The famous scary music of fast, scratchy violins is played at the very start of the film, alerting the audience immediately to the danger, fear and action they will be witnessing. This music recurs in various places, repeatedly creating fear in the audience and suggesting that something bad will inevitably take place. When Marion is packing her suitcase before running away with the money, the slow music clearly indicates danger. Also, when Marion is driving away with the money, the fast and frantic music is almost echoing her own inner thoughts and anxiety about the treacherous and illegal act she is committing. It also lets the audience know that something bad will happen to Marion as the direct consequence of her deeds. The slow driving is a contrast to the fast music, leaving the audience not only disorientated, but more importantly, scared. The music is so apparent that it begins to seem as thought the windscreen wipers are moving in time with it.
In the famous shower scene it is the various sounds that build up the suspense and tension. When Marion enters the clinically white bathroom, its stark brightness is a contrast to the dark and dismal lighting of the bedroom, office and world outside. She undresses and climbs into the shower, naked and vulnerable. Her washing herself can be seen as the cleansing of her soul, and the washing away of her sins. Instead of music, it is the sound of the continuous water that begins to make the audience feel uneasy. It can be gathered from all the previous scenes that Hitchcock only dwells on the relevant ones, so when Marion has been in the shower for quite some time, we begin to realise that something of significance will take place. The vulnerability she is in enables us to deduce that not only will this scene be significant, it will also be shocking. When ‘mother’ begins stabbing Marion, sharp bursts of music can be heard accompanied with the ‘squishy’ sounds the knife makes as it enters her body. Marion, after clutching onto the shower curtain, falls. And as she does so, the music stops, leaving only the sound of the water. The water signifies life and purity, and it washes away the blood that signifies death and impurity. Regardless off the tragic event that has taken place; the water carries on running and continues as usual, making the same sounds as it did before the murder. This makes the audience realise that although someone has just died, life will commence as it always does, which is an eerie feeling in itself.
These are just a few of the examples of the importance music and sound effects have in the role of developing suspense in ‘Psycho’.
At different times of the film, Hitchcock uses a range of camera shots in order to create particular effects.
When the money is first entrusted with Marion, we see it at a distance as she packs it away in her bag and leaves the office. Accompanied by Marion’s own nonchalant behaviour towards the money, we are lead to believe that it is insignificant. Even when the first close-up of the money is shown in Marion’s room, we, the audience, still don’t realise that she is intending to run away with it, we just assume that she has come home first before going to the bank. All this is merely because of the way the money was portrayed in the previous scene. The close-up does imply that the money is important, but we do not know that it is the money which shapes the rest of the film. However, the next close-up of the open suitcase soon enables us to realise that Marion’s intentions are less than noble. The close-up of the money reoccurs, and if the audience hadn’t acknowledged it previously, they are almost forced to notice it then. Although it does increase the suspense in the sense that the audience begin to wonder what Marion wishes to do with the money, it’s almost like spoon-fed suspense. It is as if Hitchcock is afraid that the audience may have missed the first close-up and would then be denied of the emotions he wished them to feel, so he does it again, just to make sure. The result of this is that Hitchcock arouses the audience’s curiosity by making it obvious that the money plays a very big role in the film.
The close-ups of Marion when she is driving away from her home lets the audience examine all her anxious facial expressions whilst listening to voice-overs of what is taking place elsewhere. These bring them closer to the ‘heroine’ and involve them in her thoughts and actions. The close shots of her with little clothes on also make the audience feel as if they know her on a personal level. All this is useful as it makes them react more when she is killed.
Hitchcock uses a lot of extreme close-ups to draw various sensations from the audience. When Norman is watching Marion undress, there are extreme close-ups of his eye. The audience is beginning to feel attached to Marion at this stage and this violation of her privacy angers them and makes them realise that Norman is up to no good. Hitchcock makes them believe that Bates is the ‘villain’, and when it appears to be mother who is the ‘villain,’ not the pervert Bates, they are surprised. Hitchcock is not prepared to let the audience feel as though they are right in any stage. When it comes to deciding who the villain is at the end, by making it Bates, the audience will be right, and by making it ‘mother,’ the audience will still be right…so he makes it neither and both…leaving the audience confused to the very end.
While Bates watches Marion, Hitchcock uses a ‘point of view’ camera technique to make the audience feel as though they are looking through Bates’ eye. This makes them feel uncomfortable as it’s almost as if they too are intruding into Marion’s privacy. It also leaves them in suspense, as it makes them wonder what he is planning to do to her.
When Marion enters the shower, she is vulnerable and defenseless. The audience know that something of significance will happen in this scene (as already discussed) but they do not know what. She looks up at the shower and Hitchcock uses the P.O.V angle again, making the audience feel that they too are in the confined space of the shower.
There were many types of camera angles Hitchcock could have decided to use when ‘mother’ enters the shower and kills Marion, so he uses a variety. When ‘mother’ enters the bathroom, the camera is facing Marion, so the audience can see ‘mother’ approaching. He could have chosen another angle, but he chose this so that the audience can know that someone evil is approaching but is helpless and unable to let Marion know. It is not obvious what the figures intention is, so once again, the audience are in brief but excruciating suspense. The camera angles switch from ‘mothers’ P.O.V, C/U’s and Marion’s own P.O.V which make the audience see a glimpse of who they perceive to be the evil old mother.
The strangest camera angle used in the film is when ‘mother’ stabs Abogast and he stumbles down the stairs, with his back still facing the bottom of the stairs. It seems to be from ‘mothers’ P.O.V but the camera moves along with Abogast as he falls. To be perfectly honest, I don’t know what Hitchcock was trying to achieve by doing this.
Like music and camera angles, editing also plays a vital role in creating the suspense in ‘Psycho.’
The opening scene is a pan shot of Phoenix, creating an aura of vast space and bustle. There are close-ups of Marion, partially clothed, with Sam. All this is in order to enable the audience to build a relationship with the ‘heroine’ and have a feel of the world in which she lives.
When Marion is frantically packing her suitcase, the camera shots cut between close ups of the money and suitcase, and close and medium shots of Marion and the room. This is in order for the audience to feel involved with Marion’s complicated life and in turn, both empathise and sympathise with her situation. The fast variation of camera angles is to emphasise Marion’s own anxiety and confusion. It also heightens the tension of the film.
The most important scene for editing is the shower scene. The music, camera angles and actions all come together harmoniously to increase the levels of fear and tension the audience will feel. The cutting rate is very fast and disjointed, in time with the sharp and rapid stabbings of the knife, together with the loud bursts of unnerving music and Marion’s horrific screams. This fast editing that switches between various camera angles make the audience think they can actually see the knife entering Marion’s flesh. In reality, they cannot as it was against the rules of The Hays Office. Hence Hitchcock succeeds in making innuendoes seem like reality.
The music, editing and camera angles all play vital roles in creating and moulding the suspense in ‘Psycho’. Naturally, other small factors also contribute to this complicated task. Marion drives in the rain with the headlights from cars on the opposite direction dazzling her. The harsh lights that shine on her face makes her appear to be in a vulnerable position. The rain, a now classic scenario for the tacky horror film adds to the tension and suspense the audience feel as Marion stops outside a dubious looking Motel in the dark. Norman Bates seems innocent and quirky until he invites Marion for dinner. It is too friendly for a complete stranger to suggest this, especially in the middle of the night in an empty hotel. This makes Norman’s intentions questionable, and in turn, makes the audience wary of him. The stuffed birds in his parlour add to these suspicions as the lighting casts an eerie glow on his face.
Hitchcock also uses dialogue to create suspense. Norman initially seems like a nervous but innocent man. His naïve tone of voice changes when the subject is changed to his ‘mother’. “You mean an institution? A madhouse?” This is said quickly and defensively, and he begins to talk of the treatment patients receive in mental hospitals. Although he claims it is his mother who is crazy, he talks of the hospitals passionately, as though he has had personal experiences there.
Norman’s house looks like the traditional haunted house, with steps leading up to the daunting front door. Like the rain and the dark, it creates a spooky atmosphere, and the audience know that something frightening will occur in that very location.
Hitchcock is more interested in creating suspense than shocking his audience. During Abogast’s death, it would have been more shocking if ‘mother’ had jumped out of nowhere and killed him. Instead, the door opened slowly while the audience writhed in their seats, wanting to warn Abogast before it was too late. Both shocks and suspense are short lived, with suspense only lasting slightly longer. It may have been a better idea for Hitchcock to use a combination of the two instead of dealing with only suspense.
Since this scandalous film that dealt with madness, obsessions and matricide in a depth previously unexplored, there have been hundreds more, and hence ‘Psycho’ is considered to be the beginning of a new genre. Many of the techniques were either new or not even considered to be used in that context. Even before the film was released, the audience were in suspense as to what it was about. There were no previews, no launch campaigns or reviews. When the film was finally released, people were only allowed to watch it from the very beginning. The cast and crew were sworn to secrecy about the plot and people who had seen it after it was released were advised not to tell those who hadn’t. There were strict rules about not allowing people to enter after the film had commenced. All this created suspense for the audience before they even walked into the cinema, and Hitchcock managed to sustain this suspense until the final scene.
