Psycho is now rightly regarded as a masterpiece and perhaps Alfred Hitchcock's most accomplished and consistently sustained film.

So it's a surprise to discover that the film was panned by most critics on its initial release.

A few years later, they were hailing the picture as a classic.

What may have unsettled reviewers was the fact that not only was the film a sweatily suspenseful shocker and not simply another of the director's polished thrillers, but that it was also filled with daringly delicious black humour.

There's a great deal more to the movie than simply the justly celebrated set pieces, most memorably the legendary murder in the shower.

There's the inventive and superbly-constructed screenplay by Joseph Stefano, based on Robert Bloch's novel; John L Russell's fine black and white cinematography; and Bernard Herrmann's sinister and screeching score.

Add to that Hitchcock's impeccable control of every scene, casting and performances (notably Anthony Perkins and Oscar-nominated Janet Leigh) that could hardly be bettered and you have a not-to-be-missed cinema experience to be savoured time and again.