Psycho is not necessarily the scariest movie today, but at the time it was like no other movie before. The shower scene is undoubtedly the most famous part of the entire film. I think one of the biggest reasons that scene stuck with people is because of how "real" it felt. When people are taking showers, they are at their most vulnerable. Trapped in a small area with no clothing or protection, you feel very exposed and trapped. Also, a shower is a place everyone goes. It isn't some creepy mansion or forest. The killer wasn't some monster, it was a regular person. Everything felt plausible, and the realer a horror or thriller movie seems, the greater impact it will have. Audiences after the movie would jump at a shadow moving behind the curtain for months. Also, the score played a huge role in the fear factor. The sound was sudden, violent, and harsh on the ears. It still remains one of the most iconic musical cues in cinema. There was one shot in particular that was very unique, when the camera transitions from the drain to Marion's eye. What is the significance of that?
As I was watching it, the drain fade to her eye gave me the impression of her death. Her blood was shown draining (away from her) and down the drain, followed by a cut to her now lifeless eye. This was a very unsettling method of displaying such an event, but nonetheless impressive by Hitchcock's part.
ReplyDeleteLike Nick said, I feel that the transition shot from the drain to her eye, symbolized the life slowly draining from her body after she fought to get out of the shower to safety. It was a very interesting shot, also because of the camera movement afterwards, as well (with the camera slowly rotating as it pulled away from her pupil).
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