Psycho (1960)

Director : Alfred Hitchcock

Psycho is a iconic 1960's thriller, it's noir styles helps show a realisation of events happening behind the scenes of the hippie movment during the 1960's. The film connotes generic aspects of the thriller genre, for example the very dim lighting and use of enigmatic figures to create suspense.  



The iconic shower scene shows the great diversity of Alfred Hitchcocks film knowledge applyed to such a challanging genre. The non-diegetic music helps creates suspense with a dark obscure feel. In this scene  Marion Crane is in a rough dimly light shower room, this confinment is a common thriller convention. At 0:45 in the clip a figure is presented behind the shower curtain, the blurred figure fills the audience with fear. The use of Enigma helps build suspense and says everything about the male character, also the blurry shower curtain makes it look like the two characters are submerged in water one being prey and the other the mysterious predator.  As the scene progresses the speed of the shot cuts quickens to add suspense to the scene, also it adds an element of confusion as if we are witnessing the murder for the girls point of view.  

Another way the Alfred Hitchcock establishes suspense and terror is through extremely fast jump cuts. These extremely fast close ups create a sense of confusion and also energy withing the piece.