Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho', essay

Describe and discuss some of the ways Hitchcock creates tension and suspense in the film ‘psycho’.

The film psycho was released in 1960 and is still regarded as a respectable horror/thriller even today by audiences of all generations. This film is a good example of Alfred Hitchcock’s skill in film making with his use of suspense and mystery to engage the viewer. The films popularity can be explained because it addressed important issues such as adultery, theft, and murder set in atmosphere of suspense which enhances the story line.

Firstly, Hitchcock creates tension and suspense in the film with the strong use of blurred imagery. He uses this technique so that the killer’s figure is obscured meaning that the viewer cannot see the complete image of the person. By doing this the viewer is left wondering who the killer might be. A good example of this use of the blurring method can be seen in the shower scene of the film, where the killer is only faintly visible behind the shower curtain which gives the viewer only a chance to speculate the true identity of the person and to be left questioning could this be a man or a woman?

As well as the blurred images to conceal the murderer’s true identity, Hitchcock also uses very dramatic music to create tension within the audience of psycho. The scene is set using diagetic sound then suddenly it cuts to the use of high pitched orchestral music combined with only a close up of the weapon in hand and the expressions on the victims face. The combination of this use of sound puts viewers under the impression they have seen something horrific and as soon as that music starts later in the film they know something terrible is about to happen to the victim.

Hitchcock gives the audience two clear options to choose from when they are trying to guess the killer’s identity. Is it the son or could it be the mother? However by continuously twisting and turning ideas and giving snippets of information that are misleading to the audience they consequently have no clear idea of who the murderer actually is throughout the film. This is probably the best way that Hitchcock creates suspense and tension in ‘Psycho’ as it is a continuous theme from when the first murder takes place and leaves the audience in a state of anticipation.

Another way Hitchcock created suspense and tension was by deliberately choosing to film the production in black and white, rather than choosing to make the production in colour. As well as being more cost effective, it enabled Hitchcock managed to create an eerie atmosphere throughout the film. The lack of colour enhances the shadows etc, in a way that colour picture could not and has the effect of making ordinary scenes look creepy. The darkening of the background helps to imply something sinister is about to happen.

The name ‘Psycho’ itself incorporates suspense and tension into the film so before people have ever seen the film they wonder and anticipate about what could happen. The word psycho means mad, crazy, deranged and dangerous which of course is a strong title that reveals what the film could be about to the viewers before its even started and maybe even intimidates the audience as they never know in what way the film is linked to a ‘psycho’ or when he/she will strike.

My conclusion is that Hitchcock interlinks several ways to develop and create suspense and tension within the audience. His clever use of mind twisting ideas and false leads mixed with his use of image cutting, non-diagetic sound and use of black and white colour makes Psycho a production full of confusion, suspense and tension. This is designed to draw the audience into the story using varying levels of anticipation. The early death of what the audience first perceives as the main character is a well thought out ruse to challenge the audience and throw them off balance and helps to develop their sense of anticipation of identifying the murderer. The style adopted by Hitchcock means that ‘Psycho’ has an ongoing interest to a wide range of audiences.