This was probably the tipping point for horror actors as Anthony Perkins, in his defining role, showed that being in a horror doesn't mean playing blood drenched monsters. Indeed, by casting the young Hollywood star, Hitchcock made the studios re-evaluate their approaches to the genre. Perkins was already a rising star in America after his training after an Oscar nomination and numerous theatre awards on Broadway. When he was cast as Norman Bates, the film made his career as he displayed a subtle and nuanced characterisation of a deeply disturbed individual that could not stop his psychotic acts. Norman is, as described, a 'mummy's boy' and, through the brilliance of Hitchcock, is only a supporting role until the murder of Marion Crane, famously stabbed by a shadowy woman in the shower. From there, Marion's sister and boyfriend (another 'Sam Loomis'), as well as a detective, attempt to find out what happened to her in the mysterious Bates Motel. Anthony Perkins was a great actor and he is no better than in this role. Norman is a scared little boy who is the person you least suspect. It's only in the final moments, as he stares at the camera before a super-imposed skull appears on his face that you realise that evil can be found in the quietest of individuals. Perkins, like the others on this list, is brilliant in this film and shows that being in a horror film doesn't necessarily mean playing to the lowest common denominator.
