Hitchcock's Psycho Essay

Fourth, Robin Wood tells us, "A Hitchcock film is an organism, with the whole implied in every detail and every detail related to the whole" (Boyd 6). Through these four aspects, we can see that Hitchcock typically opts to show unsettling scenarios that can be seen as much in the intricacies of the film as in the entire premise. So, this sets the stage so that we, the audience, may know to look deeper into his films than just what is portrayed on the surface.

Creepy settings, monsters, victims, murders, weapons,eerie vibes, and creepy music are what define the horror movie genre. Two films that belong to this category are Frankenstein directed by James Whale 1931 and Psycho directed by Alfred Hitchcock 1960. They both properly represent the horror genre because they follow it’s characteristics. These two movies compare and contrast in their settings, characters, plot, iconography, mood, and cinematic style.

Universal Studios presents the 1960 film “Psycho” by Alfred Hitchcock, adapted from the Robert Bloch novel by Joseph Stephano, and scored by Bernard Hermann. The film stars Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, Janet Leigh, and a very creepy house. This film falling under the horror genre was based loosely on the novel of the same name which drew inspiration from real life serial killer Ed Gein, who has been the motivation for two other popular movies, “The Silence of the Lambs” and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. The budget for “Psycho” ran under one million dollars and was the last film on Alfred Hitchcock’s contract with Universal. The film was shot entirely on set at Universal studios except for an early shot of Marion Crane’s (Janet Leigh) vehicle parked on the side of the road when she was too tired to continue driving, as well as the car dealership. Due to the budget constraints the films crew were made up of mostly people who were working on the, “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” television show. The film is about a man named Norman Bates, who runs a motel owned by his family. Norman is a victim of his ill mothers love. His mother becomes violent when Norman’s attention has been detracted from her needs. This film is a study of character, suspense, and storytelling; all reasons this film is considered an American classic. This film is unique due to several factors: its presentation, it contained two different point of views (with an interpreted third point of view), and it has some

Another scene that’s important to dissect is the infamous shower scene where Marion is murdered by Norman’s “mother.” This scene is important because it again shows how Hitchcock is able to manipulate his audience. This one short scene has over 30 cuts that move in rapid succession from various angles. These tricks

Psycho is a 1960 American film directed by Alfred Hitchock. The screenplay of the movie written by Joseph Stefano was inspired by the novel of the same name by Robert Bloch on the year 1959. This film is categorized into the horror-thriller genre of film. The starring was Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates, Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, Vera Miles as Lila Crane and John Gravin as San Loomis.

In the movie, Rear Window, Alfred Hitchcock uses the story of a cripple free lance photographer, Jeff Jeffries, to explain the twisted sense of society in the 1950’s. Hitchcock uses clever things from the way the apartments are being filmed to the dialogue between Jeffries, Lisa, and Stella to show societies interest in pain, tragedy, and discomfort, and in the end you see how tragedy is what makes everyone happy.

Psycho changed the entire realm of horror movies as well, the different camera angles and styles of the movie changed the way movies in this genre were made after. This also caused the society to see horror movies in a different light.

Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho is a true masterpiece of a horror film. It is perfect in everything from unpredictable plot to music. However, Hitchcock’s Psycho is a notable film of horror and thriller genres due to excellent actors’ performances, interesting use of sound effects, well-crafted mise-en-scenes and realistic and complex characters.

Music has proven to be one of the most effective tools to aid films by helping the story flow and create emotional impacts within an audience. Hitchcock’s unorthodox and unique use of music is what creates the uneasy atmosphere of the film at the very beginning and it cues the audience to prepare for the upcoming scary scenes. The music is what arguably what holds the film together, without it the film would not hold up and there would not be as much suspense in this dramatic and psychological thriller. It’s the creepy music that makes Psycho such a memorable

Small elements of cinematography such as camera angles, shot durations, and camera focuses all help piece together the notion of seclusion in this film. Mise en scene plays a vast role in Rear Window, from editing to lighting, the mise en scene helps conclude the solitude Jeff feels in his apartment. Sound is another element in mise en scene, but plays a major role in Rear Window. Hitchcock uses mostly diegetic sounds in order to create a better version of reality for the audience, and help us feel the isolation that Jeff feels in this time of his life where he cannot leave his space. Overall, the cinematic language that is present in this film helps the audience understand the underlying themes that are present within the

“We all go a little mad sometimes,” and that could possibly be exactly how many feel after watching Psycho, released in 1960, and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock took a different route in terms of plot and structure for the typical Hollywood style. Psycho, like a young child never stops asking questions, it leaves us in a state of doubt and unbelief. It is classic horror, with the numerous jump scares leaving us at the edge of our seat, as every moment passes. Yet in the beginning, it 's seems to portray a rather classic form in a sense, a near-Aristotelian story. A woman who appears to be the main character in love, who is then faced with a problem, not enough money to marry her love, who then steals money to help build a future

Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window is a voyeuristic point-of-view (POV) style of filming. The point-of-view captures the intimate details of the neighbors lives through the view of Jimmy Stewarts character L. B. Jefferies (Jeff). Hitchcock set the tone for movies of the POV style. There are many films today that have used the same POV techniques, such as 2007’s Disturbia, directed by D.J. Caruso, who was inspired by Rear Window. Although the setting are different, Disturbia gives the audience the view from the aspect of a teenager, Kale Brecht (Shia LaBeouf), who under house arrest starts spying on his neighbors. When one night he watches his neighbor dispose of what he thinks is body (Cooper, 2012). These two movies while similar, differ as well. Rear Window, I felt for its time was somewhat risqué for its time period. The suggestion of intimacy with many of the neighbor’s and a young woman baring her back while changing. Hitchcock did a remarkable job of capturing the emotions and mise en scéne surrounding the main character Jeff in what is small area, the courtyard atmosphere that the adjacent buildings abut too, along with views through each neighbor’s rear window.

	In "Blackmail" it is the use of both sounds and visuals. Hitchcock managed to not take away from the visuals when incorporating sound into his films. The sound does not overwhelm the film so the viewer is still able to pay attention to the finite detail. A viewer does not miss the reoccurring image of hands reaching at Alice. The same with the glove being forgotten in the artist's studio, the place the murder took place. The sound in the movie improved upon what was already there.

Horror films are known for their ability to scare audiences, to get the audience’s hearts racing, their blood rushing. A good horror film will cause viewers to be on the edge of their seats and having their perception of reality distorted as they attempt to understand the unraveling plot of the horror film. The tone of the film aides in the amount of suspense that a horror film produces, since a much darker film will create a more suspenseful atmosphere than one that is more focused on campy monster makeup. But the tone of a film is determined by the sound of the film, or in other words, the score. Sound or music in a horror film, or the lack thereof, make the intense scenes and without the addition

In horror films, they often mix thematic music with Foley sounds to create a sense of suspense. In one of Hitchcock’s masterpieces, Psycho, the music is set to create an a most suspenseful mood and the iconic eek, eek, eek as the murder is carried