Psycho 1998 remake: Making Vince Vaughn into a dashing 70 year old woman

Ok, so remakes of old movies are bound to happen I have come to accept that. However, it has been my understanding so far that nearly (and I say nearly) all of the remakes were of bad and/or cult classic films (and ironically most of them are horror films). Remaking Psycho seems to feel like a grave is being robbed. The only thing is the grave is filled with gold. It seems like it would be a good idea. The movie itself is alright in my mind. Nothing amazing, yet also nothing like House of Wax.

For a film that was made in the 1960's, it is hard to keep the lingo, look, and feel of the film the same, especially if it is a shot for shot remake. I do have to applaud Gus Van Sant for managing to modernizing everything while keeping the plot the same. I also did notice Van Sant keeping some of the motif's of Hitchcock alive, like the theme of horizontal and vertical imagery (the buildings and streets of the intro shot, Norman in his box yet cut by the screen, etc). Overall, the imagery is the thing I liked the most about this film (despite the images during death). The thing that bothered me was the characters themselves.

I found myself thinking through the movie that there was at least a few people that seemed really unsuited for their roles. Anne Heche felt too peppy in the film. Most of the time it seemed like she was an actress. There was never a moment of sincerity from her (this is yet again my feeling). Her facial expressions felt blank or perky, thats it. The zoom out of her eye was probably one of the most emotionless expressions in the whole movie (yeah I know she is supposed to be dead, but she did just get killed by Norman in a bad wig and ugly dress). Vince Vaughn was the other one that was just bugging me. He was tall, awkward, and odd looking, yet had a forceful, apprehensive, charming (or attempting to be) feel to him at the same time. One moment he was shy, then was assertive the next. The best way to describe Vince Vaughn's role as Norman was just plain awkward.

Overall, the remake actually wasn't too bad.....once you get past half of the acting (you can't go wrong with William H. Macy). The fact that it is a remake make me feel like there is hope for all remakes out there. The only hope is that a good horror remake comes out.