Film Review - Psycho

Psycho is a 1960 horror-thriller hybrid directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The story start off by following the 'heroine', Marion Crane, who steals some money and runs with it, planning to reunite with her boyfriend in another town. However, Marion never makes it to her destination as she is murdered in a hotel room, and the rest of the movie is spent trying to figure out where Marion is and who murdered her.

Fig. 1

One of the most interesting features of Psycho is that "Hitchcock's care with the scenes and dialog persuades us that Norman and Marion will be players for the rest of the film." (Ebert, 1998). However, 45 minutes into the film, our protagonist is killed off, leaving the viewer disorientated and confused. After following the story of this woman for nearly an hour, the direction that the film is going in drastically changes, which is what Hitchcock planned all along.

Fig. 2

Hitchcock's tactic for this film seems to be "slow buildups to sudden shocks" (Crowther, 1960), which works effectively, and is assisted by the use of camera shots. There are some masterful shots hidden in Psycho, like one particular scene where a private investigator is questioning Norman, and the camera focuses in on his neck. Using this shot really shows Norman's vulnerability and nervousness at being questioned because he is hiding the truth from the investigator. Hitchcock really focuses on where the camera is pointing and why, and this really pays off throughout the film.

Fig. 3

Not only are the camera shots something to focus on in Psycho, the music is celebrated also. The "stabbing string score" (Monahan, 2015) in the shower scene where Marion is killed unsettles the viewer and frightens them, even though there aren't actually any real signs of violence: the knife never makes contact with Marion's body, there isn't much blood, and there is never any sign of real wounds. This scene is iconic in the way it portrays the murder with no real violence, but terrifying music that leaves the audience on the edge of their seats.

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In conclusion, the making of Psycho has obviously been thought out very thoroughly, from the story, to the camera, and to the music. Hitchcock has made a stunning adaptation of Robert Bloch's original book that has been celebrated over the years.

Bibliography

Crowther, B (1960). "Psycho" in The New York Times [online]. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=EE05E7DF173DE273BC4F52DFB066838B679EDE

Ebert, R (1998) "Psycho" in Roger Ebert [online]. Available at: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-psycho-1960

Monahan, M (2015) "Psycho, review" in The Telegraph [online]. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/11025424/Psycho-review.html

Illustration List

Fig. 1 - https://johneaves.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/psycho-theatrical-release-poster-1960.jpg

Fig. 2 - http://www.coolimba.com/engine/static/articles/48-huge-mistakes-no-one-ever-noticed-in-major-movies-ge-bho/images/police_officer_marion_driving.jpg

Fig. 3 - https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9sahprCcFLRhBr3mCR02PfV4VQ7BSWk2qBMwI-HM4hkpPyf1BnubTEurdeFs-ucLj6Y9xYs1aIwcOhO-OYPWT-J2gVQJf7TbvlWdZQkgcVCLi3mMr-WC9YUehDRnSM0rmCtvyqFE6mvb/s1600/Psycho+7+Jaw.jpg

Fig. 4 - https://cdn.static-economist.com/sites/default/files/20171104_BKP509.jpg