How does Alfred Hitchcock create tension and suspense in 'Psycho'?

How does Alfred Hitchcock create tension and suspense in ‘Psycho’?

‘Nasty, skilful and clever’. This is how one critic described Psycho at the time of its release. He/She recognised the film’s obvious power over the audience, and its ability to manipulate emotions and responses. ‘Psycho’ is an excellent example of how tension and suspense can be created, and how they can improve a film tremendously. Hitchcock uses all the classics horror codes (old houses, weather, dark, etc.) together with several tricks of his own, camera shots and angles, and twists the plot structure to create a very effective atmosphere an to produce a classic film. The mise-en-scene, the low/high angles, the clever lighting, the close-ups and the general style have been reproduced in many later films.

Three sequences that demonstrate the techniques Hitchcock uses to create tension and suspense are Marion’s drive up to the motel, the ‘Peeping Tom’ scene, and Lila’s walk down to the cellar.

The scene in which Marion drives up to the motel comes quite early on in the film. At this point the audience are expecting a crime film, as Marion has stolen $ 40,000, has been stopped once by a policeman, changed cars, and is in the process of making her getaway. All these things suggest a crime film. The scene consists of two shots, the road and Marion’s face; and alternates between the two.

The scene starts in daylight with a shot of Marion’s face. The road at this point is fairly busy and is in a seemingly quiet and civilised neighbourhood; it does not arouse fear and tension, on the contrary, in fact, it is almost a little too relaxing. The voices of various people we have met so far, the policeman, the car dealer, etc. are being played, talking in pairs about Marion, and her crime. These voice-overs are being played as Marion's thoughts. Of course she cannot know what these people are actually saying, and neither can we, but her evident guilt and anxiety is causing her to imagine the conversations. In each of the situations the characters come closer to finding out the truth. This makes the audience become tense, and produces a feeling of suspense, as, due to our experience of crime stories, we know that if the individuals she has left behind find her out, she will be in big trouble. We are waiting to see if they discover the secret, and we are concerned for Marion.

The first pair, the policeman and the car salesperson, are bemused and intrigued by her, their curiosity having been harmlessly aroused by her strange behaviour, so we are not particularly concerned by this, but the car dealer ends by saying ‘ The only funny thing, she paid me 700 dollars in cash…’

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This cliffhanger type ending makes us tense, and as we are not told what happens after this, especially so. After this we have another aural sequence involving Caroline, Marion's colleague, Lowery, Marion's employer, and Cassidy, owner of the money. They too are growing closer to the truth, and Mr. Cassidy is growing more and more passionate. Through the scene, Marion, as though reflecting our growing tension and concern, has been looking more and more tense and worried. Then, on hearing Mr. Cassidy say ‘…and if any of it’s missing I'll replace it with her soft, fine flesh!’, an amused look appears on her face, as though saying to herself ‘Oh yeah?’. This disconnects Marion from the speaking, making the voices seem a lot more real, as though this what the people are actually saying, rather than what Marion thinks they are saying. This disconnection and reality intensifies and magnifies the tension and suspense, making the situation seemingly more serious. We see this smile again in the next shot of Marion's face, when Mr Cassidy is exclaiming, ‘Hardly even looked at it! Plannin’! And - and even flirtin’ with me!’ These smiling, light-hearted expressions are very different to the worried, tense, anxious face Marion had on prior to Mr. Cassidy’s ‘soft, fine flesh’ statement’, and this rather sudden change adds to the tension by making us feel uneasy. The title- ‘Psycho’ begins to play in our minds. Could Marion be the psycho? It would explain this sudden change of emotion. This again adds to the tension, as up to now we have been sympathetic and worried for Marion.

As our minds have been pre-occupied with the voices we have failed to notice that it has been growing steadily darker. The car, and the edges of her face have fallen into shadow, and the camera has gone from medium close-up to close-up, zooming in on Marion’s face. This combination of lighting and camera shots creates tension because, as they are now literally larger, her expressions seem far more intense, almost exaggerated or out-of-control. Also, as her face is filling the screen, we cannot see what is behind her, and this too adds to the tension, as there maybe someone or something in the back. It has started to rain, so the view of the road ahead is blurred, and the oncoming headlights seem to merge together, making them seem more distant The music, the running music from the beginning has been playing throughout the drive, fading to almost nothing during the dialogue, then coming back during the gaps. The music has the feel of the chase, and, at the present the film has a crime theme, it suits the getaway drive very well. On the mental plain, the people talking in Marion's thoughts have been growing closer and closer to realising what has happened; they have been catching up with her, and, though in a different sense, we had been catching up on them. Marion now changes back from the slyly smiling to the nervous and worried Marion we had before, only more so. She seems to be exhibiting symptoms of being pursued. Just as a fox becomes more anxious, tired, and stressed towards the end of a hunt, so Marion appears to become.

As the music reaches a crescendo, the rain grows heavier, and the speaking stops altogether. The windscreen wiper, slashing furiously at the blurred image of the road, seems to echo the piercing notes of the tune. The knife-like stabbing motions of the wiper cause the lights to appear brighter, high-lighting the stabbing wiper. The glare causes Marion to flinch, then close her eyes altogether, shielding her from the brightness. When she opens her eyes again, almost all the lights are gone, and the music has stopped. All we can hear is the sound of the sound of the rain. The lack of music and cars emphasizes the now obvious fact - she is lost - she is alone. The film has now turned clearly into a horror. We have the horror codes characteristic of typical horror films, used to create tension. Darkness and night is one of these codes, as at night most people are asleep in bed, so the person is more alone. It is easier to hide at night, in shadows and places that would be well lit in sunlight. Also, it is unnatural for a diurnal creature such as a human to be out at night; they are doing something wrong. Another code is bad weather, which can add to danger, and create an unpleasant situation. Again, it adds to isolation, as fewer people are around. The effect of these horror codes is to make the audience tenser still, as they will recognise the codes and know what to expect. The change in itself adds to the tension, as change can bring about insecurity.

As Marion looks about, she still seems tense, biting her lip in thought, but certainly more relaxed than she was before. A bright road sign appears ahead, advertising the ‘Bates Motel’, and becomes clearer and clearer as she approaches. The windscreen wiper, which before was picked out by the headlights is now just black, although it still retains the look of a stabbing knife, perhaps hinting at some hidden danger. As Marion drives up to the bungalow type buildings, the lights are on in the office, but when she gets out of the car and goes inside, nobody’s there. This adds to the feeling of isolation. Marion goes outside again and looks round the corner towards the old house on the hill above the motel. Old houses are another characteristic of horror films. They are intimately associated with ghosts, as they have a long history about which less will be known than modern houses, And if the house has been changed over the years, there is the possibility of hidden spaces, with things sealed up in them. The house almost fills the screen, looming above her from a low angle shot. It makes the house seem powerful and dominant, and almost watchful. A close-up on Marion reveals an innocent, searching look. A close-up on the house, and now one corner fills the whole screen, focusing on the brighter of two windows, in which a silhouette is standing. Marion’s face turns to a confused expression, and the worried look from the drive begins to creep back in. The audience are again concerned for Marion, but this time because the horror codes seem to pointing out danger, and she is unaware of it; the concern is deeper than before as there is a possibility of death.

The ‘Peeping Tom’ incident uses different ways of creating tension and suspense. It comes just after Marion has talked with Norman n the office. The audience is now wary of Norman, as he has shown some unpleasant characteristics, but Marion doesn’t seem too worried, only a little startled as the seemingly sweet and innocent Norman exhibited some stranger behaviour in the parlour, which shows that all is not what it seems. In her comfort, she has let slip her real name. Norman picks up on this and goes to check the visitor’s book, where her pseudonym is written. This ensures that we are all aware of the slip up, as anyone who had forgotten the difference is now reminded of the fact. This makes us tense and wary, as Norman now knows that Marion is hiding something. Norman smiles when he reads the false name, a slightly sinister smile that makes the audience even more uncomfortable, and so increases the tension. He goes into the parlour, and stands next to the end wall. The shot shows him face on, in front of the window. The great stuffed owl with outstretched wings appears to be hovering above his shoulder, level with his ear as though whispering to him. The owl represents our present thoughts and views about his mother, a jealous, sour, old, watching figure, predatory, like the bird. There is more in common between the owl and Norman’s mother than we know, as they have both been stuffed by Norman, in order to preserve them. The owl appears to loom over him, dominant. The low angle shot shows the powerful bird and its shadow behind Norman makes us think that there is something more powerful, something dangerous, beneath Norman’s innocent, childish, and rather puny appearance and immediate character, and adds to the tension.

He seems to be looking at the owl out of the corner of his eye, as though he is about to do something for which it will punish him, but then he could be looking at the wall, behind which Marion is getting ready for bed. The next shot is of a painting hanging next to Norman. It is of a near-naked woman, with only a piece of cloth over her, affording her some modesty. Two bearded, light-haired men are holding her, one pins down her arms while the other is pulling at the cloth she is attempting to hold down with a leg. Her other hand is raised to the sky, as though appealing for help, and the second man has his hand on her hip. The look on the woman’s face is one of despair, and we assume she is being raped. This picture serves to increase the suspiciousness of Norman’s character, and to increase the tension, as one does not tend to put pictures like that on one’s walls. Does Norman like this picture? He does pause and look at it, is this his guilt stopping him, or does he have an interest in the subject of the painting? He takes down the picture to reveal a hole drilled in the wall. Light is shining through it. We realise almost immediately that this is a peephole, and that he must make a habit of this, to have the hole drilled and ready. We remember that he hesitated over which room to put Marion in, before deciding on the one with the hole. This man is twisted, our minds are saying, he has a sick and perverted mind. We do not realise that it is twisted further than this. He watches Marion take off her top, revealing her black underwear. Here we have a massive close-up of Normans eye. This makes him seem very powerful, and so very threatening, increasing the tension. Marion, on the other hand, is made even more vulnerable by the fact she is wearing less than normal, so there is less between her and him; she has less to protect herself with, increasing the tension and suspense yet further. Then she puts on her dressing gown, and Norman turns away, as if realising his sin, or as if a spell has been broken. Above him, one of the owl’s outstretched wings is visible. It points in the direction of the door, and the house. Norman turns again. The wing is now in line with his line of vision. He rushes out the door. AS he does so the light from the window throws half of his face into shadow, while the other half is lit up. This reflects his mental position, half dark and sinister, half light and innocent. He goes out of the office, and pauses, looking towards the house. Then we see his facial expression. It is determined, as if he has made his mind up about something. We then see his dark figure going up the hill back towards the house that looms above him like the owl, back to the mother who looms above his life.

I believe the film ‘Psycho’ is a brilliantly masterminded piece of cinematography. It works well to produce a tense and clever atmosphere that is very effective and produces perfect results with a variety of interesting techniques.