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By Kristen Baldwin
Kristen Baldwin
Kristen Baldwin
Kristen Baldwin is an assistant managing editor for EW

The jury is in. And the verdict isn't good. An informal EW survey, conducted in Manhattan and Los Angeles during the opening weekend of ''Psycho,'' proved that moviegoers aren't going crazy about Gus Van Sant's hyped shot-by-shot remake, which took in a tepid $10.5 million at the box office.

Predictably, a number of purists bemoaned the film's modern makeover. ''I kept thinking, 'Wow, that's a great shot,' then being disappointed because the shot was created 38 years ago,'' said New Yorker Robert Dean Kline, 27. Surprisingly, about 25 percent of the more than 30 ''Psycho'' watchers had never seen the 1960 Hitchcock original -- not that they were shocked by the famed final twist: ''I pretty much knew what the ending was,'' said L.A.'s Rocco Passionino, 29, ''just from people talking about it.'' And then there were those who missed the point entirely: ''This was almost like a copy of the first one,'' said one apparently slow-on-the-uptake theater employee in Manhattan, who declined to be identified.

All of which suggests this shot-by-shot thing may never escalate to a trend. When asked if they'd like to see a shot-by-shot remake of the 1983 sequel, ''Psycho II,'' most found the idea scarier than an old lady lurking in your shower. Gasped Elliot Crane, 24: ''Are you kidding? Have you seen 'Psycho II'?''

Visitors to EW Online seem to be nearly as skeptical about Van Sant's remake. In this week's poll, only 8 percent prefer the new ''Psycho'' to the original. To register your opinion, vote in the Weekly Poll.

(Reporting by Scott Brown and Melissa Heckscher.)


Posted Dec 10, 1998 | Order Article Reprints