Psycho - Film Scene Analysis

These are the opening credit sequence for Psycho. The film, originally from 1960, was made in black and white. Accompanied by a menacing theme song, it could be said that the text ‘PSYCHO’ splitting in multiple directions, is almost similar to the way Norman kills his victims- with multiple stab wounds.

This image show Norman, peeking (voyeurism) through the hole in his office, where earlier, he was speaking to Marion. Through this hole, he can see Marion getting undressed ahead of the infamous shower scene. Whilst this scene connotes, almost a sense of perversion, it also shows on Norman’s lust for women, and the complex situation with ‘mother’.  The light reflected on Norman’s eye, might reveal something sexual about Norman & Marion, but his overwhelming desire & lust forces him to murder Marion.

The final scene in Psycho, where we see that Norman is in fact ‘Mother’ Hitchcock, uses Chiaroscuro; Shades, shadows and silhouettes through the use of the hanging light on the ceiling, reflecting light off the door & Norman, poised to kill Lila before being wrestled to the ground by Sam.