Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)

Budget

$806,947 (estimated)

Gross

$32,000,000 (USA)
$50,000,000 (Worldwide) ( January 2004)

Admissions

724,160 (Spain)

Rentals

$11,200,000 (USA)

Production Dates

October 1959 -  February 1960

Filming Dates

30 November 1959 - 1 February 1960 (additional scenes 15 February 1960 and 1 March 1960)

Copyright Holder

Shannon Productions, Inc.; 16 June 1960; LP16674 (in copyright registry) Copyright 1960 Shamley Productions, Inc. Renewed 1988 by Universal City Studios, Inc.



Key Points

• The slow panning sequence is of complete contrast to the fast paced, almost maniacle titles. Exposition is provided in the form of captions.
• The camera takes in the vast expanse of the city; but a gentle zoom suggests that it is searching for something.

• The change in captions each signal a shot change; the opening isn't actually one sequence. However, the presence of the same titles acts as a visual bridge that links each successive shot together in the audience's mind and makes the changes harder to spot.
• There are feelings of voyeurism as we spy on a couple getting dressed in a hotel room. Plenty of exposition comes from the exchange of dialogue between them, and we learn about their relationship.
• The very sedate, romantic opening is completely at odds with the ideas we have collected about the film; that it's a thriller featuring a psychopathic killer. In a sense, the entire opening acts as a red herring and throws us off the scent, although there are a few hints to later developments.
• Dialogue reveals that they are both living unfulfilled lives; unable to get the jobs they want and owing money to other people. This desperate attitude sets the events of the film in motion.
• Throughout the scene the emphasis is on Marion; the camera framing her in the foreground with far more close up shots. Sam is off-centre in nearly every shot, and as a result feels more distant in the mind of the audience.
• Again, although this shot is of Sam, he is off-centre and facing away from the camera, staring over the city below. The window has many connotations, including escape, hope and desire.
• Quick pace editing, the father of all slasher stalking scenes is psycho, this stalking scene is iconic as it used quick pace editing to make it look realistic and scary, without the uses of special effects we have now. I also looked at quick pace editing in the film hell night, this uses quick pace editing when the victim is grabbed to create a sense of panic, hiding everything away from the viewer, so there is a sense of anticipation of whats going to happen. Quick pace editing is a key part of almost all slasher stalking scenes.
• Psycho’s shower scene is very iconic for its high intensity music, which creates a sense of panic, gets you on the edge of your seat. If horror films didn’t have non diegetic music most of them wouldn’t be scary, even if not doing it consciously, the music is getting you scared and anticipated for whats going to happen next.