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peytondani's review against another edition
3.0
I read this because the movie is one of my favorites of all time. Obviously, I love the story, but the writing was VERY mediocre. This is one of the cases where the movie is much better than the book. Hitchcock really tightened the narrative and the script coupled with the performances fleshed out better characters than Bloch did.
micah_berg's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
bruinrocks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
houst's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
tonis's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
babsbutler14's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
raxorrr's review against another edition
3.0
The only reason I gave this 4 stars was because
Spoiler
I guessed the plot twist.Spoiler
_sequel_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ryantlabee's review against another edition
4.0
Some stories are like that perfectly aged wine, and Robert Bloch's "Psycho is that bottle of wine. Nearly 65 years have passed since Bloch decided to freak us all out with his twisted tale of Norman Bates and the not-so-cozy Bates Motel, and guess what? It's still as electrifying as ever. Yeah, even if you've watched Alfred Hitchcock's legendary flick a million times, the original pages of "Psycho" have some curveballs that'll have you saying, "Hitch who?"
The genius of Bloch's "Psycho" isn't just in the "gotcha" moments that have become pop culture touchstones. Oh no, it's how he dives headfirst into the murky waters of the human mind. Norman Bates is our tour guide through this psychological funhouse, skillfully blurring the lines between victim and villain.
For the cinephiles who worship at the altar of Hitchcock, Bloch's novel offers a treasure trove of nuances that the silver screen just couldn't capture. While the film is a visual spectacle of suspense, the book delves deeper, weaving a complex tapestry of motive and madness as rich and dark as a noir classic.
Let's not pretend "Psycho" is without its quirks. The portrayal of mental illness has its roots in a bygone era, and there are moments when the pacing feels like it's taking a stroll rather than a heart-pounding sprint. Yet, these are mere specks on the thriller "Psycho," serving more as timestamps of the era Bloch was writing in rather than detracting from the story's edge.
Robert Bloch's "Psycho" is a hallmark of horror literature and is well worth the read even in 2024.
The genius of Bloch's "Psycho" isn't just in the "gotcha" moments that have become pop culture touchstones. Oh no, it's how he dives headfirst into the murky waters of the human mind. Norman Bates is our tour guide through this psychological funhouse, skillfully blurring the lines between victim and villain.
For the cinephiles who worship at the altar of Hitchcock, Bloch's novel offers a treasure trove of nuances that the silver screen just couldn't capture. While the film is a visual spectacle of suspense, the book delves deeper, weaving a complex tapestry of motive and madness as rich and dark as a noir classic.
Let's not pretend "Psycho" is without its quirks. The portrayal of mental illness has its roots in a bygone era, and there are moments when the pacing feels like it's taking a stroll rather than a heart-pounding sprint. Yet, these are mere specks on the thriller "Psycho," serving more as timestamps of the era Bloch was writing in rather than detracting from the story's edge.
Robert Bloch's "Psycho" is a hallmark of horror literature and is well worth the read even in 2024.
kimberlyf's review against another edition
5.0
*new comfort read unlocked*
I think perhaps all of us go a little crazy at times.
I will skip the synopsis on this one because, well, come on… It’s Psycho… And I may be biased but I f*cking loved this.
I followed the timeline of Psycho adaptions completely backwards. When the television series Bates Motel premiered in 2013 on A&E, I was there watching and I obsessively consumed each ensuing episode. When my father saw me settling down in front of the TV to watch, he remarked that this wasn’t an original story; it came from the film Psycho, of course. So off I set to watch the 1960 classic film. Fast forward to this year where an itch began to grow on me to watch the film again and to where I realized that it had never occurred to me to see if the film was based on a book (most great movies are). Now here we are, present day. Psycho is a very short read at just over 200 pages and nearly 5.5 hours on audiobook.
I didn’t have any expectations going in to the book except for the excitement I felt to reunite with some of my most beloved television characters, Norman and Mother. This book delivered. You can feel the unease and dread swirling in the air, the prose luxuriously horrific and dripping with trepidation.
I was surprised to learn that the original Norman Bates, the one from this book, is 40 years old as the television adaptions of Norman portrays a young man in his 20s. This didn’t take away from the story in any way but was an interesting change that I didn’t know about. Apparently Hitchcock wanted to make Norman more of a boy-next-door type and give him a persona that people could sympathize with and he thought making him younger would do just that.
If I had any complains, I would say that I actually wanted the ending to be drawn out more. The last pages are ultimately an explanation of everything but it was too concise and straight-forward; a perfect example of an author telling the reader instead of showing.
Overall, it’s a horror classic—one that I loved and will return to. As another user mentioned “easy to read, hard to put down”.
I think perhaps all of us go a little crazy at times.
I will skip the synopsis on this one because, well, come on… It’s Psycho… And I may be biased but I f*cking loved this.
I followed the timeline of Psycho adaptions completely backwards. When the television series Bates Motel premiered in 2013 on A&E, I was there watching and I obsessively consumed each ensuing episode. When my father saw me settling down in front of the TV to watch, he remarked that this wasn’t an original story; it came from the film Psycho, of course. So off I set to watch the 1960 classic film. Fast forward to this year where an itch began to grow on me to watch the film again and to where I realized that it had never occurred to me to see if the film was based on a book (most great movies are). Now here we are, present day. Psycho is a very short read at just over 200 pages and nearly 5.5 hours on audiobook.
I didn’t have any expectations going in to the book except for the excitement I felt to reunite with some of my most beloved television characters, Norman and Mother. This book delivered. You can feel the unease and dread swirling in the air, the prose luxuriously horrific and dripping with trepidation.
I was surprised to learn that the original Norman Bates, the one from this book, is 40 years old as the television adaptions of Norman portrays a young man in his 20s. This didn’t take away from the story in any way but was an interesting change that I didn’t know about. Apparently Hitchcock wanted to make Norman more of a boy-next-door type and give him a persona that people could sympathize with and he thought making him younger would do just that.
If I had any complains, I would say that I actually wanted the ending to be drawn out more. The last pages are ultimately an explanation of everything but it was too concise and straight-forward; a perfect example of an author telling the reader instead of showing.
Overall, it’s a horror classic—one that I loved and will return to. As another user mentioned “easy to read, hard to put down”.