After months of controversy and hype, director Gus Van Sant’s “anti-remake” of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 classic “Psycho” is opening nationwide today.

The director, whose credits include “Good Will Hunting,” “Drugstore Cowboy” and “My Own Private Idaho,” has copied the original, shot-by-shot, frame-by-frame. The only major differences are that several bits of dialogue are changed, and the modern version is in color.

Charles L. Silet, professor of English, teaches a film class at Iowa State. He called Van Sant a “courageous man” who is attempting to remake one of the staples of American cinema.

“People are going to compare it to the original…. They’re obviously inviting that kind of comparisons,” he said, noting that when the original “Psycho” first came out, it was “condemned” for its graphic violence.

“Some called it the first slasher film, which I disagree with,” he said. “It’s a film very unlike most of Hitchcock’s, in that most of the violence takes place off camera.”

Silet said female viewers at the time were particularly horrified at the infamous “shower scene,” in which Janet Leigh’s character is brutally stabbed to death in the Bates Motel.

“Of course, [the violence] seems very mild now, and of course, when Hitchcock did the film, there was no complete nudity in it. The original seems quite tame,” he said.

Eric Yarwood, program adviser for the Student Union Board, said he has mixed feelings about the remake. He said he believes this is the first time a “remake” has been attempted that virtually duplicates the original picture.

“I don’t know if the movie needed to remade; the first one was done so well and so spooky,” Yarwood said.

Yarwood said he thinks the colorization of “Psycho” will add a “different element to the look of the movie.” He said he believes there will still be a little bit of suspense in the film, “but not a lot.”

“At the same time, there are quite a few people who know about ‘Psycho’ but who haven’t seen it. There’s a whole new generation of moviegoers,” he said.

Yarwood said he will probably end up seeing the remake.

“My curiosity is piqued,” he said. “I’m curious to see exactly how [Van Sant] goes about it.”

Yarwood also said he thinks the modern-day casting, which includes actors Vince Vaughn and Anne Heche, is appropriate.

But Juli Hisel, junior in english, said she does not totally agree with the casting of Vaughn as psychotic Norman Bates.

“He doesn’t strike me as innocent as Anthony Perkins did,” she said, adding that she is planning to see the remake.

Brenton Pyle, junior in mathematics, said he would probably see the remake if he had the chance. Pyle, who saw the original earlier this semester, said he approves of Van Sant’s remaking the movie shot-by-shot.

“I think is a good idea, rather than updating it and rather than changing the basic storyline,” he said.

Katie Bennett, junior in English, said she may see the remake.

“I think it’s always interesting to see what they do with [remakes],” she said. “I’m not generally real impressed, but I’m going to wait until I see more previews and read reviews.”

Ryan Beck, freshman in elementary education, works at Movies Two at North Grand Mall, where the remake is opening tomorrow. He does not believe “Psycho” should have been remade.

“It’s a classic movie; they shouldn’t have remade it,” he said. “It’s better in black and white anyway.”