Psycho: Duality In Shadows And Taxdermy Birds

Psycho is psychological horror about relationships and emotional disturbance where the audience are witnesses to the consequences of desire and passion being more powerful than one’s sense of morality. Beginning with a panning shot across the Phoenix skyline on a Friday afternoon at 2.43pm, the audience becomes voyeurs to a sensual moment in a “pay by the hour” hotel room, where Marion Crane and Sam Loomis meet. Dark and seedy lighting in the room, accompanied by shabby, inexpensive furniture reflects the “cheapness” of the couple’s socially unacceptable relationship which is vulgar to respectable Americans. In contrast to the surroundings, Marion’s white and delicate undergarments conflict the audience and prevent them from condemning her

Through the presence of omniscient shadows and menacing birds of prey, the presence of a vindictive and vengeful entity in the parlour scene especially foreshadows duality. This entity is representative of the inner darkness that possess and controls Norman Bates throughout the duration of my film, known as Mother. In the parlour scene, the contrast between the predatory birds and the passive birds draws a striking contrast between the nature of Norman and Mother, where the predatory birds frame Norman in the presence of Mother. I additionally use dialogue to enhance the audience’s perception of the idea, as where Norman is quiet and shy, he is comparable to the passive birds which surround the room, though when he becomes aggressive in inflection and posture, Mother is prominent and protecting their relationship. The threat of Marion as a potential love interest enrages Mother and the conflict for control in her mind begins, where I show the transition of Norman into Mother through different movement and shadowing. My deliberate framing of predatory birds further enhances the audience’s perception of Marion’s imminent demise because she is as unsuspecting as the passive birds which surround her. Norman’s statement that he “likes to stuff things” foreshadows her death and the raven in the background furthermore

As Marion steps into the spray of the shower, she is vulnerable, but this is disregarded as the audience is relieved that she has made the decision to return to Phoenix to return Mr Cassidy’s $40,000. The initial sound of rushing water is symbolic as Marion is literally and figuratively washing away her “sin” of embezzlement. By metaphorically cleansing herself, she is on the road to redemption and this is again symbolised by the crisp, white surroundings of the bathroom. When the shadowed entity of Mother appears behind the shower screen my audience is distressed, and added to this is the shot-reverse-shot which heightens suspense further. When, however, the shower curtain is violently pulled back and Bernard Herrmann’s violins peak frenetically, they are shocked and disorientated. In this suspense filled second, the hold their breath and implore that what they suspect is about to occur does not. When Marion is shockingly and repetitively stabbed with a large kitchen knife, the diegetic sound of Marion’s screams intensify the audience’s abhorrence at what they are witnessing. The non-diegetic sound of abrupt string instruments piercing the scene increases the suspense and horror and is completely contradictory to the beginning of the scene. The monotonous sound of the water spray is only broken by Marion’s shrieks, traumatizing