Psycho; Analysis

In class, we watched the film Psycho, by Alfred Hitchcock.We deeply analyzed the iconic 'Shower Scene' in which the main character gets brutally murdered. 


I noticed that Alfred Hitchcock used fast paced shots to give the scene a tense, exciting, panic-y feel. The fact that the shots were fast, puts the audience on edge, and tells them that something dangerous is about to happen, if not already happening. Due to the lack of technology and props, this also made the scene seem scarier than it actually was, as at no point did the audience see the woman getting killed, or see the killer. We see the killer approaching as a shadow, her screaming, the killer holding up a knife, blood on the floor, and her falling to the floor, slowly. 


Hitchcock also effectively uses fast paced, loud music that usually makes the audience jump, this also adds a tense, shocked feel to the scene. The music matches the action of the murderer stabbing the main character, and this makes the murder seem more dramatic, horrifying and gruesome. The music is very unpleasant to the ear, and crescendo's in volume as the murder gets more intense.