Psycho

Psycho (1960)

38 mistakes

(8 votes)

Factual error: When Janet Leigh is shown lying dead on the floor of the shower, there is a close-up of her open eye. The pupil is contracted to a pinpoint (obviously due to the bright lighting) where it should have been dilated. After the film was released, Hitchcock heard from several ophthalmologists who pointed this out and suggested he use belladonna eye drops in the eyes of "dead" people in future films, as the chemical prevents the pupils from contracting. (00:48:30)

Revealing mistake: When Marion is driving her car through the night, she keeps looking at her speedometer. You can clearly see that the gear shift lever is in "park" as she is driving.

Revealing mistake: After Marion has been murdered there is a close-up of her face. If you look down to her neck you can see her pulse.

Deliberate mistake: When Norman picks up Marion's supposedly naked body to carry it to his trunk, a bra is visible through the shower curtain. Gus Van Sant included this goof in his 1998 remake.

Continuity mistake: In the scene after Janet Leigh is killed Norman goes into Cabin one and starts mopping. He puts the mop in front of the bed for a second. Through the mirror you can see the mop fall when he put it down, but when he goes back to get it, the mop is up again.

Continuity mistake: When Marion and Norman are talking after he has brought in some sandwiches, Marion tears the same piece of bread 3 times on different occasions.

Visible crew/equipment: When Marion is packing in her room, the camera is panning back over the bed to show the newspaper with the cash wrapped up in it. As the camera pans back, one can see the camera's shadow on the bed.

Continuity mistake: When Marion steps into the shower, we can hear (not see) her unwrap a bar of soap and throw the wrapper on the floor of the shower. But when Norman is cleaning the bathtub, after Marion is killed, the wrapper is no where in sight. (00:46:30 - 00:53:00)

Visible crew/equipment: While Janet Leigh is being stabbed to death by Mother, as Janet turns around in the shower, it is possible to see part of the moleskin that Janet wore for the scene for a split second. (00:47:30)

Continuity mistake: When Marion wraps the money in the newspaper, the way the newspaper is folded changes between the wide shots and the close-up shot.

THGhost

Continuity mistake: In the shot in which Norman goes into the bathroom and puts the pail behind the door, the shower curtain rings are spread out. In the very next shot in which he emerges from behind the door, the rings are in tight groups. As he leaves the bathroom, the rings are spread out again.

Continuity mistake: When Marion arrives at the Bates motel, she sounds the car horn for the first time, the windscreen wipers are switched on. She gets out of the car, looks towards the old house, then goes back to the car, as she sounds the horn for the second time the windscreen wipers are now switched off.

Will

Visible crew/equipment: When Marion arrives at the car dealership, the salesman sees her and starts walking towards her. If you look carefully, there is a wire trailing out his trouser leg, most likely for a hidden mic.

Revealing mistake: After Marion's sister and boyfriend look through the Number 1 bathroom and find the ring on the toilet, they turn off the light. On the wall behind them you can make out a square beam of light, but no other lights are on in the cabin.

Continuity mistake: As the camera zooms into the hotel window, you can see a shadow on the blinds. But in the next shot, the shadow is now longer (even though it's supposed to be in real time). (00:02:30)

Revealing mistake: When Marion's boyfriend and sister visit the Sheriff and his wife at home, there is a camera shot where you can see that the living room background scenery ends and there is no ceiling.

Factual error: The car she trades her car for in at the dealership is a used 1957 car, but when Norman is driving it into the swamp you can see on the license plate that the expiration year is 1956. It couldn't have a tag that expired before its model year. (00:55:25)

Other mistake: In the shower scene, Marion Crane's palm looks water wrinkled as if she's been in the shower for quite a long time even though she was only in for a few moments before Norman stabs her. Also, when Norman drags her out of the bathroom, Marion's legs are stiff and together and she has her toes pointed.

Continuity mistake: When Mother Bates leaves the motel room after stabbing Marion, she leaves the room door wide open. When Norman reaches the door to check on Marion, the door is closed.

Continuity mistake: After seeing Marion's dead body in the bathroom, Norman accidentally knocks down a framed picture of a bird (with the picture facing up and it is a few inches away from the wall). But when Norman is spreading the shower curtain on the floor, the picture has changed position (with the picture now facing down and it is against the wall). (00:49:50 - 00:51:45)

Norman Bates: She might have fooled me, but she didn't fool my mother.

More quotes from Psycho

Trivia: The blood in the infamous shower scene is actually chocolate syrup.

More trivia for Psycho

Question: Am I right in thinking that the absence of Norman Bates' mother in his life left himself to replace her, by dressing as her, talking like her and so on? Because the film says that sometime he was half Norman half Normans mother and sometimes all Normans mother. If this is true then who checked Marion Crane into the motel. Later in the film when Norman is in the police cell after questioning his mothers voice says Norman blamed her, so I am confused could anybody clear this up? If possible could somebody give me a full explanation.

Answer: Norman and his mother lived together in the house on the hill above the motel. Norman's mother was such a demanding, controlling, overbearing woman that Norman was eventually driven to kill her. The enourmous guilt of this action, combined with the strain he was already under from her treatment of him, caused him to develop a sort of modified split personality: in addition to the existing Norman, he constantly heard his mother's voice in his mind and even had conversations with it. As time passed, the "Mother" voice in his brain began to have some occasional control over his body. Thus, sometimes Norman was in control, sometimes his mother was in control, and sometimes they could "speak" back and forth within his mind. Norman checked Marion into the hotel, but the sexual attraction caused by her presence made his disapproving Mother personality manifest and kill Marion. Having dealt with the situation, Mother retreated and Norman cleaned up, not remembering. At the end of the film, Mother blames Norman for the crimes because she is once again controlling his life and not wanting to take the blame herself. At the same time, this represents Mother forcing Norman down to some corner of his consciousness or even destroying it altogether, meaning that it is unlikely that Norman will ever manifest control again. This is why we hear Mother's voiceover and not Norman's at the end.

Phoenix

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