None of his other works have garnered the praise or have made the impact as his 1960 psychological thriller. The iconic shower scene remains a pop culture moment that is easily one of the most recognizable in cinematic history.

“Psycho” is considered to be the first of the slasher film genre. It will be featured during “Movie Night” at Miller Cinemas, 46 W. Market St., Lewistown, at 7 p.m. Saturday. Doors open at 6 p.m.

The plot is fairly simple as Phoenix office worker Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is fed up with the way life has treated her. She has to meet her lover Sam in lunch breaks and they cannot get married because Sam has to give most of his money away in alimony. One Friday, Marion is trusted to bank $40,000 by her employer.

Seeing the opportunity to take the money and start a new life, Marion leaves town and heads towards Sam’s California store. Tired after the long drive and caught in a storm, she gets off the main highway and pulls into The Bates Motel. The motel is managed by a quiet young man named Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) who seems to be dominated by his mother.

The plot centers on an encounter between on-the-run embezzler Crane and shy motel proprietor (Perkins) and its aftermath, in which a private investigator (Martin Balsam), Marion’s lover Sam Loomis (John Gavin) and her sister Lila (Vera Miles) investigate her disappearance.

Hitchcock’s immortal “Psycho” celebrates its 65th anniversary this year, so it only makes sense that we’d want to celebrate the freaky old flick. While there’s not much that hardcore movie geeks don’t know about this endlessly lauded, wildly influential film, here are some things that you might not know about this horror classic.

Hitchcock paid less than $10,000 – $9,000 to be exact – for the film rights to the Robert Bloch novel then financed it himself. According to Hollywood experts, Paramount had cold feet about the project, which prompted Hitchcock to pay for the film out of his own pocket and swap his rather substantial director’s fee for 60 percent ownership in the film.

Despite Hitchcock’s frantic attempts to keep the film’s ending under wraps, tabloids published spoilers regarding its plot months before it hit the silver screen.

The breach caused Hitchcock to take even more extreme measures as he refused to let film critics preview the film before its premiere, which could have accounted for some less-than-stellar opening reviews.

Not only did he shut down critics from seeing the movie ahead of time, but he also instructed movie theaters not to admit anyone once the film started.

Three actresses also recorded the dialogue for Norma Bates in “Psycho.” Their records were then mixed together until Hitchcock found the right one for each particular scene.

Hitchcock was well-known for appearing in his movies, and “Psycho” was no exception. A little over six minutes into the film, he made his cameo, standing outside the office building in a cowboy hat.

“Psycho” was Hitchcock’s most successful film, pulling in $32 million during its first theatrical release, off a production budget of $807,000. His next biggest hits were: “Rear Window” at $27.5 million in 1954; and “Notorious” at $24.5 million in 1946.

“Psycho” also marked the fifth and final time that Hitchcock earned an Oscar nomination for best director. Yes, he never won an Oscar for directing.

What makes “Psycho” immortal, when so many films are half-forgotten as we leave the theater, is that it connects directly with our fear: Our fear of making the wrong impulsive decision, our fear of the ghosts in our closet, our fears of becoming the butt of a joke, and, of course, our fear of disappointing our mother.

Rating: R

Runtime: 109 minutes

Grade: B-

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Greg Williams is a reporter and Weekend Editor for The Sentinel. A Mifflin County native, he has been writing for The Sentinel since 1991.