Thriller Analysis for Psycho

Here is a part of the clip from The 1960 Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho which i have analysed in terms of the thriller genre. Below is the clip.

The sequence begins with a close up of the toilet with the protagonist, Marion emptying ripped paper in the toilet and then flushing it. This itself raises questions of her actions as to dispose evidence down the toilet something really secretive must be there. The faint score in the background is very ominous and creates tension which as a whole makes it clear to see that something is going to happen later on during the scene. The scene then later cuts to a medium close up of Marion  entering the bathroom and closing the door. Here her facial expression, and overall body language seems to suggest that she is again hiding something or is suspicious of someone coming in. A cut to when she is in the shower has pleonastic sounds used throughout this scene. The sound of the shower curtain makes a certain screeching sound, similar to that of the music in the scene later. Here the score has stopped, and as a result has created suspense. The audience will suspect something will happen, as for a thriller film everything just seems too normal.

The scenes in the shower features frequent cross cuts from Marion to the shower head again creating normality. Medium close ups show her facial expressions which seem to be enjoying the shower too much, which makes it seem suspicious as to why she is. The editing here is very slow with prolonged shots used throughout. At the climax, a long shot of a silhouette of a mysterious figure opening the door and then coming in is very ironic as Marion does not realize this. The camera then zooms slowly to the silhouette whilst still keeping on the side of Marion. It is here where the synchronized score plays at the same as the mysterious killer opens the curtain. The score at this point reaches a new height, it is a screechy violin sound played throughout the stab scenes, matching the action of the kills. Quick cut montages with close ups and sometimes extreme close ups are frequently used throughout the stab scenes to quicken the pace.It also adds emphasis to the panic and fear that she is facing. 

The score then starts to slow down as the killer leaves the bathroom. The slow score at this point is sort of synchronized with the woman's heartbeat as it gradually slows down to nothing. The tilt shot shows her going down with a extreme close up of her hand going to grab the shadow curtain shows how much pain she is in. The curtain that she has grabbed is dropped with a close up of the curtain falling symbolizing her death, which makes the audience seems suspenseful of what is going to happen. An extreme close up is again used to show the water falling into the drain hole. A graphic match is used here to show that her life has faded away like the water draining out of the hole. The camera then zooms away from her to show her whole body dead and lifeless. 

The scene then pans to the right to where the camera pays particular attention to a newspaper which is a key prop to later in the film. Here, the scene here is made particularly tense as with this the audience question what is in the paper. Linked to the asynchronous sound of a man shouting "mother". The audience would then question who that particular voice was possibly creating an enigma.

By analysing this clip, some ideas can be implemented into the opening sequence later on. Camera shots such as quick editing and the scores being faint and ominous as a whole can make the sequence very tense and suspenseful which is needed for a successful thriller.