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A few changes were made to this scene-by-scene remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 masterpiece, but in each instance they add nothing.

The use of color makes the movie less scarier than the original. Some scenes are more graphic, but the film lacks the shock value of the original. The pointlessness of Gus Van Sant’s project is staggering; plays are revived all the time, sure, but rarely does anyone try to copy a specific famous production of one.

Vince Vaughn is fine in the lead, though.

1998-U.S. 109 min. Color. Directed by Gus Van Sant. Cast: Vince Vaughn (Norman Bates), Anne Heche (Marion Crane), Julianne Moore (Lila Crane), Viggo Mortensen, William H. Macy, Robert Forster, Philip Baker Hall, Rita Wilson, James Remar, Flea. 

Trivia: Co-produced by Van Sant. Nicole Kidman was first cast as Marion, but had to bow out; Drew Barrymore was also considered.