Not politics: Psycho is still a scary damn movie

Watched Psycho this weekend for the first time in a long time. My wife had never seen it. You know what? Still a scary damn movie. I knew everything that was coming, and yet the tension was — at times — nearly unbearable.

Anthony Perkins is pretty much remembered only for playing Norman Bates; it’s easy to forget what a great performance he gave. For example, this scene with Janet Leigh:

Which might be hard to appreciate until you see it side by side with Vince Vaughn’s in the 1998 remake:

This was back when Hollywood was trying to make Vince Vaughn into a star, rather than just letting him be the fast-talking Swingers guy we love so much.

But the difference between the performances is remarkable, isn’t it? You notice Vaughn’s acting — he’s telegraphing his tics all over the place; Perkins manages to live in the character. It’s a huge difference.