Psycho(1960) image analysis 1

This scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s PSYCHO hints at Marion’s death and Norman’s darker nature as a character just before the infamous shower scene montage. The owl on the wall is intentionally put there by Hitchcock as part of the mise-en-scene as an owl is a bird of prey, connoting Norman’s preying on Marion.  Marion’s last name is also Crane which is another type of bird. Norman’s dialogue tells Marion how he likes to stuff birds, foreshadowing her demise. Also within the scene are the paintings behind Norman, the painting directly behind Norman is called “The Rape of Lucretia” and it’s also the painting he takes down before he spies on Marion, creating that link of a sexual crime before he preys on her in the shower. Hitchcock has also used motivated Lighting to create a shadow behind the owl; this pays tribute to Norman’s personality as both him and his mother. 

We have low key lighting and deep shadows on one side of Norman’s face which is subtly conveying that he isn’t as innocent as we are led to believe, this creates a feeling of uneasiness for the audience. The cinematography used here by Hitchcock also makes Norman seem powerful. The shot used is a low expressionist angle which is making the audience feel smaller to him which is showing them that Norman is more powerful than he makes out to be. Janet Staiger’s theory on “Audience Studies” would suggest that by Hitchcock creating an innocent character like Norman with a much darker motive, people would be reminded contextually of the infamous serial killer Ed Gein who infamously murdered many people and wasn’t suspected due to his gentile nature, causing Hitchcock’s influence when creating Norman Bates. Gein was arrested on November the 17^th in 1975, just three years before Pyscho’s release date. Hitchcock creates fear in the audiences on his villains by using low angled shots to make the audience seem inferior.