Alfred Hitchcock’s:

Psycho

Kristina Franklin & Carter

Emory

Introduction/Background

• Released in 1960, Alfred Hitchcock’s

Psycho is well renowned as one of

the most notable and suspenseful

horror films in film history.

• The overall production took a mere

30 days.

Style/Composition:

• Within Hitchcock’s film team, Saul

Bass simply perfected the title

sequence using line swipes and

jagged lettering (seen in next slide)

• Above shows multiple examples of Saul’s opening sequence.• The idea of the rough lines, or the swipes is to give in the sense

of stress, mystery, and horror.• Is also personified almost perfectly with the orchestra music of

Bernard Herman. The two combined creates an atmosphere of shock and terror.

Opening Scene

Style/Composition:

• We are later presented with excellent

angular shots that are rather

unusual, yet powerful to the eye

when action takes place.

Style/Composition:

• Great source of lighting and shadow fixtures.• Camera is angled to give you the overview perspective.• The music timing and speed when Bates enters the shot shocks the

audience perfectly.

Marion’s reoccurring follower:

• Within the first moments after Marion

steals the $40,000, we are presented

with music from the title, and forced

to constantly guess who the killer is

prior to reaching the Bates Motel.

Marion’s suspects:• Highway Patrolman

• Audience members are left suspicious (as well as Marion) with the police as the killer (before the Bates Motel).

• We only presume he is the killer in the beginning because he leaves her, but then comes back to follow her.

Marion’s Occurring:• Thinking about the sequence with

the patrolman, what is especially

unusual on how he is presented to

us?

• If you can recall where was the

“watching” or “following” reused in

the film?

Taxidermy Shock:

• The biggest clue that gave away

Bates being the possible killer before

the murder was the shot focusing on

him in his study room, with his hobby

of taxidermy birds on the walls.

Taxidermy Shock:• Angle of the shot gives Bates a

sinister vibe.• The lighting and shadows played

a factor in the sense of him being the psycho.

Taxidermy Shock:

• What is, or are, the significance(s) of

Norman’s fascination with stuffed birds

and his hobby of taxidermy?

• Before the murder took place, were

their any certain “ticks” or “habits” that

stood out to Norman Bates’s character?

Soundtrack:

• Composed by Bernard Herman, the movie

stylized specifically around the frightening, eerie

atmosphere, and the sense of unease or hectic

theme.

• In other words, the soundtrack made the viewer

feel tension throughout the film, no matter what

scene it was, because the music still gave a

feeling of unrest or foreshadowing.

Soundtrack:

• Here, we will play the shower scene from the

movie so you have a clear example of the

distraught and tension of this scene (questions as

well!). However, the video will then play the scene

with not music, so you can get an idea of how

important and how much the soundtrack impacted

the movie for scenes like this:

• Video: Psycho: Shower Scene

Soundtrack:

• As you can tell, this movie heavily relied on

music to keep the blood running in our

veins, and sweat running down our backs.

• If it was your first time seeing this scene,

was it shocking to you? Why/why not?

• How did the music play and editing effect

the sense of terror in the shower sequence?

Discussion Time!• Were there certain shots that made you extremely

uncomfortable? If so, what scene and why?

• Comparing this movie to a modern genre of “Horror”,

what distinct points holds this one higher on the

scale (or if not, lower on the scale)?

• What scene(s) most portrayed foreshadow for an

upcoming event? What made it so compelling?

No Texting in class during discussion time!

THANK YOU!

AND REMEMBER!“A boy’s best friend is his mother.”

~ Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins)