Hitchcock uses the low-angle shot in the tower scene to effectively make the tower appear larger than it already is, thus also making it seem more threatening. The scene being a POV shot shows that we are viewing the tower through Johnny’s perspective, and the fact that it is made to look taller gives the impression that Johnny’s vertigo is already occurring before he has entered the tower. In psycho, the silhouette shot of Marion’s murderer is also taken from a lower angle, which subsequently makes the killer seem even more threatening and terrorising, creating even greater tension and suspense. Hitchcock uses a point of view shot in both of these scenes. This connects us to the film, by forcing us to feel the tension in the scene as we connect it to happening to us as opposed to simply on a screen, thus making the tension stronger. Whilst also causing us to empathise with the characters in a negative way, by having no choice but to feel their anxiety and fear.
Hitchcock’s use of music in the shower scene is one of the most important additions to the tension created in that scene. The famous high pitch, discordant screeching sound played from violins is what causes the spine-chilling atmosphere in that scene and adds worry and suspense to the whole section. In the tower scene, when Johnny chases “Madeline”, the music becomes fast paced, although different in sound to the psycho noise, the jittery and speediness of the music in in the fact that it too adds suspense and tension to the situation.
In the shower scene, a lot happens very quickly and thus the motion is somewhat blurred. This creates tension as the speed and blurred vision make us unable to keep up and fully grasp the situation. Hitchcock also does this with vertigo when Johnny is running up the stairwell chasing after “Madeline”. The fact that the motion is blurred emphasises the pace and also creates a similar sense of worry as we feel more unaware of what is happening making everything feel more suspenseful.
Finally, Hitchcock manipulates the lighting to create tension in both scenes. In the shower scene, by using a lot of light during the sections of stabbing, we are once again forced to see and experience all of the suffering and fear that Marion does. This is done particularly through the use of the constant point of view shots of Marion staring her killer in the face, and even worse having to see Marion through the eyes of the killer herself. This contrasts to vertigo, where the lighting is made extremely dark and gloomy in the tower, giving more of a sense of mystery but also panic in the sense that where they are running to is unknown. Nevertheless, both manipulations of the lighting create suspense and tension in the audience.
To conclude, many parallels can be seen in the way in which Hitchcock creates suspense and tension in the shower scene and tower scene. Hitchcock uses many similar techniques such as the cinematography and music, that effectively achieve anxiety within the audience and maintain a suspenseful atmosphere.
