The Tell Tale Heart, written by Edgar Allan Poe, and Psycho, directed by Alfred Hitchcock were both formidable, revolutionary and horrifying creations to the audience’s of their times and to some extent, still are today. Hitchcock drew audiences in into his work by utilizing certain camera angles, mise-en-scene and diegetic and non-diegetic sounds. However, Edgar Allan Poe used a variety of literary techniques such as varying sentence structure, imagery and irony to draw his readers in. While these two masterpieces are unique in terms of content, both of them explore a prominent theme, fear. In both productions, fear was a critical element in the story line and subtle techniques were used to convey this. In ‘Psycho’, Alfred Hitchcock used strategic camera angles and shots throughout the film to position the viewer to understand the relationships between the characters. An example of an effective camera angle is the notorious parlor scene where Norman Bates invited Marion Crane in to converse. As they are speaking, the tension between them is high and while the focus was purely on the two, the surrounding environment of the parlor portrays a much deeper and more disturbing scene. By this stage in the film, Norman was categorised as an awkward yet polite young man and …show more content…
Marion gets in the shower, and all you can here is the water. Right as Norman opens the curtain, screeching of the violins begins. The music paired with Marion's screaming, Norman's stabbing and the quick film clips, makes the horror scene extremely uncomfortable. Once Marion collapses to the bathroom floor, the music stops and the shower is left running. Music is crucial to the effectiveness of this murder scene. This alone is horrifying but paired with the other techniques Hitchcock uses, the fear in the audience in amplified even
The diegetic sounds and music emphasises the dual nature of not only the characters but the actions that take place around the lives of Norman Bates and Marion Crane. As the many forms of irony take place, the plot is developed with a sense of what could happen in contrast with what does happen, also working to show the duality throughout the film. The chosen camera angles highlight to the audience the contrasting personality of Norman’s good and evil but also the contrast between Norman and Marion’s dual personalities. The recurring use of the mirrors and birds reinforces the theme of duality exposed predominantly in Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh’s
bank. Marion went home there was a close up shot on the money then on
Edgar Allan Poe is known for some of the most horrifying stories ever written through out time. He worked with the natural world, animals, and weather to create chilling literature. Two most notable thrillers are “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tell-Tale Heart”. Poe was infatuated with death, disfigurement, and dark characteristics of the world. He could mix characters, setting, theme,and mood in a way that readers are automatically drawn into reading. Both of these short stories have the same major aspects in common.
Without the proper atmosphere that the plot needs, the thematic ideas such as greed has its consequences, will become meaningless. The foundation of Psycho was the climatic atmosphere that brought on the movie’s rise of fame to be the classic thriller. The shadow of the killer that repeatedly stabs Marion and the screeching violins that play throughout this scene immersed the audience into the movie so that they were in the Cabin number One. Even Marion's death was foreshadowed by her drive to Fairvale, the irony of ending up at Bates Motel and the setting foreshadow her tragic end. In Gothic literature, storms frequently accompany large events and they are metaphor of horr...
In Edgar Allen Poe’s classic short story, “The Tell-Tale Heart,” an impression of apprehension is established through the fear-induced monologue of an unknown narrator. Right from the beginning of this short story, Poe prepares the reader for a horrific tale by way of the narrator admitting to the audience that he has, “made up my mind to take the life of the old man” (41). The narrator not only admits to this heinous crime, he proclaims that he had done so out of complete ‘sanity’ and proceeds to inform the audience, “and observe how healthily --how calmly I can tell you the whole story” (41), as he feels this will justify his atrocious crime. The narrator’s assurance of sanity is swiftly demolished as their mania takes control of the way they explain their actions. This obvious foreshadowing forces the audience to surpass the dreadful details and look for the remarkable facets of Poe’s short story allowing the setting of the
This movie single-handedly ushered in an era of inferior screen ‘slashers’ with blood-letting and graphic, shocking killings. This was Hitchcock’s very first horror film, and since it debuted he has been labeled as a horror film director ever since. It was a low-budget film, only costing 800,000 dollars. Although it had a low-budget, it was brilliantly edited. It was a stark black and white film. Psycho also broke all film conventions by displaying its leading female protagonist having a lunchtime affair in her sexy white undergarments in the first scene. It also had a brilliantly edited shower murder scene. It was truly a master piece and will remain a master piece as long as it stays around. (Psycho (1960), Document 3)
Cinematography of Hitchcocks Psycho Alfred Hitchcock is renown as a master cinematographer (and editor), notwithstanding his overall brilliance in the craft of film. His choice of black and white film for 1960 was regarded within the film industry as unconventional since color was perhaps at least five years the new standard. But this worked tremendously well. After all, despite the typical filmgoer’s dislike for black and white film, Psycho is popularly heralded among film buffs as his finest cinematic achievement; so much so, that the man, a big
No matter the type of media in which they are presented, most great works of horror make use of some imagery to elicit the fear present within people. This is perhaps most easily done in the world of cinematography, as scary movies and television present an actual picture alongside sound. When combined effectively these two elements nearly immerse an individual in a horrific experience. Writers however find themselves with a greater challenge, for they must rely on the reader’s imagination to invoke a sense of terror. At times authors of horror will choose to write with imagery that is incredibly specific, and which describes to readers frightening situations for them to envision. This could be through descriptions of unsettling events, or it could involve the construction of a disturbing atmosphere. However while such examples possibly contain the most horrifying concepts imaginable, they are reliant on the idea that a reader will in fact treat the explained occurrence as scary. Other macabre imagery is stated in such a way that much stays unknown. This type does not outright tell readers what they should picture or feel in their mind; rather it prompts them to think of some situation based on what they consider fear provoking. It still is considered imagery because the diction stimulates the senses; it simply relies on human thoughts to fill in the specifics. This makes for a very effective type of terror since at its root it demonstrates that humans always find ways to fear the unknown or what they do not understand. In an attempt to create a genuine piece of horror, and therefore unsettle or perhaps even scare the readers of his poem, Howard Phillips Lovecraft wrote “The Messenger” ...
Norman Bates is arguably the most unforgettable character in the horror genre. His movements, voice and aura at first radiate a shy young man but transform into something more sinister as the movie Psycho (Hitchcock, USA, 1960) progresses. How has the director, Alfred Hitchcock, achieved this? Norman Bates was a careful construct: the casting, body language, lighting and even the subtle use of sound and mise-en-scène created the character.
Poe writes “The Tell Tale Heart” from the perspective of the murderer of the old man. When an author creates a situation where the central character tells his own account, the overall impact of the story is heightened. The narrator, in this story, adds to the overall effect of horror by continually stressing to the reader that he or she is not mad, and tries to convince us of that fact by how carefully this brutal crime was planned and executed. The point of view helps communicate that the theme is madness to the audience because from the beginning the narrator uses repetition, onomatopoeias, similes, hyperboles, metaphors and irony.
Sam lives. Events occur that lead her to buy a new car and end up in
Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell Tail Heart” has many characteristics that support it being a horror. There are factors such as Tone, Setting, the ever rising tension, and many more. It portrays a man who believes he isn’t mad and is pushed to kill the old man living with him because he has a vulture like eye always scanning and watching. This uses a creepy feeling when he stalks the old man every night. He constantly says he is not insane but it is obvious to many he is due to the stalking and murder.
Hitchcock has a way of throwing clues in the face of the spectator, yet still allows some room for the spectator to find their own less obvious details. In the same museum scene, Hitchcock shows the viewer exactly what he wants them to see. In a sense, Hitchcock can be very manipulative with the camera. The audience sees the picture containing the women with a curl in her hair holding flowers, and then the direct connection is made by the camera, by showing the curl in Madeline’s hair, and the flowers sitting next to her. The spectator is led to believe that they have solved the mystery and she is truly possessed by the women in the picture. However, Hitchcock does this on purpose to lead the audience away from the truth that she is only acting. It is for these reasons that Hitchcock’s work at an auteur adds a level of depth and intrigue.
The two films Psycho and The Birds, both directed by Alfred Hitchcock, share similar themes and elements. These recurring themes and elements are often prevalent in many of Hitchcock’s works. In Psycho and The Birds, Hitchcock uses thematic elements like the ideal blonde woman, “the motherly figure”, birds, and unusual factors that often leave the viewer thinking. Hitchcock’s works consist of melodramatic films, while also using pure cinema to help convey messages throughout the film.
The world knows him as the Master of Suspense. He has also changed the way people look at film. Alfred Hitchcock was born at the turn of the century in England. His was raised in a very religious upbringing. He went to college at the University of London only to leave after the death of his father and to support himself he worked for Henley Telegraph and Cable Company as a technical clerk. His skills at this job would only propel him into the world of the film industry. His attention to the tiny details helped him land his first films at Players-Lasky Corporation. He would go to Germany to work on his first two films where he would meet his future wife, Alma Reville, also a film director and editor. Hitchcock and his wife are later married