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Impressions: The Scream/Psycho Connection

Perhaps it is the fact that they are two of my favorite horror movies. Perhaps it is the first connection I saw between the two movies, and that encouraged me to look for others. Either way, whether it is the direct comparisons or even the more ambiguous ones, I see a connection between Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 masterpiece, Psycho, and Wes Craven’s 1996, Scream. From their opening, parallels with their villains, and even the impact they had on the horror genre, something about these two movies speak of similarity to me. Not in a “Wes Craven ripped off Hitchcock” sort of way, they are unique enough, and I would never dream of insulting Craven that way. But rather that they tapped into familiar fears, used similar ways of shaping their movie, and will have a lasting impact on cinema. With that, I would like to talk about what I see as the Scream/Psycho connection.

The first is the most direct and obvious. While Scream had more of a recognizable cast than Psycho, both Scream and Psycho only had one really big star. Janet Leigh in Psycho and Drew Barrymore in Scream. Both of these movies set up and introduce us to our big stars, both movies even elevated Leigh’s and Barrymore’s roles by featuring them predominantly on the poster. Then both stars are killed off brutally and violently rather early.

Full piece here: https://www.patreon.com/meganezombi