In the classic thriller Psycho, Hitchcock approaches society’s idea of scary in a very interesting way and uses many different techniques to portray horror. The one tactic I picked up the most was his use of music in the film. To me, the reoccurring music that played whenever something suspenseful was happening in the film was the scariest part about it. Right when we heard that music, we knew that something bad was bound to happen. The most prominent use of music to me was when the detective was going upstairs to look for Mrs. Bates (Norman’s mother). The suspenseful strings were playing in the background the entire time he slowly walked up the stairs. This is when the audience knew something would happen to him, but the terrifying part is: when will it happen? Hitchcock did a great job with keeping the audience at the edge of their seats. Finally, when Norman came out with his knife dressed at his mother, a loud eruption of music broke out (and made me literally jump). I thought that was the scariest part of the entire scene because of the shocking aspect of the music and how we did not expect Norman to come out at that time. I think that music really enhanced the horror of this thriller.
Do you think that music was effectively used in this film or was it distracting? Do you think that the reoccurring suspenseful music was a good choice?
Great question! I think the music is a major factor in what makes the film scary. It will be interesting to see how Kubrick uses music in Shining to create fear.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. I think that this is also very effective in the shower scene in specific. It creates an atmosphere of suspense that captivates the audience.
ReplyDeleteI think music was a huge aspect of making a scene suspenseful and scary. We see this in any scene foreshadowing a death (i.e. Arbogast and Marion). This is where the reoccurring tune could not be a good thing because we "know" that something bad is going to happen, which could give it away.
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