Psycho Rhetorical Analysis There are multiple factors involved in the creation of a movie as horrifying as Alfred Hitchcock’s classic horror film Psycho, even without the typical explicit scenes that audiences expect. The 1960 American psychological thriller focuses on Marion Crane, a secretary who goes into hiding after stealing a large amount of money, and Norman Bates, the motel owner afflicted with schizophrenia. Throughout the film, both characters face the consequences of their actions—guilt and constant surveillance.
Through unconventional storytelling techniques, Hitchcock effectively delivers his message in a way that surpasses typical horror films, leaving viewers stunned by the intricacies of his mysterious and twisted plot. Not only do the close-up shots of the protagonists allow the audience to empathize with their guilt, but the surveillance aspect is also portrayed through distant lens focus. By strategically capturing these specific camera angles, Hitchcock creates an unsettling sensation of being watched, akin to the uneasiness often associated with a guilty conscience.
The repetition of motifs, such as mirrors, birds, and eyes, along with the camera’s focus and background music, aid Hitchcock in portraying the themes of voyeurism and the intertwining of surveillance and guilt. Without Marion and Norman’s constant fear of being observed, their guilt would not have such a profound impact on their psyche. Like an audience watching a film, anyone can act as a witness to a crime, intensifying their sense of conscience. Hitchcock effectively communicates his message about surveillance and guilt through the opening scene using camera techniques and on-screen text.
The film’s camerawork begins by capturing a wide view of towering skyscrapers before shifting its focus towards a particular window in an affordable high-rise hotel. As the camera enters the dimly lit room through the partially open window, it evokes a voyeuristic sensation that makes viewers feel like trespassers. Displayed on the screen, the date and time enhance both the feeling of importance and unpredictability, hinting at a significant occurrence during that specific instance. These elements establish a foundation for the film’s recurring motifs of surveillance and guilt.
Marion experiences a mixture of guilt and enjoyment while trying to have a good time, as she is aware of her neglected work. Eventually, the audience learns about the dire consequences of her decisions. Simultaneously, viewers find themselves covertly observing Marion and her husband through the hotel room window. This is merely one example of Hitchcock’s skillful use of camera angles and visual presentation to portray the convergence of surveillance and guilt. The film demonstrates that guilty consciences can lead to voyeuristic tendencies, and vice versa.
From the beginning of the movie Psycho, Marion Crane, one of the protagonists, displays her guilty conscience when she takes a lengthy lunch break, setting a precedent for the guilt complex portrayed throughout the film. Frustrated with her life, Marion decides to steal $40,000 in order to make a fresh start. The camera’s close-ups of Marion’s face, particularly while driving, effectively convey her uncertainty and guilt. Her eyes hold significant importance, symbolizing the “windows of her soul,” according to Carr. This visual cue immediately conveys to the audience that she is aware of the wrongdoing she has committed.
The tension-inducing background music intensifies as she drives, adding to her anxious portrayal. This unease is transferred to the audience, who experience her emotions non-verbally. Cassidy, the money-holder, exacerbates her discomfort by passing by and directly eyeing her, blending surveillance and guilt. Following her encounter with the police officer, the camera lingers on her face, revealing her deep fear of getting caught.
The police officer becomes suspicious of Marion because her guilt is evident. He decides to keep an eye on her and follow her car. The officer watches intently as Marion exchanges her car for another one. This exchange is captured from a distance on the camera, showing the officer’s suspicious surveillance. Marion’s guilt becomes evident again when she meets Norman and observes him running up the stairs to his house. This scene is filmed in a way that highlights the surveillance of Norman, indicating that Marion’s own guilt causes her to become a voyeur herself (Carr).
Psycho demonstrated the immense power of guilt on the human mind. Once guilt has taken hold of one’s conscience, it can create a feeling of constant surveillance and judgment from others. This is precisely what Marion experienced as she drove away with the stolen money. Voices from her acquaintances and enemies echoed in her mind, anticipating their disapproval and the questions they would ask upon discovering her deceit.
Hitchcock skillfully employed multi-narrative dialogue to portray the inner turmoil that plagued Marion (Ager). Later, he aptly paralleled Marion’s internal culpability with that of Norman. The audience discovers Norman’s schizoid personality transformation, as he begins hearing his mother’s voice in his own thoughts and assumes a new identity due to his remorse for her murder. Similar to Marion’s experience after pilfering Cassidy’s money, Norman’s mother censures him in his mind, scrutinizing his every action. Hitchcock effectively illustrates the psychological and physical toll a guilty conscience exacts on an individual, irrespective of the magnitude of their transgression.
Surveillance and guilt are intertwined throughout the film in various ways. The deliberate use of close-up or distant camera shots and the high-pitched music contribute to this theme. The motif of mirrors further reinforces this concept right from the start. Marion, while gazing at herself in the mirror, reflects on the money lying on the bed behind her, pondering the moral dilemma. These alternating camera shots between her face in the mirror and the money on the bed illustrate the convergence of her guilt and self-monitoring.
The viewers can nearly feel her hesitancy, as the camera captures Marion’s double mirrors from the perspective of the back of her head. Through this positioning, the audience is thrust into her perspective, experiencing what she sees and feels. The guilt in Marion’s conscience is represented by the back of her head, and this guilt is transmitted to the viewers. This shot demonstrates how individuals contemplate their own moral choices. Even the viewers themselves can become voyeurs, uncomfortably watching close-ups in the mirror (Johns).
Throughout the film, mirrors are used extensively in various scenes to create a sense of constant surveillance. These scenes include Marion’s rear view mirror in her car, the overhead shot of the car dealer restroom, the desk at the Bates Motel, and a series of mirrors that frighten Lila in Mrs. Bates’ room. This repeated use of mirrors implies that Norman Bates, and even the cop in some scenes, is constantly watching. Norman’s guilt about his actions and his voyeuristic tendencies are evident as he goes to great lengths to keep his secret hidden. This theme of surveillance and guilt being interconnected is showcased through these mirror moments.
In Psycho, director Alfred Hitchcock employs a bird motif as a recurring element to convey the themes of guilt and surveillance. This motif is evident throughout the entire film and holds significant importance. The character Marion’s last name, “Crane,” serves to symbolize her birdlike nature, as described by Norman Bates while observing her eating. Additionally, the picture of a bird on the motel wall collapses to the ground when Norman uncovers the murder that took place in the shower room (Old School Reviews).
The text highlights the significance of birds in the film, using Norman’s description of his mother as “as harmless as one of these stuffed birds” to symbolize their role. The birds represent Norman’s murderous nature and silently observe from his room. The dead birds serve as a spectacle, existing for others to witness like a voyeur. Additionally, the background music in certain scenes, such as the infamous shower scene, resembles bird screeching. This further emphasizes the connection between guilt and the presence of birds in the movie (Carr). Guilt is something that everyone experiences at some point in their lives, sometimes even on behalf of someone else.
Being observed and being apprehended can be extremely frightening, even for those who are not participating in any wrongdoing. Moreover, observing an immoral act can evoke feelings of guilt merely from the act of watching. In the film Psycho, both Marion and Norman Bates implicate the audience in their wrongdoings. The way the camera is used in the film gives viewers a sense that they are acting as observers. In the beginning scene, the camera plunges spectators into a dimly lit hotel room, creating an illusion of clandestine surveillance on Marion and Guy.
The audience in this movie is drawn in to everything Marion and Norman are feeling and thinking, to the point where they become voyeuristic and feel guilty for invading the characters’ privacy. Hitchcock effectively uses the audience to demonstrate that anyone can feel culpable and afraid of voyeurs, no matter how insignificant the act may seem, as someone else is always watching and experiencing guilt. Guilt and voyeurism are often intertwined in various situations, such as spying on a couple’s enjoyment or witnessing a murder.
Alfred Hitchcock’s classic horror movie Psycho from the 1960s successfully brings both sides of the crime together. The film utilizes excellent camerawork, angles, motifs of birds and mirrors, screen texts, and more to convey its message to the audience. This immersive approach allows viewers to empathize with the experiences of characters such as Norman Bates and Marion Crane, as well as experience the guilty conscience of an outsider who voyeuristically observes their actions.
