Firstly, I am going to analyse the: setting, lightening and the use of pathetic fallacy in the shower scene. The shower scene takes place in the bathroom of an isolated cabin. Marion goes into the sparkling white bathroom and steps into the shower, this is where pathetic fallacy begins, (pathetic fallacy is the idea of atmosphere and mood being reflected in the weather or setting),the atmosphere is calm, the room is brightly lit ,it is the light white colour that creates the scene mood; white is a symbolism of pure, safe and clean because the room is brightly lit the audience will feel safe, she starts taking a shower until the figure enters, the mood of the room starts to change from bright to dull, dull as in dark, bad and horror the audience will feel that something is about to happen the use of pathetic fallacy is useful in a horror film because it indicates to the audience that something strange or unusual is going to happen.
As well as analysing the use of pathetic fallacy, I am also going to analyse the use of dramatic irony. Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something the character does not. Dramatic irony occurs in the shower scene where Marion is having a shower, suddenly a figure enters the room, we immediately see the figure come in whilst Marion is still taking the shower and doesn’t even know the figure has entered. The use of dramatic irony builds up tension for the audience, because we know something the character doesn’t. As the audiences back then, they would be screaming and shouting to help Marion because she is in trouble.
Secondly, I am going to analyse the music and sound effects used in the shower scene. As soon as the killer tears back the curtains, the eerie, screechy famous music composed by Bernard Herrman using stringed instruments begins. As the killer comes closer, the eerie, screechy music gradually gets louder and faster creating a horrifying and unsettling atmosphere as well as tension. Audience back then would be terrified but also would be screaming and shouting to Marion as she is in trouble. The use of the music in the shower scene is extremely effective because it creates tension and horror at the same time.
Moreover, the shower scene has a range of sound effects; the amplified sound of the toilet flush, the amplified sound of the water and the amplified thud of Marion to the ground. All these have been amplified to make the audience feel as if they are in the shower with her and also to create more strength and loudness for a more effective effect. Also Hitchcock has used a really clever technique by using a melon; he used a melon called the ‘Casaba Melon’ to create the slashing and stabbing sound because the sound of the melon sounds like someone being stab and slashed therefore Hitchcock used a melon sound to replace the knife sound.
Thirdly, I am going to analyse the camera angles that Hitchcock has used. Different camera angles can have different effects on what the audience will think and feel, for example a low angle shot can be thought as threatening and feel scared because of the position the person is in.
Hitchcock has used a wide range of different angles, since his film is a horror film, then we are most likely to see close ups and extreme close ups shots to show the expressions of the object more close up. There are several close up shots of Marion in the shower scene, there is a extreme close up of Marion mouth screaming this is showing her expression more closer and show how much pain she is going through by a zoomed in shot
audiences would view the shot a terrifying moment, after the stabbing there is an extreme close up is of Marion’s eye to show her expressions more closer because the eye zoomed in does not move meaning she is dead zooming out even more to confirm that she is really dead. Close ups and extreme close ups are used in horror films mainly to give the audience more tension, to make them view a terrible or horrifying sight so it brings them more close to the action.
Finally, I will be analysing: the killer, the special effects and the use of iconography. The killer is the object that is creating the tension between the audience and Marion in the shower scene, the killer is: dark, scary and blurred. The killer moves slowly and calmly in a zombie like fashion, his figure is blurred and dressed darkly so that the audience can’t see the who the figure actually is, but as he comes closer his figure becomes more clear, this is another technique that Hitchcock has used to give the audience some more tension.
Moreover, Hitchcock has used some special effects in his film, he replaced Bosco Chocolate Syrup as the blood in the shower scene which is another really effective technique used by Hitchcock which in this case is also classed as iconography; iconography is the objects, ideas and colours you expect to find in a specific genre i.e. the knife and the blood for the genre of horror. The knife is held up for the audience to see making the audience horrified, the blood is shocking; like a river of blood, audiences back then would be shocked and stunned because of what they are seeing, creating a horror sight for the audience. Last but not least, symbolism, symbolism in a film can represent lots of different meanings particularly in a horror film. In this film Marion’s blood is going down the drain this is the symbolism in this film because it represents Marion’s life being washed away and down into the plughole, which would make the audience think and feel in different ways.
Overall, Hitchcock has used a wide range of techniques to create tension and horror in his film. He has used: lightening to create different atmospheres: he has used music to create tension and horror at the same time, he has used special effects and sounds effects which was really useful for the film without the special effects and sound effects the film would not be as effective and camera angles, camera angles have a big effect on how we think of the film without the effective camera shots, we would not be able to express our thoughts and feelings. He has used all of these to create tension and horror in many different ways, therefore has created a powerful and effective film.