Psycho is an American psychological horror film directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock and released in 1960. The screenplay by Joseph Stefano was based on the 1959 novel Psycho by Robert Bloch. The film stars Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates, the owner of a remote motel, and Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, a Phoenix secretary who goes on the run after stealing $40,000 from her employer.
Psycho was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $50 million against a budget of $800,000. It is considered to be one of the most influential films in the history of cinema and has been praised for its technical innovations, such as the use of subjective camerawork and the famous "shower scene."