• Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

What Techniques does Hitchcock use to make 'Psycho' an effective Horror Film?

Extracts from this document...

Introduction

What Techniques does Hitchcock use to make 'Psycho' an effective Horror Film? The plot for the film 'Psycho' was unlike any horror movie that had gone before it. It is at first about a woman who steals money from her boss, and then tries to run away to her lover. This would have deceived the audience easily, because in 1960 (when the film was released) there was no one to reveal the plot over the Internet or by any other means. Around a quarter the way through the film, though, there is a dramatic twist in the plot. Before she reaches her lover's house though, the main character stops at a deserted motel off the main road. There is no-one else staying there. The manager of the motel (Norman) seems very friendly with her, but he seems to have a strange relationship with his mother, who lives in the old house near the motel. ...read more.

Middle

This adds to the atmosphere and seems to add momentum to each strike. The fast cuts as the knife strikes builds up a sense of the knife stabbing. The camera angles are slightly skewed and they do not show all the action, giving an uncomfortable feeling. The lighting is from behind the killer, making them totally dark and much more foreboding. In Norman's room in the hotel there are several stuffed birds. These sinister creatures add a strange atmosphere to the room, as does Norman's statement 'its more than a hobby'. Also, towards the end of the film, when the body of Norman's grandmother is found in the basement of the old house effective methods are used. The camera shows the back of the body, and when she is turned around it zooms in on the skull, emphasising the fright and surprise of seeing the dead body. ...read more.

Conclusion

Also people may drift in and out of watching a movie on TV or video but Hitchcock insisted that if anyone missed the start of the film they were not to be allowed into the cinema, as he felt that his film was not complete without the beginning. So 'Psycho' has lost a large amount of its effect over the years. My personal view of 'Psycho' is that it is an excellent film, especially for the time when it was made. Hitchcock is obviously an exceptional and special director, and he was doing things in film which had never been done before, and crossing lines in what was acceptable in society. Even today 'Psycho' is a superb and stirring film, action packed and surprising, so in its time it must have been an amazing and stunning experience, which would have made a lot of people think. For example it was the first film that showed that the guy next door could be a killer. ...read more.

The above preview is unformatted text

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our AS and A Level Plays section.

Found what you're looking for?

  • Start learning 29% faster today
  • 150,000+ documents available
  • Just £6.99 a month

or


Not the one? Search for your essay title...
  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

See related essaysSee related essays

Related AS and A Level Plays essays

  1. How does Brian Clark make use of dramatic techniques to make the audience sympathise ...

    This creates sympathy for Ken because John is very fun loving, active and enjoys going out. It allows the audience to empathise with Ken as they can feel his frustration that he is no longer able to do the things he wants.

  2. Analyse the opening of the horror film 'Scream'

    The first phone that Casey uses is the static phone; when she answers the phone for the first time. When she uses the cordless phone this shows a sign of Casey not being safe because with the static phone you stay in the same place and it is attached to something but with a cordless you are loose.

  1. "In 'Psycho' how has Alfred Hitchcock created tension throughout the film and what effect ...

    Lila hides on the stairs to the fruit cellar. We are willing Lila not to go down to the cellar for our instincts tell us something sinister is down there. As Lila approaches Mrs. Bates from behind, the tension rises because every step closer she moves to the figure, the expectation that something will happen mounts.

  2. In a 1963 interview, following the phenomenal success of "Psycho" Hitchcock agreed with his ...

    It begins with Milton Arbogast, a private detective, hired by Sam Loomis to search for the missing Marion. He has seen the motel house and tries to investigate: some lights are on suggesting someone is at home. Because the audience has seen the story right from the beginning they too

  1. In what ways is "Psycho" (Alfred Hitchcock) a film for the modern audience? ...

    This immediately fixes death into a person's mind, because church bells are played at funerals. The music at the very beginning is also very important and very cleverly used, because it holds contradictions of its very own. We see Sam and Marion in bed, so we assume that they are happy.

  2. How does Q. Tarantino use different film elements to make the audience want to ...

    The monotone in the opening scene of Kill Bill creates a specifically dramatic effect. It tells the audience that the events happening are serious; the black might mean that somebody will be killed, murdered as black represents death. On the other hand the situation might not be as fatal as

  1. Compare two film trailers and analyse the techniques and devices they use to be ...

    The action scenes begin, and the audience immediately begins to watch the trailer more carefully as it is more eye-catching, as it flicks from one exciting scene to another. One of the best scenes in the trailer is when Russel Crowe is in a chariot and the horse is running

  2. How do the film makers of 'Chicken Run' use presentational devices to reveal the ...

    This shows that Ginger is a unique and popular chicken as none of the others have this. It also makes her look homely and it is humorous that a chicken is wearing a hat and scarf; it also helps the audience see the characters as being like people.

  • Over 160,000 pieces
    of student written work
  • Annotated by
    experienced teachers
  • Ideas and feedback to
    improve your own work