Psycho Essay: Shower Scene Analysis

Photo montage of the cuts in Psycho 

Actress Marion Cotillard reinacts Hitcock’s infamous shower scene

A hot shower may seem comforting and cleansing, however, Alfred Hitchcock uses this scene as a strategy to subtlety present the murder of his protagonist in a domestic surrounding. The murder of Janet Leigh's character in the shower is evidently the climax of ‘Psycho’. Analysing the scene, we can observe the continuous quick cuts which are filmed from seventy seven different camera angles. They range from extreme close ups to high and low angle shots; subsequently making the scene striking and aesthetically pleasing. High angle shots reflect the water streaming down from the shower, a close up of Marion’s mouth reveals her screaming and noticeably in pain. Extreme close ups of Marion’s hand and abdomen convey her vulnerability and defencelessness against her lethal attacker.

This scene is skilfully provisioned and is arguably the most significant and influential horror film scenes of all time. It depicts violence trough the dreadful murder, greed through the panning from Marion’s eye to the hidden money in the newspaper and nudity as Marion showers. At the time a 60’s audience would witness and experiment danger and violence for the first time in film. Through this scene, censorship of sex and violence became more at ease because the above was very controversial and risqué.

The shower scene is further intensified through the mise en scene and music. The sharp strings of the violins, violas, and cellos create an orchestra of intensity that leads to the pivotal death of Marion. The music creates a chilling atmosphere that is now famous throughout all cinematography. The shadow of the attacker is a mother figure holding a knife; the mise en scene helps create a climax. We witness the invaders shadow nearing the shower curtain before they attack; this builds suspense and the initial fact that Marion is unaware. The iconography of the blood in the scene is also highly effective, it is visibly thicker and darker in the water and we witness the mass of it flow away. The movie is purposely filmed in black and white; this creates a harshness and constant dark town throughout; this primarily communicates mystery in the suspense.

Hitchcock uses panning across the bath tub floor to the plug hole to direct the audiences focus to Marion’s downfall. This continuity is maintained as a fade transition of the plug whole merges into Marion’s still eye in a rotating motion. A modern analysis of this shot would associate Marion’s open eye as a means to show that she died due to shock and pain and was fully conscious when she died. Her still gaze is then followed across to the bedroom and directs us to the money on the dresser. Hitchcock does this to express the moral liability and the price Marion has had to pay because of her preliminary greed.