Psycho By Alfred Hitchock- Media Coursework

Psycho

Psycho directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1960 became famous for being the first psychological horror film. It was filmed in black and white nevertheless it was very new, shocking and still scares audience today.

In contrast to modern films which are very violent, there is only little blood or violence in Psycho. That makes the film atypical and original. It uses audience's imagination and forces them to think for themselves. All them features cause the film is still considered to be a classic nowadays.

I'm going to briefly describe how Hitchcock increases the tension in the last section of the film which is placed between Lillian and Sam's arrival at Bates' motel and capture of the PSYCHO.

At the moment of couple arrival the tension is already above normal. The audience know about previous murders and they're worried about Lillian and Sam's fate. They are desperate to find out what happened to Marian and Arbagast. Lily believes that their last chance is to talk to mysterious Bates' mother.

The tension rises as she's walking up the hill. Hitchcock uses all range of camera, sound and light tricks to create an impression of oncoming danger. The old, sinister gothic house in an example of using visual image. It's shape reminds of a face. It's bright windows look like eyes- they observe everything and stare ominously at walking girl.

In turn it's doors seems to be a mouth. This is threatening because it suggests that Lily is going to consumed by the house. As we can easily forecast the tension increases as the distance between Lily and the house is getting shorter. The house is lit from behind, but we can't see the sun- it's hidden behind the building. That feel like the house shine with it's own light unlike the girl who is lit from the front. She looks blinded, squint her eyes to see anything. She also look very weak and innocent, her face is very bright in contrast to the house. That gives the audience a simple impression: the sinister, dark house is a bad character, the girl- the good one.

The way Hitchcock uses the camera is strongly suggestive as well. He uses wide-angled shots, which means that he shows the hill and the house from very low points. That make the building looks even more frightening. His other tension- increasing trick is showing images from Lillian's view. Seeing what she sees, the audience feel more like her. They feel like it's them who walk up the hill, getting closer to the house's mouth. The audience share Lillian's feelings; her fear and anxiousness. "Becoming" her, they also cannot see what's behind her. This makes them feel saying "turn around Lilly! He might be coming!" but they can't do it and Lillian actually doesn't turn around, she seems to be hypnotize by the house. As she's approaching it, music "works" on the level of tension as well. Sustained, ascending melody fastens audience's pulse. It gives a nasty, anxious feeling that something very bad is going to happen. There is no narrator as well. Everything depends on clues that come from sound, image, light and audience's imagination.

As the girl opens the door the audience think it's going to be a climax moment. The music become very high pitched; tension jumps up suddenly, but then goes back down as if it wasn't so high at all.

Doors are very important in this film. Nobody knows what is behind, which successfully forces audience to think. As we all know, things we don't know affect the imagination and seem to be more terrific then they are in practice. Doors in Bates' house creak a lot. This reminds the audience of old, gothic castles linked to stories about vampires and warewolfs.

Being inside of the house, and then- in Bates' mother's room, Lillian is alone and isolated in a dangerous situation. After she shuts the door in mother's room, she cuts her way out, she could be caught at any moment.

As far as that goes, the audience suspect that it is the mother who's PSYCHO.(We saw a woman killing Marian in the bathroom). There is a lot of tension related to mysterious about her. She migt be the killer, but in the meantime we find out thet she died with with her friend 10 years ago (murder+ suicide). The bodeful history of the house doesn't make the tension goes down. Audience starts to wonder if PSYCHO isn't a ghost story. Mother can't be dead- she's been seen at the window!

All them thoughts whirl in public's heads making them as confused as Lillian searching for Bates mother.

There is all range of tension- rising features in her room. There is a wardrobe full of woman's clothes, a bed of trace of somebody's body and Chest of drawers which emblem a everlasting love, even after death.

Hitchcock uses a symbolic language a lot. The door and chest of drawers are just two instances for that. One of my favourite Alfred's tricks is the way he presume mirrors in his story.

Once Lillian is looking around the room, her eyes meet the mirror.The music suddenly stops which make the audience jump. They can also hear Lillian, as she's taking a deep, slow breath in. This gives us an idea about how fearful she was. There are two mirrors in the room, hanging on opposite walls. Looking in one of them,

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