Alfred Hitchcock uses many techniques to build horror and suspense in 'Psycho'
Alfred Hitchcock uses many techniques to build horror and suspense in 'Psycho'. He does this with camera shots, lighting, plot twists, sound and many other devices to create a unique feeling of tension in this film. He plays on horror stereotypes like the big, dark, lonely house on a hill in the rain as Marion approaches, who happens to be an attractive young woman. He also plays with the aspect of black and white, which highlights shadow and light in each shot. There is also the revolutionary idea Hitchcock used in which he used a lack of visual effects and more psychological imagery to create effective horror in his time.
There are three key scenes in 'Psycho' in which Hitchcock manipulates feelings of anxiety in his audience. The first of these is the parlour scene. In this first scene we see two characters: Norman and Marion. The couple have an awkward conversation over supper, referring to traps, mother, and the ominous birds that populate the walls. The camera shots involved are almost exclusively shot reverse shot, which captures the changing conversation between Norman and Marion. The camera also builds uncomfort, as the simple eye-level shots turn into low-angle, unnatural shots of Norman, as he progressively looms over Marion throughout the dialogue.
Lighting is used cleverly in this scene to contrast the 'good and evil' between the two characters. Whilst Marion is shown in an angelic full light, lit from all directions, Norman is shown in an eerie under-glow, casting half his face into shadow. This is a symbolic representation of his split personality: the light and innocent side of Norman, with the dark and evil side of mother, shown on one face.
The birds have a significant role in this scene. This use of proxemics shows them looming over him, like his mother looms over his life, watching the conversation take place. They are also representative in that all of these birds are birds of prey. Maybe it is to suggest that Norman is one of these predatorial birds, and Marion is soon to be his prey. The key bird featured is an owl over Norman, which is a nocturnal hunter. Norman, or mother, killed Marion at night whilst she was most vulnerable.
Their talk turns to mother surprisingly ...
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The birds have a significant role in this scene. This use of proxemics shows them looming over him, like his mother looms over his life, watching the conversation take place. They are also representative in that all of these birds are birds of prey. Maybe it is to suggest that Norman is one of these predatorial birds, and Marion is soon to be his prey. The key bird featured is an owl over Norman, which is a nocturnal hunter. Norman, or mother, killed Marion at night whilst she was most vulnerable.
Their talk turns to mother surprisingly often, as we begin to see Norman's affection for her.
"A boy's best friend is his mother."
This shows us his curiously devoted relationship, in which he seems to only ever talk to his mother, denying himself of any friends. When Marion suggests that he put his mother away 'some place' (referring to a mental institution), he reacts very seriously to this. He is very against this because he knows that in reality he cannot do this, and if he could, he wouldn't be able to live without her. They also have an interesting conversation about traps.
"We're all in our own private traps."
This is a curious statement because before this Norman seems to be happy living with his mother in this strange and remote place. He also manages to let slip some insight into his poor mental health.
"We all go a little mad sometimes."
This ominous remark puts Marion on edge, because it reflects her random and unplanned stealing of the $40,000. Their body language also shows their differences in attitude to each other. While Marion sits down on the sofa and delicately eats her supper, Norman is constantly shuffling forwards and backwards in his seat. This shows he is very nervous and on edge with this strange visitor.
The next crucial scene of 'Psycho' is the infamous shower scene. This scene is a famous directorial masterpiece in film history. It is most well known for its crucially playing sounds, both diagetic and non-diagetic. Hitchcock cunningly uses the rhythmic drone of the shower's running water to lull us into a false sense of security, before launching into Bernard Herrman's stabbing violins which have given 'Psycho' its name. The shower begins right at the start of this scene, and continuously plays throughout, adding fluidity to it, through diagetic sound. Once the murder of Marion begins (a well-planned red herring), the high pitched violins begin. They seem to stab every time the knife plunges into her, almost drowning out her screams. However, as mother leaves the room abruptly, the strings backing the scene change to a deep and low tune, slowly fading until her death. It helps to symbolise the life draining from her.
The camera angles used in this scene are also a key technique used. It initially consists of close-ups of Marion in the shower, and then a shot of the showerhead. The camera then switches to a medium shot including Marion in the corner, before an ominous-looking shadow appears in the doorway, approaching. Of course, the attacker's face is obscured by the translucent material of the shower curtain, before the camera zooms in on the face of the mysterious character, although it is hidden in shadow. This obscuring of the assailant helps mask their identity, as well as adding to the uncertainty of the scene. What follows is a montage of close-up shots and shot reverse shots of both mother and Marion from varying angles. This is basically where the director edits together several different shots in quick succession, to give a sense of confusion. It also helped to get around censors when it was first released, because even though you do not see any nudity or violence at all, the fast shots leave you in the belief that you saw things you actually didn't. After several fast swaps and changes in the focus of the camera, we are shown mother suddenly leaving in a rush, allowing Marion to die dramatically by herself. There is an extreme close-up of Marion's hand gripping at the shower curtain with her last ounce of strength. But, as we watch, the curtain fails to hold her and is pulled from its pole, Marion falls solemnly to the floor. The camera then zooms to the plug hole, and closes in on the water rolling down into its dark depths. This picks on a crucial recurring idea of bottomless holes and the horror that goes with the uncertainty of what they contain, which is also reflected in the swamp, the basement, and of course eyes. The shot of the plug hole then cross-fades into Marion's out of focus eye, before slowly zooming back out, to show her dead and naked body lying on the floor.
A third important factor of this scene is the lighting. The dubious shadow which is nearing our main character is given added tension by the simple fact that Marion cannot see it coming. If she could, she wouldn't have any more ideas as to who it is than us. Once the curtain is drawn, we are left in further dismay, as we realise we still can't see her face. There is just a silhouette around her figure, highlighting her hair and clothes only, misleading us to think that it is actually mother. This was one of the reasons why 'Psycho' was so revolutionary. It's not what his audience sees which is scary, but what they think they see. This gives birth to ideas and feelings of suspense. These shadows work well especially because they contrast with the illumination of Marion as she showers in apparent innocence with high-key lighting. Once again these pick upon classical 'good and evil'.
