《Psycho (level 3)》.doc

Introduction At first she thought she was dreaming. A hotel, here, in the middle of nowhere? Impossible. She closed her eyes and opened them again. Yes, it was true. There it was. A small sign shining in the night: BATES MOTEL I dont believe it, she said to herself as she drove towards the sign. This is my lucky night. Marion Crane is a secretary from Phoenix, Arizona. She is in love with Sam Loomis, who lives far away in Fairvale,Texas. She wants to marry him, but Sam cannot marry her because he doesnt have enough money. So Marion steals $40,000 from her boss and drives away with the money to be with Sam. Its a long, dangerous journey and, not far from Fairvale, Marion gets lost. Its dark, its raining, shes tired and hungry. If she can find somewhere to stay for just one more night, then all her troubles will be over ... But for Marion, as she drives through the rain towards the small, quiet motel by the side of the Old Highway, the bad dream is only just beginning. Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) made the film Psycho in 1960. Hollywood believed that the book, by Robert Bloch, was impossible to film, but Hitchcock had different ideas. Working in black and white, he made one of Hollywoods most frightening films ever. Robert Bloch was born in Chicago in 1917. His first book, The Scarf, came out in 1947. He wrote many mystery and science fiction books and stories for television. He also wrote the films Psycho II (1982) and Twilight Zone:The Movie (1983). He died in Los Angeles in 1994. Chapter 1 Marion and Sam In a small, dark hotel room in Phoenix, Arizona, Marion Crane was looking at herself in the mirror. She was worried. Her hair was untidy and she was late getting back to work. Dont go, Marion, said a voice from behind her. Marion looked in the mirror at the young man who was sitting on the bed. She smiled at him sadly. I must get back to the office, Sam, she said. My boss is beginning to get worried about these long lunch-hours. But its Friday afternoon,