‘Analysis of ‘Phsycho’ shower scene,

‘Analysis of ‘Phsycho’ shower scene, exploring how film techniques are used to create effect’

 

During the shower sequence of Psycho there are many different camera shots used, the main ones being close ups and extreme close ups, I feel they used these shot to emphasise what was going on in the scene E.G as the murderer is committing the murder we get a very eerie close up of his eyes, this creates dramatic tension as we can’t see his whole face so the idea of a hidden identity can be very disturbing, especially when they are doing something as disturbing as murdering someone in the shower.

Editing is used very effectively throughout the entire scene e.g. when she gets into the shower the scene is very calm and slow creating a relaxed environment but as we progress through the scene the pace starts to pick up especially as the murder is being committed, as the murder is finished the scene resumes to its normal pace, this could symbolise that everything is over and the calm after the storm.

The use of sound in the scene adds a lot of drama into the scene because at one point the murderer is stabbing the victim in time with the music, the music that we can here playing through the actual murder in non-diegetic meaning it was added after they filmed the scene, the use of sound was key in this scene as the sound of the shower blocked out any sounds the murderer was making like doors opening or footsteps, as we see the life draining away from the victim we gradually start to see her blood being washed down the plug whole, as we see this we can hear the noise of water going down the plug hole as the camera shows more of the scene the noise starts to get louder and louder, this is called a reverb.

The mise-en-scene in this sequence is showing signs of vulnerability as when the murderer attacks she is in the shower with no clothes on, in a shower you may feel a bit out of your comfort zone anyway considering she is staying in a hotel and there is no lock on the door, the scene is set in a bath room, this room is very white and clean, this could suggest purity and innocence as the women was not expecting this to happen.

   
This is a still from the beginning of the scene, just before the murder is about to take place , as we can see the camera has panned slightly to the left so we can see the murderer approaching this creates tension as we can see a figure approaching the women and she has got her back to the figure meaning that she has no idea that anything is there, again the idea of a hidden identity creates a sense of mystery as we don’t know what is going to happen to the women or who this person may be, this shot is an establishing shot as the camera has panned out so we can see more of the scene. 

This shot is a high angle shot which makes both characters look weak and quite vulnerable, this is when the murder is actually taking place as we can clearly see the murderer stabbing the victim, this creates a sense of panic as we see the women struggling as she has been taken by surprise, as we can see the murderer is looking relatively calm, this could suggest that this may not be the first time he has killed and it may not be the last, the murderer is wearing what looks like a floral print dress and a wig to hide his identity, he has even gone to the trouble of putting on what looks like fake nails, this could suggest that he would try any disguise to try and evade capture for his crimes.   

This is a close up shot of the women after she has been murdered, as we can see everything looks calm and quiet, the pace of the scene also slows down just before this shot, this suggests that everything is over and nothing can hurt her anymore, just before this shot was taken this image was rotating, this could suggest that as her blood is draining down the plug whole so is her life, the rotating creates a sense of distortion as when we are close up to her eye it looks like the water draining down the plug whole.