Because it's a well crafted movie. The acting, the pacing/editing, the shocking events and Hitchcock's clever manipulation of the audience are all elements that make for a great film. This movie has been studied by cinema students for years. But it wasn't always considered one of his best movies. read more
The critics, the studio, and frankly, audiences weren't used to Hitchcock exploring new territory in such a shocking way. Hitchcock so believed in this project that he financed it himself, cheaply, using the REVUE television studio where Alfred Hitchcock Presents was produced. He used some of his TV crew to film Psycho quickly. read more
Probably the most obvious reason for Psycho's claim to the top spot is that it contains one of the most iconic, most discussed and most memorable scenes in cinema history. The scene took an entire week to shoot (1/3rd of Janet Leigh's time spent on the production) and is simultaneously horrific and tantalising, without any actual penetration of the knife or any visible lady parts. read more
Read: Alfred Hitchcock, the sadistic prankster. Lots of people own up to favourite Hitchcock films that aren’t Vertigo – it’s by no means unanimously considered his great masterpiece – and in the past I’ve wondered if his sheer productivity acted as a vote-splitting handicap in these contests. read more