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One other thing I'm not sure about. I wanted to know what the "hoochie cooche" (mentioned in the title song) was. It was a dance done by women and was suggestive. Maybe not the best thing to be teaching Tootie? (Although given her other proclivities this is probably the mildest one.) Wikipedia does mention its last "hurrah" was at the 1904 World's Fair and then was gone by WWII. Wiki link

So they really did meet in St. Louis!

I'll give it relisten but at the end when discussing its place on the list Amy basically says she's not sure because of the second half not being memorable. That could be an argument more so for its place on the list I suppose opposed to the actual film itself. Like you said it could be in film geek's memories but not the public's but most of the public doesn't know anything about Citizen Kane and that doesn't stop it from being one. Edit: Just relistened to the end again and Amy calls the Sam and Lila moments puttering about and just packing peanuts. Then later says that half the movie could not exist and it would be fine. I was getting mixed up with Paul's comments on Platoon a little. Still I think calling half this movie filler and not needed is highly dismissive of a lot of great stuff.

This was going to be my point. I think everyone who watches Psycho knows Norman Bates is his mother. But everyone is still on board once this movie gets going. That's a good thriller. Even if you know the main beats of the story, this movie stil works whereas a lot of thrillers lose all their power when the is no mystery. Psycho still works every time you watch it even if it's just the main scenes because the reveal of Norman dressed as his mother is so well done. Anthony Perkins looks completely unhinged. Also, check out Black Christmas. It's weird in parts that don't work but the horror stuff really works.

Fun weird connection people often overlook. Marion Crane is played by Janet Leigh who became a horror icon because of this movie. Her daughter as mentioned was Jamie Lee Curtis who became a horror iconic thanks to her role in Halloween. However everybody knows that. The connection is actually much deeper. In addition to Halloween redefining the slasher genre which Psycho basically started people often overlook or forget that the psychiatrist in the movie Halloween movies played by Donald Pleasence is Dr. Sam Loomis who is named after the character in Psycho.

I don't want to go against Amy and Paul too hard but it makes me cringe slightly to hear that this movie should be possibly dismissed because of the second half. It is akin to me to those that say "Full Metal Jacket is great until they leave boot camp." It is so dismissive of the great stuff that happens just because pop culture has made the key cultural moments mostly in the front half. Now if you say "the second half isn't as memorable as the first half" I again half to challenge this because as stated what are the things people know about this movie? The shower scene and Norman Bates is his mother. The later of those is the final reveal, so dismiss the second half you dismiss this reveal and major twist as well. Also you praise Martin Balsam but all his stuff is in the second half. Not to mention the iconic shot of him falling down the stairs or even his introduction with the giant close up of his face. They also mention Norman and Sam Loomis interaction and his change in character. Odd that this is remembered because it's in the "I don't remember anything" second half. Now you could argue that Sam Loomis and Lila Crane aren't as interesting, and that is a fair argument to be made but to actively dismiss and write off the second half as "nothing happens" is crazy. If you criteria for dismissing it is "I don't remember a lot from the second half" just think about half these movies on the list and how much we don't remember that's not there because of pop culture referencing it to us.

Haven't listened to the episode once again... still haven't listened to LotR..... but for myself even knowing the twist ending I still was shocked just by the way it was achieved in the movie. This is really well done and holds the fuck up. It's definitely also one of those movies I wish I could go back in time to see in theaters because I would love to see how people reacted to this for the first time.

Paul & Amy pull off the highway for a short stay at 1960’s proto-slasher masterwork Psycho. They dissect Alfred Hitchcock’s artful use of misdirection, listen to Anthony Perkins’ pre-Psycho pop single, and ask if there was any value in Gun Van Sant’s controversial remake. Plus: Alexandre O. Philippe, the director of “78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene,” discusses one of cinema’s most infamous moments in detail. What do you think is in the warehouse at the end of Raiders Of The Lost Ark? Call the Unspooled voicemail line at 747-666-5824 and let us know! Follow us on Twitter @Unspooled, get more info at unspooledpod.com, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts.

I haven't listened to it yet either, but while I was watching last night, even knowing the twist, I was struck by the tension. For example, when Lila is searching Bates' house while Sam distracts Norman, there was still this fear of "Will she get caught?" And the answer is: of course not. Norman is in the Motel with Sam. The only thing in the house is a corpse. But still, knowing that there was nothing in the house that could possible hurt or catch her, I felt this anxiety for her. It makes me sad to hear that the second half is being called "unmemorable." I love the second half just as much as the first.

Fun fact this is the movie where Judy Garland met her second husband Vincent Minnelli who is Liza's father .

Maybe. Honestly, even though suburbs weren’t really a “thing” at that time, they more or less live in one. I don’t actually think they’d live in a NYC tenement, but I do think they’d miss the freedom of having a house with a lawn. For instance, no Wicker Man-style bonfires at Halloween.

This is streaming on Netflix. Murderous tire that uses mind control to kill things. Lots of breaking the fourth wall and meta bull shit to create a WTF movie. It's really awful so I am sure Jason might go bats watching it. It's really shitty but I think with your collective powers you could produce an entertaining show. Keep up the good work. Seriously, this is my favorite podcast.

Cold cat come for kitchen

Maybe I missed a moment or two in the pod, but I think you guys are misinterpreting the second half comments. I took them as just a comment that the main 'memes' of the film are the ones that stick in our minds: the shower, Janet Leigh, Norman/mother. We don't remember the sister. Or the private inspector. They are not in our cultural memory very much at all. I think that's quite true. They may be in film geek's memories, but not the greater cultural one, really, at all. I don't think Paul & Amy were dismissing the whole second half by noting this.

That's still nothing to Texas BBQ but I'm biased.

There's a lot of inappropriate dancing/dance references in this movie. But you best not kiss a boy before you're engaged!

If Lon had already gone to Princeton for a while surely he had taken a trip or two into New York City? He could tell them what it was really like and maybe research places to live so they wouldn't be in a tenement.

I hesitate to bring this up but it's bothering me. Esther and Tootie do a cakewalk during the party. The lyrics are questionable but the dance itself doesn't appear to be kosher (at least for white people to be doing). I thought sure we had a previous pick where a cakewalk was done or mentioned. Does anyone remember that? Here's the Wikipedia entry on cakewalks. And in modern times... Thoughts?

"Meet Me in Ferguson" just doesn't roll off the tongue the same way "Meet Me in St. Louis" does.

Oh yeah the more they kept talking about how perfect St. Louis was the more I thought "yeah because you're rich and white..."

I just assume that I'll only be able to think of a few that haven't been covered. I'm happy to stay for everyone else's picks!

Sorry I completely missed the discussion y'all (and I'm admittedly going to be one of those people that says they're not gonna go back through multiple pages), but Tootie was in fact the most interesting character in this whole film and it was genuinely like watching a prequel to Halloween. The next movie we see she finds a new mask and her "killing" turns a little too real. It was so wild that no one in her family ever thought to punish either her nor Agnes for the wild extremes they went to.

A night in heaven is just so unsexy...cringeworthy dancing.

I agree with the others that this is awesome. However, this completely falls into the "How did this get made?" category as well as the "Why did this get made?" and "WTF is this?" categories. It would be perfect for this show.

Rubber kicked ass