Film

Review
Psycho

Figure 1 Pscho Poster

Psycho directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1960 is one of Hitchcocks most influential and famous horror
films. Psycho was based on the gruesome real life murder case of Ed Gein also known as the Butcher of
Plainfield who murdered countless amounts of people, ransacked graves to wear their skin and turn
their bones into ornaments. Psycho has suspense from the start as the film is set up in a clear three act
structure with the viewer buying into what you think is the lead protagonist Marian Clark (Janet
Leigh) in act one as she steals $40,000 trying to make a getaway but makes a pit stop at Bates Motel,
only to discover that the main protagonist is in fact Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) in act two who
owns the Motel with his apparent ill mother. After Marian is murdered the film follows Norman and
completely switches into his story and psyche with a compelling closure in act three, which ties
everything together.


Hitchcock uses many impressive camera techniques to emphasise the grandeur of characters and
symbolise their emotions. An extremely close up shot is used on the police officer when he confronts
Marian as to why her car is pulled over which shows authority and menace and a steady cam shot is
used when Sheriff Arbogast is walking into the shop towards Marians sister which makes him feel
intimidating as it feels like he is walking through the camera towards the viewer.



















Figure 2: Close up shot of Police Officer

The use of musical score created by Bernard Herrmann to translate a sense of unease and suspense is
iconic in Psycho with the violin screech sound being pastiched many times as Hitchcock is supreme in
suspense with Psycho being one of the greatest at instilling unease from the score alone. Hitchcock
also uses effective techniques to get inside the heads of Marian and Norman as Marian is driving away
in her new car, internal dialog is overlaid with a steady cam shot of her face which shows her thoughts
ruminating, while Norman is locked away the voice of his mother is overlaid over a shot of his face
which is fantastic at showing his dissociative identity disorder as he believes whole heartedly that he
is his mother. Hitchcock also uses impressive dialog to add more mystery to the Bates home
as you never get to see inside the house, the viewer only hears Norman having passive aggressive
conversations with what you think is his mother.




















Figure 3: Iconic Shower scene with

Violin screech


The different edit cuts and transitions is expert at telling the story of Psycho, shots of Marians face,
then the bundle of money and back to her face again tells the viewer her intentions with the money.
As Marian is being stabbed to death in one of the most memorable moments in cinema history,
montage editing is used with very quick sliced edits which resonates the slices she is enduring as she
is being stabbed, Andre Dellamorte writes Hitchcock is a master at pacing, and the quick cuts in the
shower scene not only simulate seeing more than is on screen, but function as a form of violence itself in
terms of what has come before. Dellamorte (2015)

When Norman is detained for the murder of Marian as he is in the jail cell a very subtle fade transition
is used between Normans face and the mummified corpse of his deceased mother which again is
captivating at showing how unhinged Norman is.

Figure 4 Norman face with transition into Mothers Skeleton

It is very clear from many of Hitchcocks films that he is inspired by the human psyche and the
dangers of when the mind goes awry, Psycho in particular relates to psychoanalysis and has Fraudian
themes throughout. Sigmund Fraud was the invertor of psychoanalysis, which is a method to treat
psychopathology. Fraud splits the human psyche into three parts, the ID, the ego, and the superego,
Saul McLeod explains the id is the primitive and instinctual part of the mind that contains sexual and
aggressive drives and hidden memories, the super-ego operates as a moral conscience; and the ego is the
realistic part that mediates between the desires of the id and the super-ego Mcleod (2007)

In Psycho, Hitchcock uses Norman as the example of a psychopath with dissociative identity disorder
as his mother was very demanding and controlling, Norman took on her personality after he
murdered her for falling in love with a man, in the documentary The Perverts Guide to Cinema, Slavoj
Zizek Explains how Normans jilted mind relates to Frauds psychology The first floor indicates his
superego, where he keeps his mothers corpse, the ground floor indicates his ego and the cellar goes for
his id. This three interconnected layers of mind create a certain change when Bates carries the body from
the first floor to the basement Zizek (2006)

Hitchcock usually uses the theme of Psychopathology through subtext but in Psycho after Norman is
committed a detective explains exactly what is going through his mind Matricide is probably the
most unbearable crime of all... and most unbearable to the son who commit it, so he had to erase the
crime, at least in his own mind, so he began to think and speak for her, gave her half his life, At times
he could be both personalities carry on conversations... at other times the mother half took over
completely

It is probable that Hitchcock had the detective explain to the viewer exactly what was going on in the
twisted mentality of Norman as mental problems and diseases were not something that was
understood in the 60s and instead was something that was feared and not discussed.

Psycho is arguably Hitchcocks greatest works of art if not the greatest films in cinema history. Its
iconic soundscape paired with the phenomenal montage editing that switches between characters
storys and psyches keeps the viewer completely guessing and it easy to understand why that famous
shower scene is known worldwide weather you have seen the film or not.

It is no wonder that Hitchcocks famous silhouette or cameo appearances are hidden in the
background of his movies as he is branding himself with a signature denoting his credible talents to
film history and in Psycho also giving viewers a tease of his next blockbuster The Birds by showing
Normans infatuation with stuffed birds in his office. With Psycho Hitchcock has managed to break the
boundaries of what you think is the classic American home but shown something completely twisted
and dark, producing something that is timeless and has revolutionised the horror genre for years to
come.

Illustration List
Hitchcock, A. (1960) Figure 1. Psycho Poster
https://thehitchcockreport.wordpress.com/tag/janet-leigh/
Accessed on (25-01-17)

Hitchcock, A. (1960) Figure 2. Close up of cop
http://collider.com/psycho-50th-anniversary-edition-blu-ray-review/
Accessed on (25-01-17)

Hitchcock, A. (1960) Figure 3. Iconic shower scene with violin screetch

http://mysensiblefriend.com/?attachment_id=782
Accessed on (25-01-17)


Hitchcock, A. (1960) Figure 4. Normans face with Transition into mothers skeleton:
http://www.rogerebert.com/scanners/close-ups-a-free-association-dream-sequence
Accessed on (25-01-17)

Bibliography

Dellamorte, A. (2015) collider.com

http://collider.com/psycho-50th-anniversary-edition-blu-ray-review/
Accessed on (26-01-17)

Mcleod, R. (2007) simplypsychology.org
http://www.simplypsychology.org/psyche.html
Accessed on (26-01-17)

Fiennes, S. (Director). (2006). The perverts guide to cinema [Motion picture]. P Guide.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKH6FmPV1_o