In this shot-for-shot remake of the Alfred Hitchcock classic, director Gus Van Sant is so hellbent on sticking to the original, he forgot to inject any energy or excitement into a project he should have thought twice about tackling in the first place.

For those of you who don't know, Psycho is the story of a woman (Anne Heche) on the run, who makes a fateful stop at the Bates Motel. This time, Norman Bates is played by Vince Vaughn (Swingers). Most of the performances are lackluster compared to the original. Vaughn has his moments, but is no match for the creepiness displayed by Anthony Perkins and Heche is nothing special. The best performance comes from William H. Macy, who seems to have the essence of the character yet offering something new at the same time.

Van Sant does add a few new scenes, most of which are ridiculous. For the most part, Psycho doesn't work because it's not fresh and pales in comparison to the original. I would rather sit through the sequels than watch this re-creation again. Let's hope no other filmmaker attempts an experiment like this again. If anyone tried to remake Citizen Kane or E.T., I'd go psycho. You just don't mess with perfection.