Psycho (1960) Analysis

This scene is the first look we get at the Bates Motel. It comes across as a gloomy and creepy building, which is partly to do with the low-key lighting. This shot has been taken from a low, slightly canted angle, which makes Marion look minute in comparison, suggesting that the building (or what’s inside it) is more powerful than her.

The uncomfortable atmosphere created by Hitchcock in PSYCHO is a shown as early on as this scene through the use of cinematography and mise-en-scene, which sets us up perfectly for the rest of the film.

The use of pathetic fallacy through the heavy rain really emphasises the depressive mood of not only this scene, but the film overall. The night sky diegesis adds a sense of mystery and fear of the unknown, which would be unsettling for those watching.

This shot is one of the final shots in the infamous shower scene montage. The editing and cinematography are crucial to the sense of panic and fear created in this scene. During the action of Marion being killed, the fast pace created by the use of collision cutting and point of view shots to show the look of fear on her face and the manic excitement of Norman, which although we can’t see his face we can tell by his frenzied movements. The quick-editing also contributes to the sense of panic because it confuses the audience, who are trying to keep up with the action. The parallel screeching, string based music also adds to the confusion.

This shot is taken once the action of killing Marion is over. It could be seen as one of the most powerful shots in the film because suddenly everything is calm and still and all that we can see is Marion’s lifeless eyes seemingly filled with a tear. This is normally the point where the audience could momentarily relax slightly, but instead this extreme close up is uncomfortable. The camera then rotates out from the eye, which is a reflection of Marion’s blood circling the drain at the end of the scene.

This shot provides the realisation for the audience that Norman’s mother can’t be the killer after all. It leads to the confusion of wondering who is.
In terms of historical context, this scene shows how Hitchcock got a lot of his inspiration for the film from the killer Ed Gein (convicted in 1957), who was said to have preserved his mother after she died. Gein’s crimes partly established the horror ideologies of sexism towards women and feeling outside the CDI, both of which are reflected in Psycho primarily through the fact that Norman lives on his own and struggles with two personalities. When this film was released in 1960, American’s were still getting over the horror of Gein’s actions, so for them at the time this film would have an element of harsh reality to it, which is in many ways scarier than the fantasy monsters that preceded it in the 1930s, 40s and 50s.