Halloween is just around the corner, which is a great excuse to re-watch some classic horror movies.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho remains the grandaddy of them all, still as chilling and super-stylish as it was when it was first released to unsuspecting audiences nearly six decades ago.
There’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it line about a third of the way into the film which reveals one of Psycho’s hidden themes.
Norman Bates tells ill-fated Marion Crane that business at his motel has all but dried-up ever since a new motorway was built, diverting traffic off his route.
It’s a sly comment on the death of a bygone way-of-life in America: people and industries left sidelined by rapid progress and new development.
Perth has found itself in a similar pickle to the Bates Motel.
Up until the early 20th century, the Fair City was part of the main route to and from Edinburgh.
Commuters – who wanted to avoid taking a ferry across the Forth at Queensferry – travelled to and from the two cities on the A9, via Stirling.
But then the Forth Road Bridge opened in 1964, and the A90 – linking the central belt with oil rich-Aberdeen – became more important.
Perth has been, in many respects, left floundering for a place in modern Scotland.
Council leaders have been grappling with this predicament for some time. They have come up with several high profile projects aimed at making the city a more attractive place to live, while also enticing tourists and supporting commuters.
But the roll-out of these changes will hinge on the outcome of the Tay Cities Deal, expected to (finally) be announced just days before Halloween.
Local schemes include the huge Perth West development, which promises to pump £500 million into the city’s economy, and the Cross Tay Link Road, which Perth and Kinross Council see as a top priority.
Given there are around 50 projects included in the joint submission from the four neighbouring authorities, there will almost certainly be disappointment amongst the jubilation.
Some groups may have to brace themselves for a trick, rather than a treat this month.
And like Norman Bates, Perth will be heavily reliant on what it keeps hidden away in its basement.
Tay City money is needed for the £30 million overhaul of Perth City Hall and the Perth Museum and Art Gallery, to showcase the thousands of treasures, paintings and artefacts stored in the bowels of the museum.
Failing to secure money for these and other projects could be a real horror show.
