This document provides an analysis of the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock film "Psycho". It summarizes that the film tells the story of Marion Crane who steals money and is murdered halfway through the film. The second half follows Norman Bates trying to cover up the killings committed by his mother. It notes that Hitchcock uses suspense, red herrings, and cliffhangers as common thriller techniques in the film. It also discusses the famous shower scene murder of Janet Leigh's character Marion Crane as being shocking for its time due to its editing and soundtrack.

1. By Viktorija Petronaviciute

2. “Psycho” is a psychological thriller. It is a film in two halves. In
the first half we see Marion Crane steal money and flee to be
with her adulterous lover. She is murdered half way through the
film which shocks the audience. The second half is about
Norman Bates trying to cover up the killings committed by his
‘mother’. Hitchcock uses the device of a McGuffin (an object or
device in a film or a book which serves merely as a trigger for
the plot) to move the plot forward. The audience don’t really
care about the McGuffin, they care about the hero and what
happens to him. In this film the McGuffin is the stolen money.
The trailer for Psycho

3. The film was made in 1960 and directed by Alfred
Hitchcock. As often happens in Hitchcock’s films the main
character is a blonde woman. Hitchcock chose blonde
women (in this case Janet Leigh) to be victims in his films
because he reckoned that they come across as more
innocent and any blood or danger seems worse when
happening to them. In this film, Marion Crane is brutally
murdered. Could this possibly be her punishment for
committing adultery and stealing her bosses money?
Alfred Hitchcock Janet Leigh

4. Thrillers are villain driven plots. Norman Bates is the
central character for the second half of the film. He is an
unusual villain in that he appears so normal and likable
but is surprisingly psychotically twisted as he has two
personalities. His own personality as a motel manager
and the personality of “mother” who is a reckless serial
killer. Unlike most thrillers there is no hero.“mother”
Norman

5. Thrillers use devices such as:
1) Suspense - Marion Crane being watched by police men as
she buys a car
2) Red herrings - we think Norman’s mother is the killer
3) Cliff hangers - is Marion’s sister going to be killed in the
basement at the end?
1) 2) 3)

6. The shower scene is one of the most famous in cinema history.
There is very fast editing and the discordant soundtrack by
Bernard Hermann echoes the knife entering the body. In 1960
the scene was shocking and the actress, Janet Leigh, claims
never to have had a shower since. The scene spreads 50 cuts
over 3 minutes before ending with a still shot of the murdered
Marion Crane. The juxtaposition of the short and close along
with the long and wide shots are what set the pace.
The famous shower scene