Psycho began with Robert Bloch's 1959 novel, which was loosely inspired by Ed Gein, a Wisconsin murderer and grave robber who had kept a room as a shrine to his dead mother. Paramount's studio readers had rejected the premise, but Hitchcock's assistant Peggy Robertson read a positive review and passed the book on. Hitchcock bought the rights for $9,500 and reportedly tried to buy up every copy to protect the twist. Paramount refused his usual budget, so he offered to finance the film himself and shoot it cheaply in black and white with his television crew, in exchange for a 60% stake in the negative. Paramount accepted the deal.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.