Psycho Textual Analysis

The sequence begins with a quiet score in the background which is meant to create suspense due to how quiet it actually is. The girl walks to the shower to put the paper into the bin. A close up is used on the toilet to show that the flushing is an crucial part of the scene. This creates an enigma about what exactly she threw into the toilet but this turns out later on in the film to just be another red herring. After this the girl takes her clothes showing her skin, this shows that the girl is vulnerable. This further portrays the typical blonde, female victim. We see her very uptight but as she enters the shower she becomes increasingly happy and relaxed. .

 This also shows the audience that the girl is now unprotected and the fact that you are seeing her shower indicates that something is going to happen. The cuts start to happen more often now showing that something will happen, the constant showing of the running shower head shows that it is an independent witness of an event that will soon occur. The cuts stop so that the audience can see through the curtain that the door has opened.

 The camera remains the same as the audience sees the killer slowly walks in. We see his silhouette behind the shower curtain but never get a glimpse of his face. Once the killer pulls back the curtain the theme of the killer starts and the cuts start happening very rapidly. The pleonastic sounds show how the girl is being stabbed as a sharp ear piercing sound is made in time with each cut. A quick cut montage is also used to show from all the directions which she is being cut. The cuts show the women’s head moving different directions showing distress. When the killer leaves the bathroom the cuts become very slow again symbolizing that the women is dying. Her hand is shown in a close up sliding down the wall. Tilt shot is used to show that she is going down also symbolizing that her life is going down and draining from her.

Whilst this is happening the camera moves to the side slightly showing emptiness, the shower is still running at this point showing how it is the only living source in the room at this moment. A graphic match is used to show the link between the girl and the drain this further explaining the next point. A close up is used on the plug hole to show the water going down and symbolises losing and perhaps shows how before she put rubbish in the toilet and now she is almost being flushed herself.