The screeching strings, the plunging knife, the slow zoom out from a lifeless eyeball: in 1960, Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho changed film history forever with its taboo-shattering shower scene. With 78 camera set-ups and 52 edits over the course of 3 minutes, Psycho redefined screen violence, set the stage for decades of slasher films to come, and introduced a new element of danger to the moviegoing experience. Aided by a roster of filmmakers, critics, and fans--including Guillermo del Toro, Bret Easton Ellis, Jamie Lee Curtis (whose mother, Janet Leigh, was "the woman in the shower"), Eli Roth, and Peter Bogdanovich--director Alexandre O. Philippe pulls back the curtain on the making and influence of this cinematic game changer, breaking it down frame by frame and unpacking Hitchcock's dense web of allusions and double meanings. The result is an enthralling piece of cinematic detective work that's nirvana for film buffs.

"Essential viewing, even if you have to watch through your fingers." (Toronto Star)

"Even moviegoers who know PSYCHO backward and forward are bound to learn something new from the movie." (New York Times)

"78/52 is an orgy for movie obsessives. It makes you see the familiar with fresh eyes." (Entertainment Weekly)

"That a sequence depicting voyeurism should have drawn such myopic scrutiny is an irony not lost on the film-makers. The documentary's dedication reads: "To mother." Very droll." (Sunday Times)

Wednesday, January 17
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:30 pm

Tickets $10 advance | $12 at the door

Why not make it a double bill and pair it with Alfred Hitchcock's masterful PSYCHO at 8:30 pm?
Double bill tickets $13 advance | $15 at the door

*Minors welcome in the balcony. (Parental discretion advised.) Must be 19+ w/ID for bar service and main floor seating.
**Rio Theatre Groupons and passes OK for any single film! Please redeem at the door.

78/52 (Alexandre O. Philippe, 2017 / 91 mins / PG) The most famous murder scene in movie history comprises 78 camera settings and 52 cuts: the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. 78/52 tells the story of the man behind the curtain - and his greatest obsession. Alexandre O. Phillipe's documentary takes an in-depth look at one of modern cinema's most memorable moments, offering insights of value to both cineastes and casual viewers alike.