Psycho (50th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray]

For all the slasher pictures that have ripped off Psycho (and particularly its classic set piece, the "shower scene"), nothing has ever matched the impact of the real thing. More than just a first-rate shocker full of thrills and suspense, Psycho is also an engrossing character study in which director Alfred Hitchcock skillfully seduces you into identifying with the main characters--then pulls the rug (or the bathmat) out from under you. Anthony Perkins is unforgettable as Norman Bates, the mama's boy proprietor of the Bates Motel; and so is Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, who makes an impulsive decision and becomes a fugitive from the law, hiding out at Norman's roadside inn for one fateful night. --Jim Emerson

Consumers who purchased the 1998 Collectors' Edition DVD of Psycho will already be familiar with most of the extra content on this Blu-ray, but the sheer quality of the material makes the repeat purchase entirely tolerable. Nearly every aspect of Psycho's production is covered in the supplemental features; the "Making of Psycho" provides an excellent overview through interviews with most of the surviving participants (as of 1998), including Janet Leigh, screenwriter Joseph Stefano (The Outer Limits), editor Paul Hirsch, and Hitchcock's daughter, Patricia, who also appears briefly in the film. Stefano in particular provides exceptional insight into working with Hitchcock and translating Robert Bloch's dark source material into film. Other previously released features include the scholarly commentary track by Hitchcock authority Stephen Rebello; Hitchcock's radio interview with François Truffaut; newsreel footage of the film's release in 1960, with the director's famous admonition that no one be admitted late to a showing; and Saul Bass's storyboards for the shower scene, which is also covered in a three-minute bit that shows the strength of Bernard Herrmann's score in the set piece. The new material is comprised of "In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy," in which a wealth of directors, from Martin Scorsese and William Friedkin to Guillermo del Toro and Eli Roth, discuss the impact of Hitchcock's work on their respective careers. There's also a brief look at how the film's sound was remastered for Dolby 5.1, as well as galleries of poster art and several rerelease trailers and TV spots. --Paul Gaita