Hitchcock - Genre and Audience (I)

“Psycho” was considered one of the most creative and visually powerful films in the psychological thriller series. From the envisioning mind of Alfred Hitchcock, his film brought a new twist to the sub-genre as it explored in great depth the limits of gore and violence in imagery. What defines a psychological thriller is the film’s incorporation of elements using dramatic intent as well conventions of the thriller genre.

      Psychological thrillers are more heavily focused on the characters. This brings in the mental and physical status of all characters as they encounter issues of overcoming their own mind, or possibly a struggle against nature and possible man. The thrilling aspect of all this, is the director’s ability in being able to toy with the audience’s mind. For example as I’ve seen in the film “Saw” we feel pity for the character introduced in the beginning because he suffered the most, however at the end it is revealed that he was the mastermind behind all of the horrific traps.

      Elements that convey the genre vary from clichés adopted throughout film to the very unique styles that Hitchcock brought. Low lighting is an important as it can be used to create a sense of tone within the structure, such as creating the emotion of fear and anxiety. This can also relate to the use of shadows and black and white as reminiscent to film-noire.  The use of sound is always important as it ultimately enhances the impact of most action scenes and is a great tool for creating a build-up. This has been used in various films such as the choice of not using sound and then suddenly a heavy and high tensioned song comes into play. All these techniques can be incorporated to create an impacting film both visually and audibly.

      Psycho was one of the first films to incorporate the idea of “slasher” films that dealt with the showing of grotesque and bloody murder scenes on camera. Not only is this reason for Psycho to be unique, but the story in itself was so complex and layered with symbolism. One must honestly watch it twice or thrice and four times over to catch all the subtle hints that Hitchcock interprets. A film I recalled that could fit this title would be “Silence of the Lambs’ which came out approximately 30 years. However it too deals with a powerful story as the audience is attempting to understand who is the true murderer. Also many people remember the film for the subtle elements it revealed like the phrase “hello Clarice” to the murder scene in pitch dark at the end of the film. As a young child exposed to such an adult film I’ve come to appreciate it’s cannibalistic gross nature and am amazed by how far they went, despite how the audience might react to its raw nature, in visuals to explore this.

     Also, Hitchcock was deeply revered as the “master of suspense” through his inquisitive mastering of psycho thriller convention and his ability to absorb the audience into his story. Hitchcock was seen as a pioneer in films as he strayed away from the expensive and lavished out sets of Hollywood and settled more for a personal and less $$$ film. Of course, Hitchcock was also against pretty much the most of parameters set by film, as in Psycho he created that “shower scene” where a woman was repeatedly stabbed with a butcher knife. The reason for making this film could be because it was based on a novel by Robert Bloch or because of his desire to distance himself from the largely producing film companies. In many ways this was one of the many psycho-thrillers Hitchcock directed and eventually led to a greater appreciation for his bold works. 

6a. Does it share significant narrative or thematic concerns?

b. Does it share particular visual or technical elements? (haven’t watched)

      The film heavily focuses on the theme of the audience acting as voyeur basically meaning something very very very naughty in some sense. It can be defined as a person who gains sexual pleasure from watching others when they are naked or engaged in sexual activity. In many cases every teenager who has discovered the internet. Bazing! I joke. Nevertheless Hitchcock creates this sort of fuzzy and vague borderline between what can be deemed as innocent and scandalous. This is explored in the scene at the beginning where a non married man and woman perform in the act of copulation as the audience are simply acting as some third-party. Although the audience may be watching and enjoy what they see it is ultimately human morals that allow us to decide between right and wrong.

      I believe the audience can be aimed to those who love to question and be left pondering throughout the film. Primarily those who enjoy mystery and drama combined. Oh yeah and a key fact would be the audience’s strength to endure hardcore “slasher”-esque scenes. This means definitely not for children under the age of 30, and by that I mean young adults who can enjoy the conventions of a psycho-thriller as well as appreciate the subtle cues within the film. However it is more than just a gore fest of loose limbs flailing around, Psycho actually has a very interesting narrative structure that explores human flaws as well self-identity which can draw in teenagers and soul-searching adult youth.