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Psycho Blu-ray delivers stunning video and great audio in this must-own Blu-ray release
A Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000. On the run she checks into the remote Bates Motel, run by a young man under the domination of his mother.
For more about Psycho and the Psycho Blu-ray release, see Psycho Blu-ray Review published by Jeffrey Kauffman on October 24, 2023 where this Blu-ray release scored 5.0 out of 5.
Note: This version of this film is available as part of Arrow's The Psycho Collection.
Psycho would hardly seem on its face(s) to be a property that would be easily "franchise-able", which may be why it took so long for the
first sequel to Alfred Hitchcock's memorable original to come out. One way or the other, though, the four Psycho films aggregated in this
handsomely packaged new(ish) set from Arrow have what I personally consider to be some remarkably facile "updates" to a story that is by now so
well known that even those who
haven't seen the 1960 classic (and I found out after I posted my review of Universal's first Blu-ray release of that film that there were an inordinately
huge amount of folks who hadn't) know the "big secret". However, knowledge of that "big secret" arguably partially informs the at least
intermittently
rather smart attempts at revisiting the inimitable character of Norman Bates in Psycho II and Psycho III, if admittedly that same
intelligence may not extend to the
made for television Psycho IV.
As alluded to above and as is no doubt well known to collectors, Psycho has had a number of releases on Blu-ray and 4K UHD disc in Region
A. My Psycho Blu-ray review is of the first 1080 release from
Universal, but should provide ample plot information, a list of what supplements were offered on that list, as well as my reactions to that now pretty
old technical presentation.
Psycho is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow has included the same booklet
for its 4K UHD and 1080 sets, and that booklet includes the following information on the restoration:
Psycho is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with mono and DTS:X audio. The film was scanned, restored in 4K and graded in SDR
and HDR10 by NBC Universal.
I was generally quite pleased with the
look of Universal's now ancient first 1080 release, but as Marty Liebman mentions in his Psycho 4K Blu-ray review, which included a remastered 1080 disc which is more or less duplicated here, there are
noticeable upticks in this "new, improved" version. Some of what I assume were compression anomalies that I noted in my own Psycho Blu-ray review have been at worst ameliorated here but really I'd
argue more or less eliminated, with subtle but distinct improvements in overall fine detail levels. Contrast is as appealing as it was on the first 1080
release for Region A, offering some sumptuously deep blacks and very well modulated grayscale. As seems to be "baked in" with this feature, at least
judging by every home theater version I've personally seen, there are still some undeniable variances in grain resolution and clarity at some
intermittent junctures, aside and apart from any opticals like dissolves.
As Marty mentions in his Psycho 4K Blu-ray review of the
Region A release from Universal, the DTS:X track included on this disc may not radically reinvent a rather beautifully layered track that had already had
a 5.1 rejiggering for Universal's first 1080 release from years ago (discussed in my review of the 1080 version). That may actually be one of this
track's strengths, though, as it rather subtly opens up the soundstage, especially with regard to Bernard Herrmann's still commanding score. There are
definitely some immersive moments in some of the spookier sequences, but the track doesn't go out of its way to be overly "showy", which I consider to
be a good thing. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout.
Psycho Uncut (1:49:04) and the slightly edited re-release and TV version of Psycho (1:48:51) are
accessible under the Play Menu.
The Making of Psycho (HD; 1:34:16) is a really fun and informative tour through the production.
Psycho Sound (HD; 9:58) addresses the 5.1 repurposing of the soundtrack.
In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy (HD; 25:59) offers an appreciation of Hitch by the likes of Martin Scorsese and John
Carpenter, among many others.
Hitchcock / Truffaut (HD; 15:22) offers audio recordings of the famous discussions between the two titans of contemporary cinema.
This plays to key art and scenes from the film.
Newsreel Footage: The Release of Psycho (HD; 7:46)
The Shower Scene: With and Without Music (HD; 2:32)
The Shower Sequence: Storyboards by Saul Bass (HD; 4:10)
Psycho is an unabashed classic, though as I mentioned in my review of Universal's first 1080 release for Region A, its pace may drive younger
viewers in particular a little crazy (hopefully not quite as crazy as Norman, but I digress). Arrow provides a release with solid technical merits
and excellent supplements. Highly recommended.
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