Near the opening of Hitchcock’s masterpiece, Marion Crane steals money from her employer and goes on the run. At a small motel off the beaten path, her guilt catches up with her, as does something considerably more threatening. Psycho deals with histories of wrongdoing and failure to achieve absolution, but this is no talky drama; few thrillers are as precisely constructed or as strikingly executed, thanks to the talents of Hitchcock and his remarkable collaborators, including Bernard Herrmann, whose tense, string-filled score is the perfect accompaniment for a nightmare.
—Ryan Holt