Suspense in the cinema : Psycho.
I have studied Alfred Hitchcock’s famous thriller, “Psycho”. I chose a very small extract from the film, it contains a lot of suspenseful elements. These include intense music and camera shots.
Detective Arbogast is investigating a crime committed by Marion Crane, a woman who stole from the bank where she worked. Marion was last seen at motel in the middle of nowhere, Arbogast travelled to the motel to question Norman Bates, the owner. Whilst talking to Mr Bates, Arbogast becomes suspicious of the stories about his alleged elderly mother.
The extract I chose to study is set at the motel and house of Norman Bates. The house is gothic like situated on a hill, it’s only a minute walk from the motel. The fact that the house and motel were isolated and it was night time creates a feeling of suspense. If these had been the opposites to what they were, all the suspense would have been lost.