Psycho (1960) – Fear Ride

Psycho movie is an American horror film which has been directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock. This movie is based on the novel which has been written by Robert Bloch in 1959. This movie stars Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin and Janet Leigh. This film turns out to be a keen enjoyment and a great exception.

The story runs behind, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) who steals money from her seniors and then skips the town. She drives for hours, then, exhausted and nervous, stops in a remote area at the Bates Motel, run by Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). Norman is quite cheerful, but he's nervous and hiding something. This behavior of Norman keeps the audience linked with the movie. He invites Marion to share some dinner with him and mentions his overbearing mother who stays in the adjoining mansion. Norman's hobby is preparing or stuffing the skin, and he also happens to have an extra key to Marion's room.

There follows one of the most dreadful murders and it takes place in a bathroom and involves a great deal of swabbing of the tiles and flushing’s. This murders and everything was an ugly shot. Psycho is not a long film. The director has done a tremendous job of technical effects; perhaps because it is difficult, and he has also given importance to each and every character.

Now let’s talk about the quality of movie. Everything about this film is perfect, from the gorgeous black and white cinematography to every single performance, to the famous Bernard soundtrack which can even horrify you, to some of the most suspenseful and frightening scenes ever filmed. There is some real violence in this film, but it's not at all explicit, making it in some ways scarier this movie has a mixture of various levels.  It's truly scary, but it's also a psychological mystery and a couple of different kinds of love story. All the performances are excellent, and the screenplay is on the top, but Hitchcock is the real star, in each and every frame it keeps on manipulating the viewers, making it pitch perfect for– there's always something new to see. The bestest part in the movie was the shower scene.

The extract begins with a character writing and then evaluating a sheet of paper which then she rips the piece of paper, starting the scene rather ominously as it suggests that the character wants to conceal it from everyone. A mid-shot is applied introducing the scene with Marion and showing the intensity of her body language as well as her facial expression. In this shot we see she is resting her head on her hand before she rips the paper into shreds. This implies to the audience that she is tired and worn out contributing to the narrative a further element of mystery as we are not quite sure as to why she feels this way. Once she rips the paper, she pauses as if pondering a thought as she then glances to the bathroom. From here the camera pans from one composition to another.

The camera movements and transitions within its narrative and the techniques have contributed to the rise of tension gradually meeting the crux of the scene and gives a thrilling experience to the audience. Not only does it allow the audience to indulge in the tension being outputted from the scene, but it also relays the emotion from the characters onto us, among other things. There are lots of mid-shots and close up shots in the movie. There is hardly a long shot. A crab shot, still sustaining a low-angle shot, is then used to track Marion as she moves into the shower then closing the blinds. An appliance of vulnerability is given as Marion is now naked, which foreshadows her sudden death in the scene. This is to impose empathy to the audience as throughout the scene so far the camera had focused intently on Marion, following every one of her movements, slowly constructing a sense fear and horror. This serves as a deeper impact onto the audience when she dies at the climax of this scene.

This particular part of the extract bears a series of camera techniques to give rise to the fear and horror in which the climax indulges in. Marion is introduced into the shower with a medium/close-up to establish that she is naked whereas also not revealing too much. The mid/close-up also establishes the facial expression on Marion. As opposed in the beginning of the scene, Marion seems to be happy and suggesting that she is free from her bearings and troubles, decreasing the level of fear and horror. This, however, may increase the level of tension as Marion seems to be in a very vulnerable position and possibly signaling a turn of events as there was a continuous unnerving theme given by the varied pace of camera movements. Jump cuts are applied here as Marion showers and a shot/reserve shot is also applied between Marion and the shower cap to show that what she is focusing on. The fast pace of this composition deviates the audience’s attention and subtly constructs a sense of horror and fear and one is taken a back.

Hitchcock's style and techniques, and the way he uses the camera and lighting to tell the story is just a masterpiece. It's fun to go back over the film and look for clues to the ending, too. What makes "Psycho" different from other films is that, when so many films are already half-forgotten, and vanished as we leave the theater, is that it connects directly with our fears. I would give 5 stars out of 5 to this brilliant artwork because this movie being in black and white can take a hell out of you. The audience can’t even imagine what will happen next and the best part is that it hooks your attention. I would love to rate it 5 out of 5 a brilliant movie. A great treat to all his fans and viewers.