Psycho - Shower scene analysis

Psycho – The shower scene

In the movie Psycho, multiple camera shots are used to convey the different emotions and reactions of the characters. The shots are used to add effect on a particular action within the scene. For example, when the victim enters the shower, the camera is placed at a mid- long shot above the shower head. This is a way of showing the victims vulnerability and shows her lack of dominance. This suggests to the audience that in the course of the scene, she may be a victim to an attack or some kind of danger. This adds tension to the scene as it foreshadows the events that are to come later in the movie. During this scene there are also multiple uses of the close up shot. The close up is used to show a reaction of a character or an object significant to the theme of the scene. The most obvious close up in this scene is the shot of the victim’s mouth when she is being stabbed. This shot clearly shows that she is screaming and shows that she is in agony. This is used to show the audience the horror of the scene and exaggerates the aggression involved in the scene. Another close up used in the scene is the shot of the victim’s eye. This shot shows the dilating of the pupil and represents the fading away of her life. The way the pupil fades into the shot of the plug hole suggests to the audience that the victim’s life is being drained away, just as water does in a shower.

The shower scene in Psycho also has a variety of different editing techniques, used to convey the pace and tempo of the scene. The main type of editing is the simple quick cut. The quick cut is used to quickly switch between shots without watching anything in between. This makes it more realistic as the human eye on sees what they are looking at and don’t see bits in between. This type of shot is used when the victim is being stabbed by the killer. The fast pace of the editing, shows the ferocity of the attack and adds to the horror of the scene. Editing is also used in this scene to switch between different kinds of shots. For example, a fade is used to change the eye ball shot into the plughole. This allows the audience to see the link between the two shots as they are both visible at one point. This makes it clear to the audience what has just happened. Towards the end of the scene, a pan is used to move from the newspaper on the desk to the rest of the bedroom. The pan is a way of showing the setting with only one shot and is very slow paced. This shows a link of how the scene slows down, just like the victims life fades away. The pace of the editing changes and becomes slower, as the initial attack has finished.

The use of sound is extremely important in this scene. The sound helps to show the mood of a scene and helps to set the pace. In the course of the shower scene, the most effective sound is the screeching of the violins when the victim is being stabbed. The sharp and sudden noise of the screeching fits with the impact and devastation of the knife. This tells the audience that the killing is quick, sharp and extremely painful. The thrilling nature of the scene is elevated by the use of this background music. The use of non–diegetic sound represents the unnatural horror of the scene. The diegetic sounds of the scene help to make the scene more realistic and natural. A significant noise is the running of the water in the shower. The water is heard throughout the scene, even as the victim is being killed. This is because it represents the woman’s life being washed away like water. The sound in this scene helps to convey the pace an mood of what is happening in the scene.

This scene used many techniques that suggest different things about the characters and setting. The Use of camera shots helped to show how the victim was affected by what had happened to her and how she reacted. The sound used in the scene fitted with the pace of the shots as it changed throughout the scene. These different techniques are used to build tension through the course of the scene and make the audience feel on edge. This is the common aim of the thriller genre. This scene from Psycho uses these conventions to fit with the genre of the film.