- Paperback
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (31 Jan 1999)
- ISBN-10: 0747545251
- ISBN-13: 978-0747545255
- Product Dimensions: 17.2 x 11 x 1.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,692,635 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"Robert Bloch is one of the all-time masters."
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
The classic chiller that inspired the spine-tingling Alfred Hitchcock film. Everyone was scared to death when they saw the movie Psycho. But before the film was even a glint in Alfred Hitchcock's eye, award-winning author Robert Bloch put real fear into the minds of readers with his unforgettable portrait of a very polite young man who proves that evil lurks just beneath a smile. When the Bates Motel loomed up out of the storm, Mary Craine thought it was her salvation. The rooms were musty but clean and the manager Norman Bates seemed like a nice enough fellow, if a little strange...Then Mary met Norman's mother - and the butcher knife. The nightmare had just begun...
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The film of Psycho follows almost exactly Bloch's original story. What is interesting is that Hitchcock bought up the first print run of the book so as it wouldn't ruin the suspense of his film- and in term of atmosphere they are equals. What the book lacks in chilling music and visuals it makes up in what Bloch chooses to say and what to withhold from the reader. Added to this is an insight into Norman Bates's mentality, which although makes him less of a monster makes us question a society that produces individuals like him.
Bloch's style, as to be expected, is sharp and tense- he guides us through his story only letting us see what he wants us to see and, in true thriller style, this makes the climax far more unexpected.
I would imagine most people wanting to read this book will already have seen Psycho, which is a shame, as they will already have pictures in their head when they read the familiar scenes. I would recommend reading this before watching the film- in both cases the end is very climatic but it makes more sense to see how Hitchcock developed Bloch's ideas.
This has to be one of the best thrillers I have read and is on par with ingenuity with Roald Dahl's Tales Of The Expected.
Bloch's style, as to be expected, is sharp and tense- he guides us through his story only letting us see what he wants us to see and, in true thriller style, this makes the climax far more unexpected.
I would imagine most people wanting to read this book will already have seen Psycho, which is a shame, as they will already have pictures in their head when they read the familiar scenes. I would recommend reading this before watching the film- in both cases the end is very climatic but it makes more sense to see how Hitchcock developed Bloch's ideas.
This has to be one of the best thrillers I have read and is on par with ingenuity with Roald Dahl's Tales Of The Expected.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
50 YEAR OLD SPOILERS AHEAD!
As most of you no doubt would have, I read this after watching the film. It is impossible not to. The entire film comes from
the book, only very slight details like Marion/Mary's name. Despite this however, it is not pretending to be high-brow fiction. It is mercilessly addictive and it is hard not to read it in one sitting. But sadly this very good book is over shadowed by the best horror film (or at least the most hyped) ever. But if it wasn't for the film this would be virtually unknown, so it does owe a certain amount to the film.
I need not really recount the plot, but it follows the story of the nervous, lonely Norman Bates ruled but his mother. A girl who stays at the motel and meets a certain untimely ending. The net is tightening on Bates and his mother as the police draw into the motel, the scene of the crime. But it wasn't Norman, it was mother...
I adore the plot, but since most of the reviewers have reviewed the plot on the film's reviews I will discuss the book against the film here, since that is what all of the people hoping to ead it will probably be.
There are some things that are admittedly better in book form. In the book you can get away with a whole lot more with the mother character to convince you that she is real, descriptions etc. that the film couldn't have touched. Norman Bates is a more pathetic character in the book, being a nervous sweaty 40 year old virgin who can't talk to women and has a drinking problem. There is a more sexual references in the book, from Bates' pornography collection to the descriptions of Mary/Marion pre-shower scene (need I mention this? well it is barely a paragraph in the book. Short but chillingly effective.)that if was in the film the critics eyes would melt from the shock. Also, the fact that with Bates' dinking problem, it gives him an excuss (albeit a suspicious one if you really think) to be blacked out when mother commits the crimes instead of whatever he was supposed to be doing in the film.
In conclusion, it is a good book, not frickin' Nobel Prize winning but very addictive, it draws you though like a fish on a hook. It goes far further into Norman's mind than any film could touch. Read this to see exactly who this psycho is, him or them...
As most of you no doubt would have, I read this after watching the film. It is impossible not to. The entire film comes from
the book, only very slight details like Marion/Mary's name. Despite this however, it is not pretending to be high-brow fiction. It is mercilessly addictive and it is hard not to read it in one sitting. But sadly this very good book is over shadowed by the best horror film (or at least the most hyped) ever. But if it wasn't for the film this would be virtually unknown, so it does owe a certain amount to the film.
I need not really recount the plot, but it follows the story of the nervous, lonely Norman Bates ruled but his mother. A girl who stays at the motel and meets a certain untimely ending. The net is tightening on Bates and his mother as the police draw into the motel, the scene of the crime. But it wasn't Norman, it was mother...
I adore the plot, but since most of the reviewers have reviewed the plot on the film's reviews I will discuss the book against the film here, since that is what all of the people hoping to ead it will probably be.
There are some things that are admittedly better in book form. In the book you can get away with a whole lot more with the mother character to convince you that she is real, descriptions etc. that the film couldn't have touched. Norman Bates is a more pathetic character in the book, being a nervous sweaty 40 year old virgin who can't talk to women and has a drinking problem. There is a more sexual references in the book, from Bates' pornography collection to the descriptions of Mary/Marion pre-shower scene (need I mention this? well it is barely a paragraph in the book. Short but chillingly effective.)that if was in the film the critics eyes would melt from the shock. Also, the fact that with Bates' dinking problem, it gives him an excuss (albeit a suspicious one if you really think) to be blacked out when mother commits the crimes instead of whatever he was supposed to be doing in the film.
In conclusion, it is a good book, not frickin' Nobel Prize winning but very addictive, it draws you though like a fish on a hook. It goes far further into Norman's mind than any film could touch. Read this to see exactly who this psycho is, him or them...
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
To me, like many of you, i seen the film first. And lets get that out of the way first. I'm a big Hitchcock fan (check out the massive dvd box set!) , and Psycho is a good film. A horror classic in the traditional sense. I'm a big fan of it. And I thought that must have been a good book, I would like to check it out sometime. So a few years after I had first seen the film I got the book.
It's been about 6 months since I read it, but the thing that sticks out in my mind is that the book adds a lot more to the film. And for any fan of the film, this is a good thing. I would recommend watching the film, then reading the book. The book offers much more insight into the mind of Norman Bates, and mother. The whole conflict between the two personalities is much more interesting. Gaps about the past are filled in, that where just mentioned in the film.
So overall i'd say stick with the film. If you don't like it or thought it was Ok then fine. But if you like the film (in my case, a lot) then get the book. It adds dimensions to what you have seen. And also makes you think that if another director/writer had tackled a film version, it might have been a different film (not in a bad way) to Hitch's one.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Amazing
The delivery was extremely fast and the book was in extremely great condition. I would definately buy again!
Published on 30 Jan 2010
short but very effective
i loved this book, i had never seen the film, so the story was new to me, it reads like a short story, very scary and the ending kept me thinking. overall a fantastic read.
Published on 24 Sep 2008 by Edward Checketts
A neat little story for its time.
Being 150 pages long, this makes for a quick read. However, it is not a book that the average mainstream reader would fancy on a rainy evening. Read more
Published on 13 April 2008 by J.P
Third-Rate Pulp Trash
My recently-purchased copy of Robert Bloch's PSYCHO features a cover photograph of Janet Leigh screaming and a quote from film director Alfred Hitchcock: "PSYCHO all came from... Read more
Published on 19 Aug 2003 by Gary F. Taylor
Go further into Bate's mind than any movie ever could
Psycho is one of those books which is better read before seeing the movie. Unfortunately, as the film is some 30+ years old it's unlikely that'll happen, but for those who know the... Read more
Published on 1 Feb 2001
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
