock and surprise me all over again 鈥� both with its placement and brutality. Superbly written, it delivered the chills, while simultaneously making me feel the rug was pulled from under me.
鈥淢aybe Mother should be put away. It was getting so he couldn鈥檛 handle her alone any more. Getting so he couldn鈥檛 handle himself, either.鈥�
The closing chapters were excellent 鈥� perhaps better than the film. The final chapter was especially jaw-dropping 鈥� a fitting end to the roller coaster journey. I can understand Hitchcock wanting to purchase all copies of this book prior to his film鈥檚 release, hoping to prevent the audience from knowing plot points. It鈥檚 the perfect story to enter blind.
Psycho is well-deserving of its iconic reputation. An engaging, fast-paced read that held me in suspense, while delivering memorable scene after scene. Recommend.
鈥淲hy, she wouldn鈥檛 even harm a fly鈥︹€�
I always loved Hitchcock鈥檚 1960 masterpiece and enjoyed the Bates Motel series 鈥� it was time to read the classic that inspired them both. It didn鈥檛 disappoint.
I was completely hooked despite knowing the outcome. Bloch expertly created an ominous atmosphere and strong sense of foreboding that got under my skin. The writing was tight 鈥� no words wasted here. Everything served the story and helped build the menacing vibes and suspense that lingered throughout.
鈥淚 think perhaps all of us go a little crazy at times.鈥�
In some ways, the novel felt more intense than the film. Bloch transplants the reader deep into the mind of Norman Bates 鈥� a disturbing place to be. He鈥檚 such an intriguing character 鈥� particularly multi-layered for villains of the time. Despite a different physical appearance in the book, I kept alternating between picturing him as Anthony Perkins and Freddie Highmore.
Mary Crane was another well-written character. In a single chapter, Bloch made us feel sympathy for her and placed us effortlessly in her corner. It was hard not to root for her after learning her backstory. This provided great context for why she would steal $40,000 from her employer and seek to forge a new life with her lover, Sam Loomis.
鈥淣ow she had missed her turn and it was raining; the night had come down and she was lost, on a strange road.鈥�
Mary鈥檚 sister, Lila, was quite likeable too and I enjoyed her interactions with Sam while they pursued answers for Mary鈥檚 disappearance.
Somehow the infamous shower scene managed to shock and surprise me all over again 鈥� both with its placement and brutality. Superbly written, it delivered the chills, while simultaneously making me feel the rug was pulled from under me.
鈥淢aybe Mother should be put away. It was getting so he couldn鈥檛 handle her alone any more. Getting so he couldn鈥檛 handle himself, either.鈥�
The closing chapters were excellent 鈥� perhaps better than the film. The final chapter was especially jaw-dropping 鈥� a fitting end to the roller coaster journey. I can understand Hitchcock wanting to purchase all copies of this book prior to his film鈥檚 release, hoping to prevent the audience from knowing plot points. It鈥檚 the perfect story to enter blind.
Psycho is well-deserving of its iconic reputation. An engaging, fast-paced read that held me in suspense, while delivering memorable scene after scene. Recommend.
鈥淲hy, she wouldn鈥檛 even harm a fly鈥︹€�
April 22, 2017
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? was pretty good. Psycho was definitely worth the buck.
Inspired by real-life serial killer Ed Gein, Psycho is a tale of mental turmoil and the way it shapes the life a man dominated by his mother. And some woman gets killed and her boyfriend and sister try to figure out what the hell happened. Despite knowing quite a bit going in, Psycho was still a suspenseful read. Since stuff gets lost in translation from book to movie, a lot of it was still surprising. Of course, not having seen the movie in something like thirty years helped...
Bloch's prose is pretty tight. He doesn't waste a lot of time on flowery language, and knows how to ratchet up the suspense. I can see why Hitchcock chose to adapt it, though he chose to focus on different aspects than Bloch. The book and the movie are definitely different animals.
Psycho probably didn't have quite as much of an impact on me that it should have but that's because it's been dissected and imitated to death in the decades since it was written. It holds up really well compared to a lot of suspense novels written during the same era. Four out of five stars.
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? was pretty good. Psycho was definitely worth the buck.
Inspired by real-life serial killer Ed Gein, Psycho is a tale of mental turmoil and the way it shapes the life a man dominated by his mother. And some woman gets killed and her boyfriend and sister try to figure out what the hell happened. Despite knowing quite a bit going in, Psycho was still a suspenseful read. Since stuff gets lost in translation from book to movie, a lot of it was still surprising. Of course, not having seen the movie in something like thirty years helped...
Bloch's prose is pretty tight. He doesn't waste a lot of time on flowery language, and knows how to ratchet up the suspense. I can see why Hitchcock chose to adapt it, though he chose to focus on different aspects than Bloch. The book and the movie are definitely different animals.
Psycho probably didn't have quite as much of an impact on me that it should have but that's because it's been dissected and imitated to death in the decades since it was written. It holds up really well compared to a lot of suspense novels written during the same era. Four out of five stars.
April 7, 2017
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鈥檚 1960 thriller, but all this began with Robert Bloch鈥檚 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鈥檚 vision, there were some departures and these were enjoyable to experience.
Bloch鈥檚 prose is tight and the atmosphere developed is intense and suspenseful. I imagined the thrill of a reader in 1959 reading this narrative for the first time as it moved along in Bloch鈥檚 masterful recitation and how surprising and thrilling some of the realizations must have been. This is also a seminal work for the horror genre, both in literature and in film, and some of the techniques Bloch used to such great effect more than 50 years ago are still tried and true today.
Turns out the apple did not fall far from the tree. Robert Bloch was heavily influenced by, and in fact mentored by, none other than H.P. Lovecraft himself. The young Bloch was encouraged by the older writer and Lovecraft even dedicated a story to Bloch, 鈥淭he Haunter of the Dark鈥� (1936). Both writers were frequent contributors to Weird Tales and Amazing Stories. Bloch鈥檚 earliest writing was unapologetically influenced by Lovecraft and was even frequently set in the Cthulhu mythos.
Still creepy and psychologically terrifying decades later, a fan of this genre will want to discover the origin of Norman Bates and will be enthralled by Bloch鈥檚 excellent work.
My generation and everyone since has grown up with the concept of Psycho, stemming from Sir Alfred Hitchcock鈥檚 1960 thriller, but all this began with Robert Bloch鈥檚 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鈥檚 vision, there were some departures and these were enjoyable to experience.
Bloch鈥檚 prose is tight and the atmosphere developed is intense and suspenseful. I imagined the thrill of a reader in 1959 reading this narrative for the first time as it moved along in Bloch鈥檚 masterful recitation and how surprising and thrilling some of the realizations must have been. This is also a seminal work for the horror genre, both in literature and in film, and some of the techniques Bloch used to such great effect more than 50 years ago are still tried and true today.
Turns out the apple did not fall far from the tree. Robert Bloch was heavily influenced by, and in fact mentored by, none other than H.P. Lovecraft himself. The young Bloch was encouraged by the older writer and Lovecraft even dedicated a story to Bloch, 鈥淭he Haunter of the Dark鈥� (1936). Both writers were frequent contributors to Weird Tales and Amazing Stories. Bloch鈥檚 earliest writing was unapologetically influenced by Lovecraft and was even frequently set in the Cthulhu mythos.
Still creepy and psychologically terrifying decades later, a fan of this genre will want to discover the origin of Norman Bates and will be enthralled by Bloch鈥檚 excellent work.
May 18, 2015
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4.5 Stars
That鈥檚 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鈥檛 at least heard of Psycho before? What can I say that you don鈥檛 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. What else? Ah yes, the writing. If I hadn鈥檛 already been privy to the fact this was an oldie by a goodie, I would have never guess this story to be 50+ years old. The subject matter as well as use of graphic language is not something I鈥檓 accustomed to when reading books that are a bit long in the tooth. Bloch had zero fear when tackling the taboo, that鈥檚 for sure. If you鈥檙e someone with a bit of a . . . dark sense of humor like me, you might even find yourself getting a morbid chuckle or two . . .
鈥淣o sense crying over spilt milk, though. Even if it hadn鈥檛 been milk.鈥�
As is the case with me and most things dubbed 鈥渉orror鈥� I wouldn鈥檛 put Psycho in that category. Instead I鈥檇 call it a riveting page-turner of a suspense. One that I锟斤拷d highly recommend to all.
If you鈥檙e not interested in the book, but rather the film I ask you 鈥� WHAT THE F*&^ ARE YOU DOING ON A BOOKNERD SITE?!?!?!? Nah, just kidding. The differences in the translation from page to screen lie almost exclusively in the casting. As my friend Ed called out in his review, the book version Norman Bates was a fella who was a bit festively plump 鈥� proving that the casting of this guy . . .
was spot on if the remake had been done a few years later. Poor Vince. Remember when he was a real looker????
(Well, not compared to Jeff Goldblum, but he wasn鈥檛 anything to chuck a rock at)
The only other Hitchcockian magic? Tweaking the following line into one of the most quotable of all times . . .
鈥淚 think perhaps all of us go a little crazy at times.鈥�
and creating another use for chocolate syrup ; )
4.5 Stars
That鈥檚 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鈥檛 at least heard of Psycho before? What can I say that you don鈥檛 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. What else? Ah yes, the writing. If I hadn鈥檛 already been privy to the fact this was an oldie by a goodie, I would have never guess this story to be 50+ years old. The subject matter as well as use of graphic language is not something I鈥檓 accustomed to when reading books that are a bit long in the tooth. Bloch had zero fear when tackling the taboo, that鈥檚 for sure. If you鈥檙e someone with a bit of a . . . dark sense of humor like me, you might even find yourself getting a morbid chuckle or two . . .
鈥淣o sense crying over spilt milk, though. Even if it hadn鈥檛 been milk.鈥�
As is the case with me and most things dubbed 鈥渉orror鈥� I wouldn鈥檛 put Psycho in that category. Instead I鈥檇 call it a riveting page-turner of a suspense. One that I锟斤拷d highly recommend to all.
If you鈥檙e not interested in the book, but rather the film I ask you 鈥� WHAT THE F*&^ ARE YOU DOING ON A BOOKNERD SITE?!?!?!? Nah, just kidding. The differences in the translation from page to screen lie almost exclusively in the casting. As my friend Ed called out in his review, the book version Norman Bates was a fella who was a bit festively plump 鈥� proving that the casting of this guy . . .
was spot on if the remake had been done a few years later. Poor Vince. Remember when he was a real looker????
(Well, not compared to Jeff Goldblum, but he wasn鈥檛 anything to chuck a rock at)
The only other Hitchcockian magic? Tweaking the following line into one of the most quotable of all times . . .
鈥淚 think perhaps all of us go a little crazy at times.鈥�
and creating another use for chocolate syrup ; )
October 15, 2024
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 it IS dated (yet still retains all the Southern Gothic elements), we can all agree: mental illness is fucking terrifying!
Hey: Read it!
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 it IS dated (yet still retains all the Southern Gothic elements), we can all agree: mental illness is fucking terrifying!
Hey: Read it!
July 4, 2019
"Odias a la gente; y la odias porque la temes, 驴no es cierto? Siempre te ha asustado, desde que eras ni帽o. Prefieres acomodarte en un sill贸n y leer. Ya lo hac铆as hace treinta a帽os, y lo sigues haciendo. Te escondes bajo las cubiertas de un libro."
"Creo que todos nos volvemos un poco locos, a veces."
Un librazo en todo sentido. Menos en su extensi贸n, dir铆a que es un libro enorme para cualquiera que ame el suspenso, el terror y el crimen. Todos recordamos la grandiosa adaptaci贸n cinematogr谩fica de Hitchcock, y sus imborrables escenas truculentas en blanco y negro. Una fiel adaptaci贸n, por cierto. No hay forma de pasar por este libro y quedar indiferente. Es sencillamente ver esa cara oculta de gente aparentemente com煤n, es transitar la locura, sentir escalofr铆os con cada p谩gina que avanzas. Un cl谩sico imperdible, m谩s que recomendado.
Si quieren saber mi opini贸n del libro (sin spoilers) en mayor detalle, los invito a ver mi videorese帽a:
"Creo que todos nos volvemos un poco locos, a veces."
Un librazo en todo sentido. Menos en su extensi贸n, dir铆a que es un libro enorme para cualquiera que ame el suspenso, el terror y el crimen. Todos recordamos la grandiosa adaptaci贸n cinematogr谩fica de Hitchcock, y sus imborrables escenas truculentas en blanco y negro. Una fiel adaptaci贸n, por cierto. No hay forma de pasar por este libro y quedar indiferente. Es sencillamente ver esa cara oculta de gente aparentemente com煤n, es transitar la locura, sentir escalofr铆os con cada p谩gina que avanzas. Un cl谩sico imperdible, m谩s que recomendado.
Si quieren saber mi opini贸n del libro (sin spoilers) en mayor detalle, los invito a ver mi videorese帽a:
October 28, 2020
I鈥檝e 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鈥檚 a classic horror read. I didn鈥檛 know much going in 鈥� 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 appalling and repulsive I could always quit reading.
So with trepidation, I began reading and found myself quite surprised at how tame this novel is. The acts of violence that I was so worried about are succinctly mentioned but not described in any great detail. The story itself was quite short and rather slow at times and in the end, I must say I found it rather anticlimactic. I thought there would be more 鈥� more ghastliness, more psychological illumination, just plain more than this relatively simple story. The world is a different place from when this book was first published 60 years ago, and perhaps I am more accustomed to the awful atrocities that happen both in plain sight and behind the scenes, and thus the shock value wasn鈥檛 there for me. But even considering that, I still found this to be undramatic and lacking the punch that would elevate it to a truly suspenseful and horrifying read.
Many reviewers said that this is a case where the movie is better than the book, so I鈥檒l be watching the movie soon to see if I like it better. I am glad I gave the book a chance, and it will be interesting to see how it compares to the movie.
So with trepidation, I began reading and found myself quite surprised at how tame this novel is. The acts of violence that I was so worried about are succinctly mentioned but not described in any great detail. The story itself was quite short and rather slow at times and in the end, I must say I found it rather anticlimactic. I thought there would be more 鈥� more ghastliness, more psychological illumination, just plain more than this relatively simple story. The world is a different place from when this book was first published 60 years ago, and perhaps I am more accustomed to the awful atrocities that happen both in plain sight and behind the scenes, and thus the shock value wasn鈥檛 there for me. But even considering that, I still found this to be undramatic and lacking the punch that would elevate it to a truly suspenseful and horrifying read.
Many reviewers said that this is a case where the movie is better than the book, so I鈥檒l be watching the movie soon to see if I like it better. I am glad I gave the book a chance, and it will be interesting to see how it compares to the movie.
June 14, 2021
"-Odias a la gente; y la odias porque le temes 驴no es cierto? Siempre te ha asustado, desde que eras ni帽o. Prefieres acomodarte en un sill贸n y leer(...)
Te escondes bajo las cubiertas de un libro(...)
_Podr铆a hacer cosas mucho peores. Tu misma me lo has dicho siempre."
"Se lo que estas pensando Norman...Estas pensando que te gustar铆a matarme 驴eh? pero no puedes, porque no tienes arrestos para hacerlo. Soy yo quien tiene la fuerza; siempre he tenido bastante para ambos. Por eso no te deshar谩s nunca de mi, aunque quisieras hacerlo de verdad."
Ic贸nica novela, ic贸nico personaje "Norman Bates" e ic贸nica adaptaci贸n cinematogr谩fica de la mano de Hitchcock.
驴Y de Robert Bloch que decir? Creo que al igual que Richard Matheson (Los pongo en el mismo pedestal, ya que comparten muchos atributos y son contempor谩neos), al margen de lo vers谩tiles y elocuentes . Ten铆an la habilidad de tomar un genero como puede ser el terror o la ciencia ficci贸n y perturbarte, hacerte volar la imaginaci贸n sin alejarse de la realidad, reflexionar a traves de los matices, explorar distintos miedos y a la vez sacarte mas de una sonrisa con su humor e iron铆a. Todo coexistiendo en perfecta harmon铆a a lo largo de una misma obra, atraves de sus paginas.
A traves de esta relectura puedo decir que la tenia bastante presente, pero me resulto aun mas corta que la primera vez que la le铆. Por alg煤n motivo no recordaba alg煤n detalle como la afici贸n de Norman Bates por el ocultismo, su lectura de libros de Aleister Crowley. Sin embargo si recordaba que le铆a a Shakespeare , ensayos y estudios sobre psicolog铆a y crimen.
Al margen de la trama principal referida a Bates, hace bastante hincapi茅(utilizando principalmente la introspecci贸n de Mary) en el hecho de 驴Cu谩nto uno realmente conoce al pr贸jimo, o aun peor, a uno mismo? y que a veces solo hace falta una chispa...tal vez estos retazos que nos deja un poco al margen en cierta forma sean lo mas perturbador. " Creo que a veces todos estamos un poco locos. Si era cierto .Todos nos volvemos un poco locos, a veces"
Te escondes bajo las cubiertas de un libro(...)
_Podr铆a hacer cosas mucho peores. Tu misma me lo has dicho siempre."
"Se lo que estas pensando Norman...Estas pensando que te gustar铆a matarme 驴eh? pero no puedes, porque no tienes arrestos para hacerlo. Soy yo quien tiene la fuerza; siempre he tenido bastante para ambos. Por eso no te deshar谩s nunca de mi, aunque quisieras hacerlo de verdad."
Ic贸nica novela, ic贸nico personaje "Norman Bates" e ic贸nica adaptaci贸n cinematogr谩fica de la mano de Hitchcock.
驴Y de Robert Bloch que decir? Creo que al igual que Richard Matheson (Los pongo en el mismo pedestal, ya que comparten muchos atributos y son contempor谩neos), al margen de lo vers谩tiles y elocuentes . Ten铆an la habilidad de tomar un genero como puede ser el terror o la ciencia ficci贸n y perturbarte, hacerte volar la imaginaci贸n sin alejarse de la realidad, reflexionar a traves de los matices, explorar distintos miedos y a la vez sacarte mas de una sonrisa con su humor e iron铆a. Todo coexistiendo en perfecta harmon铆a a lo largo de una misma obra, atraves de sus paginas.
A traves de esta relectura puedo decir que la tenia bastante presente, pero me resulto aun mas corta que la primera vez que la le铆. Por alg煤n motivo no recordaba alg煤n detalle como la afici贸n de Norman Bates por el ocultismo, su lectura de libros de Aleister Crowley. Sin embargo si recordaba que le铆a a Shakespeare , ensayos y estudios sobre psicolog铆a y crimen.
Al margen de la trama principal referida a Bates, hace bastante hincapi茅(utilizando principalmente la introspecci贸n de Mary) en el hecho de 驴Cu谩nto uno realmente conoce al pr贸jimo, o aun peor, a uno mismo? y que a veces solo hace falta una chispa...tal vez estos retazos que nos deja un poco al margen en cierta forma sean lo mas perturbador. " Creo que a veces todos estamos un poco locos. Si era cierto .Todos nos volvemos un poco locos, a veces"
February 18, 2017
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 one (no biggie) is Norman's rather large size, and the shocker, well, the shower scene is actually a bit more grotesque
Overall, I actually liked the movie better than the book, and was all set to give it 4 Stars, but decided that was unfair for if I had not been familiar with the plot from seeing the movie numerous times in my youth, I would surely have given a rating of 5 Big Ones......despite all the typos.
April 7, 2018
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.
December 11, 2023
Huh. I think I'll be sticking to Hiltons from now on.
October 11, 2021
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 helps the book land its punches.
First of all, Bloch's Norman Bates is not Hitchcock's Norman Bates. There are some very distinct differences and it helped me erase iconic imagery from the movie as I read.
The book is FAR MORE violent than the movie. Quite a bit more graphic details.
Right off the bat, Bates is reading a book called, "The Realm of the Incas" detailing a ritualistic, tribal warrior dance involving a drumbeat being played on a human corpse.
Boom.
Just like that; first few pages.
If you're into True Crime at all, you will know how this psychological horror novel touches on some subjects that must have really made an impression on the reading audience for 1959. First of all, I was struck by the similarities between Bates and Ed Gein. The real-life details are pretty gruesome but true crime junkies will know that the fictional character of Norman Bates and real life American murderer, Ed Gein share in some specific attributes. I think it's rumored that Bloch drew inspiration from Gein's case. This is all before the term "Serial Killer" was coined by the FBI in the 70s.
So that's one fascinating aspect.
Another is how much storytelling and character development Bloch managed to orchestrate in well under 200 pages. It's a masterclass in less is more.
Even though there were reveals in this story that I already knew, I feel like everything readers *think* they know will slip away under the spell of Bloch's magnetic writing. Everything that happens will feel new again. Trust, Mother.
This is a must for horror fans.
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 helps the book land its punches.
First of all, Bloch's Norman Bates is not Hitchcock's Norman Bates. There are some very distinct differences and it helped me erase iconic imagery from the movie as I read.
The book is FAR MORE violent than the movie. Quite a bit more graphic details.
Right off the bat, Bates is reading a book called, "The Realm of the Incas" detailing a ritualistic, tribal warrior dance involving a drumbeat being played on a human corpse.
Boom.
Just like that; first few pages.
If you're into True Crime at all, you will know how this psychological horror novel touches on some subjects that must have really made an impression on the reading audience for 1959. First of all, I was struck by the similarities between Bates and Ed Gein. The real-life details are pretty gruesome but true crime junkies will know that the fictional character of Norman Bates and real life American murderer, Ed Gein share in some specific attributes. I think it's rumored that Bloch drew inspiration from Gein's case. This is all before the term "Serial Killer" was coined by the FBI in the 70s.
So that's one fascinating aspect.
Another is how much storytelling and character development Bloch managed to orchestrate in well under 200 pages. It's a masterclass in less is more.
Even though there were reveals in this story that I already knew, I feel like everything readers *think* they know will slip away under the spell of Bloch's magnetic writing. Everything that happens will feel new again. Trust, Mother.
This is a must for horror fans.
February 26, 2022
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鈥檛 possibly be better than the show. I was obviously delusional because this book is bloody fabulous and heaps better than the show! There鈥檚 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 the characters and the story come to life, I felt like I was living the story as I was reading it. This is definitely a must read for any horror fan!
September 5, 2021
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 low
despite this I was entertained, mildly entertained but it would have sufficed to have just seen the movie and I have seen it several times
I will not move to Psycho (the sequel)....No Jaidee you will not....but I want to....No Jaidee...Noo nooo nooooo
Omg hes here.....Norman Bates is here...he is here...and so is his mother....o no so is his grandmother....o noooo his great grandmother toooo
Bye everyone ......aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa !!
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 low
despite this I was entertained, mildly entertained but it would have sufficed to have just seen the movie and I have seen it several times
I will not move to Psycho (the sequel)....No Jaidee you will not....but I want to....No Jaidee...Noo nooo nooooo
Omg hes here.....Norman Bates is here...he is here...and so is his mother....o no so is his grandmother....o noooo his great grandmother toooo
Bye everyone ......aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa !!
August 20, 2016
Solo puedo decir que despu茅s de leer este libro estoy completamente obsesionada con todo lo que tenga que ver con psicosis, la pel铆cula me encanta y ahora estoy viendo la serie Bates Motel que es I N C R E 脥 B L E
A pesar de ya saber cual era el plot twist del libro, me enganche desde el principio y lo termin茅 de leer en 3 horas, definitivamente la pel铆cula es casi igual, excepto que en la novela podemos reconocer a Norman Bates m谩s como psic贸pata debido a que tb leemos lo que est谩 pensando todo el tiempo.
Me parece que el libro deber铆a tener m谩s reconocimiento
A pesar de ya saber cual era el plot twist del libro, me enganche desde el principio y lo termin茅 de leer en 3 horas, definitivamente la pel铆cula es casi igual, excepto que en la novela podemos reconocer a Norman Bates m谩s como psic贸pata debido a que tb leemos lo que est谩 pensando todo el tiempo.
Me parece que el libro deber铆a tener m谩s reconocimiento
September 5, 2022
"I think perhaps all of us go a little crazy at times." pg 36
It was great to see how Norman Bates was originally created. Robert Bloch wrote it in 1959 and Alfred Hitchcock translated it into the classic film the following year. The book was suspenseful, well-written, and evenly paced. It was suspenseful because (even if you've seen the movie) the delivery was creative to keep me engaged. The writing was professional, clear, and concise that added dimension to the suspenseful element. Robert Bloch crafted the story to give it a pulse: there were times when it had quick, bursts of speech to mimic panic and pressure; other times it took deep breaths to calm itself down.
I really enjoyed this even though I've seen the movie countless times. Alfred Hitchcock followed the book but Robert Bloch put the fine details into this masterpiece. I would absolutely recommend this to horror fans and fans of the movie. Thanks!
Then she did see it there鈥攋ust a face, peering through the curtains, hanging in midair like a mask. A head-scarf concealed the hair and the glassy eyes stared inhumanely, but it wasn't a mass, it couldn't be. The skin had been powdered dead-white and two hectic spots of rouge centered on the cheekbones. It wasn't a mask. It was the face of a crazy old woman. pg 41
It was great to see how Norman Bates was originally created. Robert Bloch wrote it in 1959 and Alfred Hitchcock translated it into the classic film the following year. The book was suspenseful, well-written, and evenly paced. It was suspenseful because (even if you've seen the movie) the delivery was creative to keep me engaged. The writing was professional, clear, and concise that added dimension to the suspenseful element. Robert Bloch crafted the story to give it a pulse: there were times when it had quick, bursts of speech to mimic panic and pressure; other times it took deep breaths to calm itself down. I really enjoyed this even though I've seen the movie countless times. Alfred Hitchcock followed the book but Robert Bloch put the fine details into this masterpiece. I would absolutely recommend this to horror fans and fans of the movie. Thanks!
September 18, 2022
Idealna na jesien.
I kto by pomy艣la艂, 偶e Norman Bates te偶 jest ksi膮偶kar膮? 馃槀
I kto by pomy艣la艂, 偶e Norman Bates te偶 jest ksi膮偶kar膮? 馃槀
October 22, 2024
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... 鈥楶sycho鈥�.
I know, I know... the shame.
I鈥檝e 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鈥檛 help but wonder if there鈥檚 something wrong with me.
You know... other than the obvious.
Anyway, I thought it was finally time I watched Hitchcock鈥檚 horror masterpiece but, just as I was about to press play, a little voice at the back of my mind piped up with 鈥榊ou should probably read the book first. Think of your street cred with all those 欧宝娱乐 kids who hang on your every word!鈥�
Damnit, that voice was right! I threw the DVD out the window and picked up the novel.
At the risk of sounding like a mescaline-crazed Teletubby, I am SO glad I did! What a great horror novel! It was clearly a huge influence on most every psychological horror writer to publish since (not to mention the once-great work of Leo Sayer and Barney Gumble, which I now see for the Bloch-derived trash it so clearly is).
Honestly, all the way through I was wishing Psycho hadn鈥檛 insinuated its way into popular culture like a knife-wielding slow worm so I could experience the book as its first readers did (without knowing the major beats in advance).
Needless to say, this is highly recommended to all horror fans who are as remiss as I had been up 鈥榯il now. It鈥檚 a great read, even with the spoilers already spoiled like a rancid mango in a fat guy鈥檚 girdle.
I have to go now; David Bowie, Pat Methany, Sean Penn and Timothy Hutton are here to watch the movie with me (none of them had seen it either, the dopes) and they鈥檙e starting to throw peanuts at me...
I know, I know... the shame.
I鈥檝e 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鈥檛 help but wonder if there鈥檚 something wrong with me.
You know... other than the obvious.
Anyway, I thought it was finally time I watched Hitchcock鈥檚 horror masterpiece but, just as I was about to press play, a little voice at the back of my mind piped up with 鈥榊ou should probably read the book first. Think of your street cred with all those 欧宝娱乐 kids who hang on your every word!鈥�
Damnit, that voice was right! I threw the DVD out the window and picked up the novel.
At the risk of sounding like a mescaline-crazed Teletubby, I am SO glad I did! What a great horror novel! It was clearly a huge influence on most every psychological horror writer to publish since (not to mention the once-great work of Leo Sayer and Barney Gumble, which I now see for the Bloch-derived trash it so clearly is).
Honestly, all the way through I was wishing Psycho hadn鈥檛 insinuated its way into popular culture like a knife-wielding slow worm so I could experience the book as its first readers did (without knowing the major beats in advance).
Needless to say, this is highly recommended to all horror fans who are as remiss as I had been up 鈥榯il now. It鈥檚 a great read, even with the spoilers already spoiled like a rancid mango in a fat guy鈥檚 girdle.
I have to go now; David Bowie, Pat Methany, Sean Penn and Timothy Hutton are here to watch the movie with me (none of them had seen it either, the dopes) and they鈥檙e starting to throw peanuts at me...
January 11, 2021
賱丨爻賳 丨馗賷貙 賱賲 兀賱丕丨馗 鬲賱賰 丕賱噩賲賱丞 丕賱賲賰鬲賵亘丞 亘禺胤 氐睾賷乇 毓賱賶 丕賱噩丕賳亘 丕賱兀賷賲賳 賲賳 睾賱丕賮 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賵丕賱鬲賷 鬲賯賵賱 兀賳 賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賴賷 丕賱鬲賷 丨賵賾賱賴丕 賴賷鬲卮賰賵賰 廿賱賶 賮賷賱賲 爻賷賳賲丕卅賷 兀賷賯賵賳賷 賴賵 Psycho. 賵兀賯賵賱 賱丨爻賳 丨馗賷 賱兀賳賷 賯丿 卮丕賴丿鬲購 丕賱賮賷賱賲 賲賳匕 賮鬲乇丞 胤賵賷賱丞 賵賲丕 夭賱鬲 兀匕賰乇 兀丨丿丕孬賴貙 賵賴匕丕 丕賱賳賵毓 賲賳 丕賱乇賵丕賷丕鬲/丕賱兀賮賱丕賲貙 賷賰賮賷 兀賳 鬲卮丕賴丿 賳賴丕賷鬲賴 賲乇丞 賵丕丨丿丞 丨鬲賶 鬲賮爻丿 丨亘賰鬲賴 鬲賲丕賲賸丕 賵賷氐亘丨 廿禺乇丕噩賴 賲賳 毓賯賱賰 賵賲丨丕賵賱丞 賯乇丕亍鬲賴/賲卮丕賴丿鬲賴 賲乇丞 兀禺乇賶 囟乇亘賸丕 賲賳 丕賱賲爻鬲丨賷賱.
廿匕賸丕 賮賯丿 賵氐賱鬲 廿賱賶 丕賱孬賱孬 丕賱兀禺賷乇 賲賳 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 丿賵賳 兀賳 兀乇亘胤 亘賷賳賴丕 賵亘賷賳 賮賷賱賲 賴賷鬲卮賰賵賰 丕賱卮賴賷乇貙 賵賯丿 爻丕毓丿賳賷 賴匕丕 賮賷 兀賳 丕爻鬲賲鬲毓 亘丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賵兀賯乇兀賴丕 賰兀賳賷 兀賰鬲卮賮鬲賴丕 鬲賵賸丕.
"賲丕乇賷" 賴賷 卮丕亘丞 鬲賳鬲馗乇 賮乇氐丞 賱賱賳噩丕丨 賲賳匕 爻賳賵丕鬲 胤賵賷賱丞貙 賵賯丿 兀鬲鬲賴丕 丕賱賮乇氐丞 兀禺賷乇賸丕 亘毓丿 兀賳 毓購賴丿 廿賱賷賴丕 亘廿賷丿丕毓 賲亘賱睾 賰亘賷乇 賲賳 丕賱賲丕賱 賮賷 丕賱亘賳賰 亘丕爻賲 賲丿賷乇賴丕 丕賱孬乇賷 丕賱亘禺賷賱. 賱丕 鬲賮賰乇 "賲丕乇賷" 賰孬賷乇賸丕貙 賵賱丕 鬲鬲乇丿丿貙 鬲囟毓 丕賱兀賲賵丕賱 賮賷 爻賷丕乇鬲賴丕 賵鬲賳胤賱賯 賱賲賱丕賯丕丞 丨亘賷亘賴丕 丕賱匕賷 鬲購孬賯賱賴 丕賱丿賷賵賳貙 賵賮賷 丕賱胤乇賷賯 鬲乇爻賲 賲爻鬲賯亘賱賸丕 亘丕賴乇賸丕 賱丨賷丕鬲賴賲丕 賲毓賸丕: 爻鬲丿賮毓 毓賳賴 丿賷賵賳賴貙 賵爻賷毓賷卮丕賳 丨賷丕丞賸 賴丕賳卅丞 賮賷 賯乇賷丞 賳丕卅賷丞 亘毓賷丿賸丕 毓賳 兀毓賷賳 乇噩丕賱 丕賱卮乇胤丞貙 賱賰賳 賰賱 卮賷亍 賷鬲睾賷賾乇 亘毓丿 兀賳 鬲兀禺匕 賲賳毓胤賮賸丕 禺丕胤卅賸丕 賮賷 胤乇賷賯賴丕 賱鬲噩丿 賳賮爻賴丕貙 賲鬲毓亘丞 賵賲卮鬲鬲丞貙 兀賲丕賲 賮賳丿賯 賲馗賱賲. 賰丕賳 賴匕丕 賴賵 禺胤丐賴丕 丕賱兀賵賱 賵丕賱兀禺賷乇.
丿丕禺賱 丕賱賮賳丿賯 賷噩賱爻 丕賱爻賷丿 亘賷鬲爻貙 卮丕亘 孬賱丕孬賷賳賷 賲鬲毓賱賾賯 鬲毓賱賯賸丕 賲乇囟賷賸丕 亘兀賲賴貙 丕賱鬲賷 賳賮賴賲 賲賳 禺賱丕賱 賲丨丕賵乇丕鬲賴 賵兀丨丕丿賷孬賴 賲毓賴丕貙 兀賳賴丕 賱賷爻鬲 兀賲賸丕 胤賷亘丞賸 兀亘丿賸丕.
丕賱亘乇賯 賵丕賱乇毓丿 賵丕賱賲胤乇 賮賷 丕賱禺丕乇噩貙 丕賱丿賮亍 賮賷 丕賱丿丕禺賱. 鬲丿禺賱 賲丕乇賷 賱鬲丨噩夭 睾乇賮丞 賱鬲亘賯賶 賮賷賴丕 賱賷賱鬲賴丕 乇賷孬賲丕 賷賳賯胤毓 丕賱賲胤乇 賵鬲鬲囟丨 丕賱乇丐賷丞.
賱賲 鬲賰賳 賲丕乇賷 鬲毓乇賮 兀賳 賴匕丕 丕賱賮賳丿賯 賴賵 丌禺乇 丕賱胤乇賷賯貙 賵兀賳賴丕貙 禺賱丕賱 爻丕毓丕鬲 賯賱賷賱丞貙 爻鬲賵丕噩賴 賯丕鬲賱賸丕 賵爻賮丕丨賸丕 賱丕 賷乇丨賲.
廿匕賸丕 賮賯丿 賵氐賱鬲 廿賱賶 丕賱孬賱孬 丕賱兀禺賷乇 賲賳 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 丿賵賳 兀賳 兀乇亘胤 亘賷賳賴丕 賵亘賷賳 賮賷賱賲 賴賷鬲卮賰賵賰 丕賱卮賴賷乇貙 賵賯丿 爻丕毓丿賳賷 賴匕丕 賮賷 兀賳 丕爻鬲賲鬲毓 亘丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賵兀賯乇兀賴丕 賰兀賳賷 兀賰鬲卮賮鬲賴丕 鬲賵賸丕.
"賲丕乇賷" 賴賷 卮丕亘丞 鬲賳鬲馗乇 賮乇氐丞 賱賱賳噩丕丨 賲賳匕 爻賳賵丕鬲 胤賵賷賱丞貙 賵賯丿 兀鬲鬲賴丕 丕賱賮乇氐丞 兀禺賷乇賸丕 亘毓丿 兀賳 毓購賴丿 廿賱賷賴丕 亘廿賷丿丕毓 賲亘賱睾 賰亘賷乇 賲賳 丕賱賲丕賱 賮賷 丕賱亘賳賰 亘丕爻賲 賲丿賷乇賴丕 丕賱孬乇賷 丕賱亘禺賷賱. 賱丕 鬲賮賰乇 "賲丕乇賷" 賰孬賷乇賸丕貙 賵賱丕 鬲鬲乇丿丿貙 鬲囟毓 丕賱兀賲賵丕賱 賮賷 爻賷丕乇鬲賴丕 賵鬲賳胤賱賯 賱賲賱丕賯丕丞 丨亘賷亘賴丕 丕賱匕賷 鬲購孬賯賱賴 丕賱丿賷賵賳貙 賵賮賷 丕賱胤乇賷賯 鬲乇爻賲 賲爻鬲賯亘賱賸丕 亘丕賴乇賸丕 賱丨賷丕鬲賴賲丕 賲毓賸丕: 爻鬲丿賮毓 毓賳賴 丿賷賵賳賴貙 賵爻賷毓賷卮丕賳 丨賷丕丞賸 賴丕賳卅丞 賮賷 賯乇賷丞 賳丕卅賷丞 亘毓賷丿賸丕 毓賳 兀毓賷賳 乇噩丕賱 丕賱卮乇胤丞貙 賱賰賳 賰賱 卮賷亍 賷鬲睾賷賾乇 亘毓丿 兀賳 鬲兀禺匕 賲賳毓胤賮賸丕 禺丕胤卅賸丕 賮賷 胤乇賷賯賴丕 賱鬲噩丿 賳賮爻賴丕貙 賲鬲毓亘丞 賵賲卮鬲鬲丞貙 兀賲丕賲 賮賳丿賯 賲馗賱賲. 賰丕賳 賴匕丕 賴賵 禺胤丐賴丕 丕賱兀賵賱 賵丕賱兀禺賷乇.
丿丕禺賱 丕賱賮賳丿賯 賷噩賱爻 丕賱爻賷丿 亘賷鬲爻貙 卮丕亘 孬賱丕孬賷賳賷 賲鬲毓賱賾賯 鬲毓賱賯賸丕 賲乇囟賷賸丕 亘兀賲賴貙 丕賱鬲賷 賳賮賴賲 賲賳 禺賱丕賱 賲丨丕賵乇丕鬲賴 賵兀丨丕丿賷孬賴 賲毓賴丕貙 兀賳賴丕 賱賷爻鬲 兀賲賸丕 胤賷亘丞賸 兀亘丿賸丕.
丕賱亘乇賯 賵丕賱乇毓丿 賵丕賱賲胤乇 賮賷 丕賱禺丕乇噩貙 丕賱丿賮亍 賮賷 丕賱丿丕禺賱. 鬲丿禺賱 賲丕乇賷 賱鬲丨噩夭 睾乇賮丞 賱鬲亘賯賶 賮賷賴丕 賱賷賱鬲賴丕 乇賷孬賲丕 賷賳賯胤毓 丕賱賲胤乇 賵鬲鬲囟丨 丕賱乇丐賷丞.
賱賲 鬲賰賳 賲丕乇賷 鬲毓乇賮 兀賳 賴匕丕 丕賱賮賳丿賯 賴賵 丌禺乇 丕賱胤乇賷賯貙 賵兀賳賴丕貙 禺賱丕賱 爻丕毓丕鬲 賯賱賷賱丞貙 爻鬲賵丕噩賴 賯丕鬲賱賸丕 賵爻賮丕丨賸丕 賱丕 賷乇丨賲.
May 12, 2017
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. Quite the gruesome accomplishment. The movie follows the book almost exactly. With one big change the Norman Bates of the book is in his 40's and overweight. I personally preferred the movie version & while reading I thought of Anthony Perkins the entire time. Who would I recommend Psycho to Hitchcock fans obviously & readers who like dark & twisted stories.
August 10, 2016
鈥淲e're all not quite as sane as we pretend to be.鈥�
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 actually really good! It was very psychological and Bloch gave the reader a copilot seat into Norman's mind. It's not until the very end of the novel that we finally learn everything there is to know about Norman, his complex relationship with his deceased mother, and his questionable choice of reading material.
For a novel written in 1959, this must have been pretty out there, but it was based on murderer Ed Gein, who was arrested in 1957. He had murdered two woman and apparently exhumed grave sites regularly to showcase body parts. He was even in the process of creating a woman's skin suit to resemble his mother so that he could literally "crawl into her skin." That is some pretty twisted stuff. It makes this book and any other Gein inspired characters appear mild (nod to Buffalo Bill). And now for a break in reading material. Phew!
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 actually really good! It was very psychological and Bloch gave the reader a copilot seat into Norman's mind. It's not until the very end of the novel that we finally learn everything there is to know about Norman, his complex relationship with his deceased mother, and his questionable choice of reading material.
For a novel written in 1959, this must have been pretty out there, but it was based on murderer Ed Gein, who was arrested in 1957. He had murdered two woman and apparently exhumed grave sites regularly to showcase body parts. He was even in the process of creating a woman's skin suit to resemble his mother so that he could literally "crawl into her skin." That is some pretty twisted stuff. It makes this book and any other Gein inspired characters appear mild (nod to Buffalo Bill). And now for a break in reading material. Phew!
May 9, 2024
This is an absolute horror classic.
I had seen parts of Hitchcock's film during my studies (nearly 20 years ago now) and decided to read the book. It did not disappoint and definitely was not expecting the ending.
A must read if you like / love the horror persuasion.
I had seen parts of Hitchcock's film during my studies (nearly 20 years ago now) and decided to read the book. It did not disappoint and definitely was not expecting the ending.
A must read if you like / love the horror persuasion.
May 5, 2015
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 pounding comes, then the roaring, followed by blessed silence. For a little while, at least. What a trip it would have been to have read the book before seeing the movie. But even with that ship having sailed decades ago, reading the novel was pure pleasure.
The book, written in 1959, stands the proverbial test of time, as well. 'You do not want Mother using her keys.' Quite right. The pounding comes, then the roaring, followed by blessed silence. For a little while, at least. What a trip it would have been to have read the book before seeing the movie. But even with that ship having sailed decades ago, reading the novel was pure pleasure.
October 28, 2024
Thrills and Chills!
Thoughts:
I am not doing a small backstory as I am sure everyone knows about the movie Psycho and have read the book as well. So I am just giving out my thoughts on the story.
This was my first time reading the book though I have watched the movie more than a dozen times. The movie does stay close to the book - it almost parallels the book except for the size of Norman Bates. The book has him being heavy and the movie has him being thin. Other than that I thought the movie stayed true to the book.
I think the movie is creepier but I could feel the dread and terror slowly seeping under my skin as I read the story. The story moves at an even pace - I wouldn't really consider it a slow burn as the story just seems to move along at a good clip and brings the spookiness of how Norman affects those around him. All in all a great classic horror thriller that I am happy that I finally read. Giving this book four "Killer Thriller" stars!
Thoughts:
I am not doing a small backstory as I am sure everyone knows about the movie Psycho and have read the book as well. So I am just giving out my thoughts on the story.
This was my first time reading the book though I have watched the movie more than a dozen times. The movie does stay close to the book - it almost parallels the book except for the size of Norman Bates. The book has him being heavy and the movie has him being thin. Other than that I thought the movie stayed true to the book.
I think the movie is creepier but I could feel the dread and terror slowly seeping under my skin as I read the story. The story moves at an even pace - I wouldn't really consider it a slow burn as the story just seems to move along at a good clip and brings the spookiness of how Norman affects those around him. All in all a great classic horror thriller that I am happy that I finally read. Giving this book four "Killer Thriller" stars!
January 5, 2021
Me suele costar leer un libro cuando ya he visto su adaptaci贸n cinematogr谩fica, pero esta vez s铆 me anim茅 a hacerlo porque la novela es de las que se leen muy r谩pido y porque la obra de Hitchcock me pareci贸 un pelicul贸n.
Si tuviera que definir la historia con tres adjetivos ser铆an: tensi贸n, tensi贸n y tensi贸n. Robert Bloch lo consigue mediante una narraci贸n sencilla y fluida generando un ambiente cargado de suspense sin necesidad de grandes alardes descriptivos.
Si hubiera llegado virgen a este libro (sin haber visto la pel铆cula): 5 estrellas.
Como ya conoc铆a el desenlace (隆EL DESENLACE!): 4 estrellas.
Al personaje de Norman Bates le doy mil estrellas. Desde lejos eso s铆鈥� porque no me acercar铆a ni a 10 kil贸metros de ese motel.
Si tuviera que definir la historia con tres adjetivos ser铆an: tensi贸n, tensi贸n y tensi贸n. Robert Bloch lo consigue mediante una narraci贸n sencilla y fluida generando un ambiente cargado de suspense sin necesidad de grandes alardes descriptivos.
Si hubiera llegado virgen a este libro (sin haber visto la pel铆cula): 5 estrellas.
Como ya conoc铆a el desenlace (隆EL DESENLACE!): 4 estrellas.
Al personaje de Norman Bates le doy mil estrellas. Desde lejos eso s铆鈥� porque no me acercar铆a ni a 10 kil贸metros de ese motel.
October 29, 2017
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 gives a perfect excuse to avoid seedy hotels along deserted highways.
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