[cinema class]Psycho

In Psycho, the director uses a lot of different tools to create a certain mood throughout the film. He uses lighting and camera angles to portray an eerie and creepy tone. By dimming the light in certain scenes, the audience feels much more on edge due to the limited things they can see on screen. In the shower scene, the lighting is used perfectly as we see Norman’s shadow through the shower curtain. This shadow not only helps the audience see Mrs. Bates’ hair, but also helps foreshadow the scene that’s about to take place. I like how Hitchcock leaves out the gory images in the shower scene because it lets the audience use their imagination. This, in return, creates an even more disgusting image in our head, which is what I think Hitchcock was trying to achieve. 

Another tool that Hitchcock uses throughout the film is the reoccurrence of music. This theme always occurs when a death scene is about to happen. Every time we see Norman dressed up as his mother with a knife in hand, an eerie and high-pitched tune plays in the background. This not only tells the audience that another killing is about to take place, but also sets a creepy and crazed tone to the scene. 

This film could easily be categorized as a horror film. However, it could also be called a mystery, slasher, and a thriller. In my opinion, the variety in this movie is what makes it so unique and well known. Hitchcock does a great job of combining all of these elements to create a masterpiece of horror.