Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho revolutionized the horror genre with narrative surprises, and genre conventions, as well as material considered daring for its time. Gus Van Sant may have attempted to show his appreciation for the film by remaking it, and while the remake may not have added anything wild enough to cause outrage, it certainly didn’t add to the film or introduce us to anything new. Despite the characterization that it is a shot-for-shot remake, there are important distinctions between the two films that cannot be over looked. The variations I will delve into within this paper are the disparities between one of the main characters, Norman Bates. The use of nudity and color in the remake versus the original, and the overall effect each film had on cinematic history. …show more content…
In Van Sant’s remake, Vince Vaughn plays Norman Bates as a noticeably darker character than Anthony Perkins. While Van Sant doesn’t explicitly focus on this difference, it is hard not to notice in comparison to the passive nature Perkins expresses through Norman. A specific shot is the scene where Marion suggests they eat in her room after Norman has brought them dinner. In Hitchcock’s shot, Norman is standing quite a distance from Marion and when she suggest this he steps forward, then quickly steps back suggesting to the audience that he is a harmless and awkward character. In Van Sant’s shot, Norman and Marion are standing significantly closer and the height difference is much more pronounced, giving the audience an uneasy feeling that Vaughn could overpower Anne Heche in that very