Psycho

Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960), is arguably the most horrifying film of all time, for it had reinvented what it had meant to be a horror movie. For me, it wasn't the murders of Marion or Detective Arbogast, that scared me, but instead, Norman's personality was the thing that made the film a horror film. Although not always intentional, horror films can oftentimes just be based around brutal killings, and little thought is given as to why or how someone can kill another person. But Psycho does just the opposite. Despite containing two murder scenes, the film is based around who Norman really is, and why he does the things he does. The illusion of his mother and the suspense leading up to the discovery of his mothers corpse, is why the movie is truly a horror film, and why audiences are drawn to it again and again. The act that Norman plays is what, for me, was the most terrifying part of the film, discovering that he was playing his mother the whole time.

But what was interesting was how Norman changes after first killing Marion. Prior to killing her, Norman seemed clumsy and lonely, especially in the parlor scene. He often stuttered and seemed at a loss of words. However, it is clear that that is just an act in order for Marion to trust him. But what is interesting to see his behavior after he kills her. He acts confident when he is cleaning up Marion's body, which is a difference than how we see him before. But after he pushes her into the swamp, he starts to act nervous again, and for the duration of the film he follows suit. His hands are constantly by his mouth, suggesting he may be biting his nails, as well as begins to constantly chew on something in his mouth. He also starts to stutter again, as we see him do in the beginning of the film. This change in behavior is definitely signifiant. It makes you wonder if he is actually nervous or is it just an act? If you think it is an act, who is he trying to prove this to? Himself...?