5. Psycho (1998)
We are used to seeing motor mouth Vince Vaughan as the affable good guy, the big bear wed all like to hug and hang out with because he makes us laugh. A kind of every-man from his early Swingers days he went against type to portray one of the most well-known fictional killers and ultimate mommas boy, Norman Bates. Sadly Vaughan failed to give Norman dimension, unable to demonstrate the restraint and coldness of Anthony Perkins. Directed by Gus Van Sant (Even Cowgirls Sing the Blues) this crass remake tries to live up to its predecessor yet it merely proved that Alfred Hitchcock and his 1960 original could not be outdone. Hitchcock carried so many subtle shades of terror and suspense that it built to a pitch, and we were transfixed watching it unfold. Such was the genius of Hitchcock, one of the ultimate scenes was watching a young Janet Leigh being stabbed to death in the shower and seeing the blade descend again and again. In contrast the modern version with Anne Heche lacked the elegance and terror.