Alfred Hitchcock's Film Psycho

Alfred Hitchcock's Film Psycho

The film 'Psycho' was produced by Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980), a

British-born American motion-picture director. He was noted for his

technically innovative and psychologically complex thrillers. The film

'Psycho' was produced in the year 1960 and screened in New York. It

was a groundbreaking film as by the end of its first year 'Psycho' had

earned $15 million-over fifteen times the amount it took to make the

film. The film created a lot of tension and anticipation for the

audience. It violence, sexual content and the flushing of a toilet

onscreen broke the ground for a mainstream Hollywood film. It was the

first time a woman had ever been shown in a bra. This type of film was

called "madman with a knife" or a "slasher". This film influenced

suspense films such as Fatal Attraction. The film was controversial

and was blamed for many murders in America. It was reported the

Hitchcock pretended to re-edit the shower sequence as the film

industry thought it was too violent. Hitchcock actually re-submitted

it unchanged. He got away with it! Hitchcock wanted his audience to

get right into the film. He did this by making it very tense, and

adding a lot of suspense. "The point is to draw the audience right

inside the situation instead of leaving them to watch it outside from

a distance."

The title 'Psycho' itself builds up tension and anticipation. This is

because you know that it will be a horror film. Psycho means mad so

therefore leads us to believe there will be starring a "madman with a

knife". Psychos are unpredictable so you are not quite sure how bad

the violence will be. You have the nerve to know that someone is

definitely going to die.

The music in the opening titles build up tension, as it has fast and

sudden beats. It has ascending and descending beats, which creates and

excitement, like you are on a roller coaster. The ascending and

descending differences are within one whole. This is like Norman and