Psycho: Behind the Scenes of the Classic Thriller

by Janet Leigh, Christopher Nickens

The fascinating, behind-the-scenes saga of the making of Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece. This is the richest and most revealing portrait of a movie classic in-the-making ever compiled, from casting decisions to personality clashes, from anecdotes about one of Hollywood's most celebrated--and feared--directors to the truth about why the FBI needed to protect Janet Leigh after the opening of the film.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Film, Media Tie In

197 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Janet Leigh, born Jeanette Helen Morrison (July 6, 1927 – October 3, 2004), was an actress best known for her role in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. She worked under contract at MGM and was famously married to fellow actor Tony Curtis, with whom she had two children. Her daughters Kelly and Jamie Lee Curtis also became actresses.

Reviews

[Taysha Charlton]

I remember the exact night I saw Psycho and ever since then, I've been dying to know more about the film because I loved it so much. This book is probably the definitive and most accurate account of the movie itself, its possible symbolism and on-set antics and the actual filming of the movie because it was written by Janet Leigh herself who was very close to Hitchcock. I couldn't put this book down. When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking of the next time I could read it. I loved it so much and enjoyed it immensely. I'm actually sad that I've finished it. Janet is such a warm person and it shows in her writing because it's like she's speaking to you directly, as a friend. I caught myself a few times, when she was suggesting something silly or recounting reactions she had or pranks she pulled, sighing and saying out loud "Oh, Janet." :)

[Allen]

Lots of interesting stories about the making of “Psycho” written mostly by Janet Lee herself. I was a little taken aback because Janet and the co-writer seemed to randomly take turns writing but they did not tell you who was writing what. You had to figure it out after starting chapters. Anyway still fancinating behind the scenes info. I especially liked how Janet corrected what had been erroniously written about her in other books! Nice.

[Nathan Hale]

For the fan of Psycho that I am, this book was hard to put down! Not only did it provide loads of Psycho trivia but also a look into Janet Leigh’s life and her start in Hollywood. While reading this book, I watched one of her movies because of it being mentioned in the book, and now I want to watch even more from her!
I loved how personal this book was. She denies certain rumors, gives a thorough look at her filming experience (including working with Hitchcock, Perkins, Stefano, and more), and even speaks from her heart. I was so sad reading about her Oscar loss, because no one wants to be a loser, and even she admits that of course it was hard! I feel like we don’t see this side of actors/actresses and I loved seeing it here.
For any fan of Psycho, THIS is the book to read! My biggest complaint is petty; there were some parts of the book that were a recap of the book and of the movie, and I feel like if someone is reading this, they know the movie and maybe even the book, so it felt like unnecessary fluff to me. Everything else was full of behinds the scenes stories and treasures.
Happy Birthday Alfred Hitchcock!!!

[Stay]

"They're probably watching me. Well, let them. Let them see what kind of a person I am. I'm not even going to swat that fly. I hope they are watching... they'll see. They'll see and they'll know, and they'll say, "Why, she wouldn't even harm a fly..."

Whenever I think about the first time I’ve ever watched ‘Psycho’, I cannot remember anything about that time. All I can remember is that I was young.. too young to watch something so terrifying. It’s probably one of the many reasons why I love horror movies today.

Here we get a behind the scenes look at a movie that changed cinema forever from the original Scream Queen herself. She doesn’t hold back as she relays the real truth on what happened behind the scenes and in front of an audience. Nothing was off limits.

I’m forever grateful for Ms. Leigh for putting so many rumors to rest. A lot of people have their thoughts and opinions on how things went down and they weren’t even there nor born when this film was being made. It really goes to show you the impact this film and crew had on the world.

This was a phenomenal read and every horror movie lover should get their hands on this book. I loved it.

[Peter Wright]

Janet Leigh only filmed Psycho for two weeks, so her first hand account of the "behind the scenes" of its making are limited to that time frame. Along with Christopher Nickens, she researched and interviewed those who worked closely on the production to provide as much accurate detail as possible.

While it's touted as a behind the scenes look, only two chapters are really dedicated to the filming of it and one of those is about filming the shower scene. I'd say the book is more about the effect that Psycho had on movie making and the general public more than an in depth look at the making of the movie. While there is some insider info on production, it leaves you thirsty for more.

The bulk of the book deals with the aftermath and the rise in Psycho's cult status. It is, by no means a bad book. It makes you want to get our your dvd copy of the movie and watch it. Trust me on that!

The book refutes myths and urban legends about the movie and provides an interesting look at not just the movie, but the people involved in its creation. It's a reflective look back at the creation of a masterpiece that showcased the talents of a directoral genius and scared many many people from ever taking a shower again!

[Diana]

This was a slight book, with nothing terribly shocking revealed about the making of Psycho. It was enjoyable, though, because Janet Leigh is such a likable person; her personality comes through in the writing.

One thing that I learned that I didn't know before was that Anthony Perkins was very disappointed, maybe even quite hurt, by not being nominated for an Academy Award for his wonderful performance. He was so incredibly fantastic in this role, it is a shame he wasn't recognized with an Oscar nomination. He makes the picture. I can't imagine the movie being as good with anyone else in the role of Norman Bates. He was so good, in fact, that he was typecast for the rest of his career.

[Tyler Patrick]

a lot of fun for a fan of psycho, janet leigh does a great job of diving into the film, giving us a lot of inside scoop and clearing up rumors… a quick read and nothing super special but i had fun

[Nick Smith]

This book reveals a lot about the making of the film “Psycho,” and comes straight from the actress who played Marion Crane, Janet Leigh. It is co-written by Chris Nickens, and Leigh did a lot of research and interviews with the screenwriter, a Hitchcock assistant from the era, family of Anthony Perkins, and other people who worked with Hitchcock.

We get a sense of Janet Leigh’s career as well as Anthony Perkins’. I wish more had been written on Vera Miles, though. A number of still images and photos, movie posters, articles, and other images really are well-chosen and are included throughout the book. The setups of many of the scenes and shots are disclosed in fine detail. Amusing conversations among the cast and Hitchcock are here. There are several good laughs.

All in all I achieved a goal of learning more about the film, but I was thrilled to read about the man who wrote the chilling score, Bernard Herrmann, who is my favorite movie composer of all time. Four stars.

[Mark]

La première partie du livre traite effectivement de "Psychose", la seconde surtout de la carrière de Janet Leigh.
Elle n'est guère modeste, se met beaucoup en valeur, et ose même dire qu'elle n'a pas été doublée par un modèle pour photos de charme pour la scène où son personnage est poignardé sous la douche, alors que le contraire est clairement établi par ceux qui étaient sur le plateau pendant le tournage...

[Beth Anne]

What a wonderful little book from the lovely and gracious Janet Leigh.

Her thoughts on and memories of making the movie "Psycho" and its cast and crew are invaluable for any fan of the movie. Her warmth and decency show on every page; she seems truly grateful for the opportunities she had, and before her death in 2004, was active in political and charitable causes. She sounds like she was a kind and remarkable woman.

Her respect and love for her director on the movie and her co-stars also shined through. She consistently speaks of him as "Mr. Hitchcock," not Alfred or Hitch. She shares anecdotes about Tony Perkins that had me laughing and crying. She speaks about the lasting legacy of the movie, both in cinematic influence and pop culture. And this book was written 25 years ago! I'm sure it would make her happy to know that 60 years after the movie, its influence is still going strong.

A must-read for any slightly (or deeply) obsessed fan of the movie.

[Joe Costal]

Very good autobiogrpahy of time on a movie set. I was drawn to her perspective bc it is so often maligned by others involved in the production, especially Hitch himself. I could certainly see her side of things, and given the awful, horrendous abusive misogyny (and that's probably too mild), I was glad to have her take. I ran a Christmas charity event for a state college for a number of years, which involved some celebrity cold calling. Ms. Leigh was always more than charitable to us. I also had no idea bout the threats and stalking she endured after this role. She is awesome as Marian Crane, and this was a joy for any cinephile.

[William]

I was really impressed by Janet Leigh's efforts in collecting interviews from fellow cast members of 'Psycho' and other people involved in the making of the film. However I wish that the book included more of Leigh's personal experience in the making of the movie

[Ms. G]

Great quick read over the holiday break. Found in a free library, printed only in the UK. So now I am sort of an aficiondo of the classic and dare I say, I know I never watch the whole film. But neither has either of Leight's 2 daughters.

[Ronald]

nice info. re. pre-, production, & post production from her & the co-author - also has some pics I'd never seen

[Shaun Mazerall]

Disappointing. Simply not enough interesting, behind the scenes information. It's a quick read, under 200 pages though, and anything Hitchcock is always worth the read.

[Bruce Boeck]

A fun read if you like the movie,lots of good behind the scenes info.

[Kevin Fitzsimmons]

This book is a lot of fun. A friendly and familiar tone leads the reader though all kinds of facts and stories about the making of a classic film.

[Lisa]

#83 of 120 books pledged to read during 2023

[michael.]

🩶 janet leigh, we love you

[Mark]

It wasn't what you would call a page turner. And it seemed like a lot of it wasn't written by Ms Leigh. I enjoyed it simply because I just wanted to know more about Ms Leigh herself. I couldn't tell you if I have seen the movie in its entirety actually. I doubt I have. Nor did I rush out to find a DVD copy somewhere to watch it. But Janet Leigh is quite fascinating.

[Jon]

Janet Leigh's book on Psycho is nice, especially the first half. It starts out pretty focused on the making of the film and her experiences during the making of Psycho. This is the most interesting part of the book for me, for it is pretty well focused on the film. The second half begins to wander a bit and talk about other things Leigh was doing after Psycho. Fans of Janet Leigh will perhaps find this part equally interesting, but for me Psycho is the more interesting part. So I started to get a bit tired with the second half. But it was still a nice book.

[Liz]

A reminder of how truly banal actors can be. Everyone Leigh worked with was 'uniquely talented' and 'very dear,' and Hitchcock was a playful master with nothing but respect for his actors. Even co-author Christopher Nickens steers clear of revealing anything insightful about Perkins' own complicated sexuality or Hitchcock's high-handed treatment of his female leads. The most interesting tidbit here was an anecdote about the director manipulating Leigh to sex it up in order to get co-star John Gavin to loosen up in the Phoenix motel scene. All in all, pretty forgettable.

[Jennifer]

Meh. Some interesting tidbits and trivia, but mostly I just felt there was a little too much glorifying and sugarcoating. EVERYONE was wonderful and a pleasure to work with? Come on.

Anyway, I should add that I read this solely for the purpose of learning more about the filming of Psycho. I could care less about Janet Leigh the person (gasp!). That's another reason this book, for me, wasn't very enjoyable.

[Nicki]

Found this book a great read and great for fans of the film. I think people need to go into this book remembering this is not a sensationalist book and about the making of the film, not a tell all about the lives of the stars and director. Janet Leigh seems like she was a wonderful, sweet lady and a wonderful mother. I don't think this seems fake, it is more refreshing to know there are positive and loving people like her in the entertainment world.

[Keith Cornell]

Great to hear Janet Leigh's experiences in the making of one of them most brilliant Hitchcock films "Physcho". She only worked on the movie a very short time but she has great stories to share about Hitchcock, Perkins and the filming of the the movie including details about the infamous "shower scene".

[Rae]

The star of the infamous Hitchcock film gives a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the classic horror movie. After the shower scene, she was so shaken up that she never took showers again. She, and probably millions of viewers! This was a fun read.

[Christine Sinclair]

An interesting book. Janet Leigh gives the reader inside information about the making of Psycho that only she would know, because she was there. Good photos, good info and welcome additions by co-author Christopher Nickens. Ms. Leigh has a crisp writing style and a sincere voice. A good read!

[Joe Faust]

She’s still afraid of the shower.

[Nicole]

It's got great first hand info on the film and actors and Hitchcock

[Angela]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was interesting to get a little insight to the making of Psycho, and Janet Leigh is truly a nice person.