Shock and Awe | E5

Hitchcock’s nightmares haunt him as he readies Psycho for release. He tussles with the censors to keep his precious shower scene - the one which does or does not contain nudity, depending on which censor’s opinion you’re listening to. Hitch maps out an elaborate and unprecedented publicity strategy and in the process reinvents the way America goes to the movies. He suffers a rash of scathing reviews from big name critics, one of whom calls Psycho “a very minor work.” Then, Psycho opens - and the world will never be the same. Hitchcock marvels at the lines around every block all across the country. Perhaps his fears were all wrong...or maybe this will be the huge success from which he will never recover.