The cabin she is assigned to is fitting, but the hotel hand – Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) – quickly changes from a charming, young fellow who’s full of smiles, to an awkward, creepy loner who’s under the control of his crazy mother.
Although one scene does not make a movie, Psycho’s “shower scene” is both memorable and monumental. The sequence itself took seven days to shoot and encompassed 70 camera setups for a mere 45 seconds of footage. Anthony Perkins himself called the scene “chaste,” and continued to claim, “There is no violence in that scene, it’s all implied. It’s all good angles and clever music and very artful intercutting.”
From the moment Marion enters the shower and audiences see the first-person view of the showerhead to the eight brutal stabs and the blood running down the drain, Hitchcock’s shower scene is flawless. Capped off by a close-up on the drain and pan-out on Marion’s eye, this scene is worth every second of the time and effort invested. Of course, had the scene been shot in color (as opposed to black-and-white), Marion’s blood would have ran brown rather than red, considering Bosco brand chocolate syrup was used as blood. If Hitchcock makes one misstep with this groundbreaking sequence, it’s Marion’s still-contracted undead eyes.
Were it not for Bernard Herrmann’s score, Psycho would not be as effective. In fact, Hitchcock himself said that “33% of the effect of Psycho was due to the music.” That’s why Hitchcock doubled Herrmann’s salary post-production. From the rainstorm to the shower scene, Herrmann’s use of a miniature string orchestra – and only a miniature string orchestra – intensifies every aspect of Hitchcock’s landmark thriller.
If you find yourself crestfallen with the humdrum horror of today and determined to find a feature that can shower you with suspense, screams, a superb score, and sophistication, then Psycho is the ticket. It’s an “Oscar-nominated shocker”. How many other productions can make that same claim?
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Article comments
1 - Jordan "Boss" Richardson
Great film and essentially an exploitation flick. The promotion of it (the encouraging of theatre owners not to let people leave or arrive late to the picture) was brilliant.
It's interesting, because Psycho is Hitch's most manipulative work. From the beginning to the end, he's fucking with his audience in ways that few filmmakers had done to that point. Killing major characters early on, "graphic" stabbings, etc. were all a part of his working of the strings.
Another aspect I always find interesting is how low-budget a film it is. Roger Ebert notes that the movie has the feel of a "film noir quickie" and I think that's part of what makes Psycho so great. It isn't lush or elongated. Instead, it's almost cheap-looking, tawdry, and somewhat filthy. From the opening shot of Leigh in a bra to the finale, Psycho was a very different type of film.
Thanks for the review and for drawing attention to a true classic.
2 - Dr Dreadful
Well said, Jordan. ("Boss"??)
Hitchcock was the master manipulator. By the time Psycho was made, his reputation was such that he had almost complete artistic freedom, which is what allowed him to take such risks. Because everyone nowadays (even those who haven't seen the movie) knows what happens, it's hard to grasp the shock value of clinically killing off the heroine with the movie less than half over. That must have been a stunner to those used to the cinematic conventions of the time, because Hitch up until that point had made no attempt whatsoever to introduce another character who might take over as the protagonist.
That's when you realize that the creepy Norman is the new protagonist, apparently engaged in a life-or-death struggle against his evil mother - until the next shocker...
Terrific filmmaking.
3 - Bags
Rewatched this the other day, and yes, it still can shock like nearly no other film (maybe Vertigo freaks me out a little more). Though of course the shower scene is the iconic moment, I would flag up the incredible crane shot which finishes with Norman's carrying of Mother down to the cellar - Hitchcock is so successful in his control of suspense and plot that it is easy to overlook how technically innovative and daring some of his shots are.