Psycho bathroom murder scene analysis

Psycho Analysis

Screenshot of Victim in shower with outline of suspect in background - This is a medium close up shot which shows the victim in the shower as well as the suspect to the left of the screen behind the shower curtain. The camera is initially focused on the victim but it then pans to the left of the screen to show the suspect entering the room. The reason that the suspect is blurred out on screen is probably used to create tension because you cannot tell who is behind the curtain but you know that it is going to end badly. This shot also uses the golden rule because the victim is located in the bottom right of the screen and the suspect top left. The only sound in this shot is the sound of the water hitting the floor of the shower, the sound is mostly diegetic but it has been altered to appear louder. The victim is lit up because it symbolises innocence, on the other hand the suspect is left in the dark, and this gives us the effect that they are evil and unnoticed by the victim. Because we know that the victim is not aware of the suspect it leaves us in suspense because we do not know what is going to happen next but we do know that it is not going to end well for the woman in the foreground. Overall the shot is used to create tension and give a small insight into what is going to happen next.

Screenshot of suspect holding up knife - This shot is a medium shot which shows the suspect holding a knife up towards the victim. The camera is focused on the suspect but the water and the suspect’s hair still shields their face from the viewers. This shot is a very dramatic shot because it shows the suspect about to attack the victim, but it also shows how determined the suspect is. The shot is also used to build up tension within the audience because we know that the victim is defenceless and she has no chance of defending herself. The only sound we hear in this shot is the water landing on the floor and the sound of the suspect pulling away the shower curtain; both of the sounds have been edited to appear louder because it gives the effect of realism. This shot also uses the golden mean rule because the head of the suspect and the knife that they are wielding cut across diagonally. Overall the shot is very dramatic because it shows us the suspect about to attack the victim in a very horrific way, we also know that the next few shots from the scene are going to be extremely gory and disturbing which keeps the viewers interested.

Screenshot of suspect stabbing victim from birds eye view camera - This is a medium shot which shows the victim being stabbed by the suspect, from this shot we learn that the suspect is a woman because you can see her long nails on her hand that she is holding the knife with. The camera is placed above the shower so that the viewer can get a good view of the action, you can clearly see that the victim has been stabbed by the mysterious figure that’s face is still hidden from the camera. This shot is used to build tension because you feel sorry for the victim because she has been attacked by this ruthless figure in such unconventional way. This shot uses the golden mean rule because the suspects head is located to the bottom left of the screen while the victims is located to the top right of the screen. There a more sounds used in this shot than in the other two; firstly you can hear the water landing in the bath, it has been slightly edited to appear louder so that the audience feels more involved in the scene. You will also be able to hear the screams of the victim as they are being stabbed by the suspect; screams build tension because the audience feels the victim’s pain and anguish. The last sound you will be able to hear is the sound of the knife travelling through the air and stabbing the victim, this makes the scene feel so much more realistic and horrific. This shot has been used to express the violence within the scene as well as building up the tension within the audience; the shot shows the disturbing nature of the suspect and the unconventional methods used by the suspect on the victim.

Screenshot of water and blood running down plug hole - This last screenshot that I have chosen is an extreme close up of the shower plug hole with the water and blood circling and going down the hole. The shot is used shortly after the victim falls and lays on the floor bleeding to death, the shot symbolises death because it reefers to the life of the victim draining away. It creates an eerie feeling within the audience because everything seems so calm just after someone has been killed, this hints that the killer does not care or feel for the victim. The only sound that you will hear is the sound of the water and blood washing down the plug hole, the sound is eerie but also quite calm which hints that this chapter of this story is over as well as the life of the innocent vulnerable victim. This shot is used to symbolise the death of the victim as well as psychotically building up tension within the audience.

Overall I believe that the bathroom murder scene created tension by being based in a familiar setting that most people will view as a safe place, they also portrayed the suspect as a cold blooded killer that uses horrific unconventional methods of dealing with there victims. Both of these factors make the Psycho bathroom murder scene a prime example of a thriller genre movie.