New interviews from the BBC archives reveal that legendary director Alfred Hitchcock did not mean for his classic film Psycho to be taken seriously as a horror movie. Yes, you heard that right.
In 1964—four years after Psycho—Hitchcock told the BBC he intended the movie to be a "tongue-in-cheek" dark comedy. "A lot of people looked at this thing and said what a dreadful thing to do, how awful, and so forth. The content as such was, I felt, rather amusing and it was a big joke. I was horrified to find that some people took it seriously," he said.
No disrespect, but it's probably safe to say most people wouldn't find a script based on serial killer Ed Gein "amusing." Still, many horror movies today are tongue-in-cheek and self aware (most notably Scream), especially compared to the earnest slasher films of the 1970s and 80s. So would it really be that surprising that the father of horror as we know it still has influence in the post-modern, irony-heavy world of today?
Hitchcock also compares making audiences scream with terror while watching the film with a rollercoaster that makes people scream with terror—it's all in good fun. "If you make the dip too deep, the screams will continue as the car goes over the edge and destroys everyone. Therefore, you mustn't go too far because you do want them to get off the switchback railway [rollercoaster], giggling with pleasure."
That we can get behind.
RELATED: The 25 Best Alfred Hitchcock Movies
[via the Telegraph]
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