Psycho (1960)
Horror, Thriller, Mystery
97Kernel Score — Universal Acclaim, 0 reviews
The Kernel take
A 97 Metascore on a budget under a million dollars has translated to a fifty-million-dollar worldwide gross—the kind of return that makes studio accountants weep with joy and justifies a director's strangest impulses.
Director track record: Alfred Hitchcock
Psycho trails Alfred Hitchcock's own Notorious (100), though at 97 it sits well above his 80.3-point average across 27 scored films—a towering outlier in a filmography already defined by craft.
Lead track record: Anthony Perkins
The film becomes Anthony Perkins's best-reviewed work by a decisive margin, surpassing his previous high of 70 and standing 39.5 points above his 57.5-point average across 8 scored films—a career-defining performance that would overshadow everything he touched afterward.
Box office
Budget $0.8M · Box office $50M