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Downtown Oakland Senior Center Presents Another Terrific Installment of Our Movie-Lecture Series

Fear and Loathing in Hitchcock’s Friday, September 9, 2016 12:30 p.m. in Hall 1 200 Grand Avenue – Oakland

Today’s horror movies may be more graphic, but nobody shocked and terrified the audience more than with his psychological , Psycho. This cult classic had it all: a cross dressing, schizophrenic peeping tom, and a mind-numbing murder scene. First screened in June 1960, Psycho was a blockbuster success. By the end of the first year, it had earned more than $15 million; this was 15 times more than it cost to make the movie, and ensured Alfred Hitchcock’s position as a master filmmaker. No doubt about it, Psycho laid the blueprint for modern horror and from to . Nominated for four , Psycho stars , , Vera Mills, , and .

Psycho’s psychological impact is as fascinating as the movie, with scholars still debating the movie’s reflection of (or contribution to—depending on who believe) the growing permissiveness in society. In addition to breaking some of mainstream Hollywood’s taboos such as cross-dressing, an illicit mid-day sexual tryst, and flushing toilets, Psycho also took a swing at a widely held American value: motherhood. It was this movie that stimulated the national— and on-going—debate about the correlation between screen violence and real life anti-social behavior.

Join us as we peek between our fingers while watching, and discuss the various cinematic techniques Hitchcock used to lure us in and then shake us up. Let’s see if we can figure out why, after more than 55 years, this film still has the power to disturb us, and make us think about locking the bathroom door before we step into the shower.

Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP by calling (510) 238-3284, or sign up at the Reception Desk.