Filmmaker's Use of Shock in Psycho and Jaws

Shock is a feeling of fascination and excitement mixed with anxiety, tension, suspense and surprise developed from an unpredictable, mysterious, and engaging source of entertainment (Merriam-Webster). Shock can occur whenever there is a perceived suspended drama, with tension, suspense or surprise being the primary emotions felt by the audience as part of the situation (Dirks). However, the term is most often used in regards to an audience’s perception in dramatic works such as film.

One often experiences a sense of shock in film due to the filmmaker’s ability to manipulate technical elements such as sound and camera angles in order to elicit feelings of suspense and tension from the audience. More specifically, the definition of suspense suggests that this shocked emotion arises when someone is aware of his or her lack of knowledge about the development of a meaningful event; thus, suspense is a combination of anticipation and uncertainty dealing with the ambiguity of future events (Merriam-Webster). In terms of storyline expectations, it may be contrasted with the unknown, curiosity or surprise.

Two films, in which shock is used to entice, thrill and surprise audiences are Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960’s thriller Psycho, and Steven Spielberg’s 1975 blockbuster hit Jaws. In both films audiences experience suspense and shock when they expect something bad to happen and have (or believe they have) a superior perspective on events in the films’ hierarchy of knowledge, yet they are powerless to intervene to prevent it from happening. The films differ however in regards to the type of shock and suspense used. For instance, Psycho relies much more heavily on the use of psychological shock where as Jaws uses the absence of a villain to crea...

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...e audience engaged in watching the film until the climax is reached, and the thrill as well as pleasure the shock finally come to a close.

In order for a moment in film to be shocking, the tension does not have to be in the form of the bad guy stalking the protagonist. It can be much more straightforward, much less dramatic, but still have the ability to make the viewer keep watching. Shock is about surprise, tension and suspense, about the obstacles between the protagonist and his or her goal. The suspense of a story may be the point at which the viewer feels more eager to know the end, and what will happen next. It is often referred to climax of a film; when the events of the film leave the audience with feelings of shock and awe (Dirks). The shock is the most important element in a film as it allows both audiences and filmmakers to evolve and progress creatively.