Since its release in 1960, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho has shaped, inspired, and
completely permeated pop cultural. It has influenced numerous film makers, and
has become so ingrained in our film and cinematic culture that it’s
recognizable even to people who have yet to even see the movie. Famous scenes
from this film are still used and parodied in movies and TV shows today, over
50 years later. Psycho turned two
shrill notes on a violin into the haunting sound of a killer looming into the scene.
It made a swinging ceiling light bulb the perfect addition to a cinematic standoff
with death. And of course, it made a porcelain white shower the perfect locale
to commit murder. These, and other horror flick trademarks, all affectionately
hark back to Hitchcock’s Psycho, the
film that set the standard for horror thrillers.
In 1959 prolific crime novelist, Robert Bloch published the
novel, Psycho, which was loosely
based on the real-life story of an obscene small-town murderer, Ed Gein. Alfred
Hitchcock’s personal assistant discovered the novel and brought it to
Hitchcock’s attention. After he read the novel himself, Hitchcock anonymously bid
on the rights, acquiring the story for a mere $9,000. Hitchcock’s initial idea
for Psycho was actually inspired by the
series of bad, inexpensively-made “B” horror flicks that were so successfully
at the time. Hitchcock was curious to see what would happen if he made a good,
inexpensively-made horror flick. He shot the entire film using the film crew
from his television show, Hitchcock Presents, and chose to film in black and
white to cut costs. Shooting in black and white would also help tame the gory scenes
in the script, and make it (a little) easier to pass through the censorship.
The novel itself was actually much more gory and gruesome
than Hitchcock’s film. Hitchcock and screenwriter Joseph Stefano worked through
the novel, changing and adapting the story into a script. Stefano was actually in
Freudian analysis himself at the time, and greatly relied on his own
experiences in therapy while working on the script, especially when developing the
dark, yet sympathetic, villain Norman Bates. Stefano also quickly impressed
Hitchcock with the idea to deviate from the novel and start the film with
Marion’s story and point of view rather than Norman Bates’. Hitchcock quickly
latched on to this idea, adding that they should get a big-name star to play
that role, in order to shock the audience even more with the character’s sudden
death.
Shocking the audience was always Hitchcock’s main motive.
Once publicity for the film began, Hitchcock designed the promotional trailers
and posters to feature Janet Leigh (Marion), solidifying in the public’s mind
that Leigh was indeed the star of the picture. That way the audience would be
so taken aback by her abrupt murder less than a quarter ways through the film.
Hitchcock even filmed a scene of co-star Vera Miles screaming in a shower just
for the trailer, making the shower sequence even more unexpected.
Hitchcock's very long and very droll original trailer for Psycho.
See 6:00 mark for Vera Miles shower cameo.
Leigh’s death wasn’t the only secret Hitchcock had to keep.
He also went to great lengths to keep up the idea that there really was a “Mrs.
Bates.” Hitchcock felt that the plot twist involving Norman’s mother was the
true fun and thrill of the story; the audience had to be convinced to the very
end that Mrs. Bates was indeed alive. During pre-production, Hitchcock spread
casting rumors for the part of “Mrs. Bates;” for weeks agents were calling and
sending in their recommendations, vying to get their clients an audition for
the role of “Mother.”
Even after shooting finished, the sly secrecy continued.
Hitchcock refused to have early showings for newspapers and reviewers, making
them see the film with the rest of the public; he feared that early reviews
would spoil the twist ending for the general public. Taking it even one step
further, Hitchcock had posters and cutouts of himself made for all the theaters
that would be showing Psycho. The
signage warned all patrons that “No one… but NO ONE” would be allowed into the
theater after the showing began.
He wanted to make sure everyone saw the film
from the beginning; to Hitchcock’s thinking, if audience members came into the
theater late, they would be sitting there wondering where Janet Leigh was. Hitchcock
also didn’t want anything to distract the viewers from the story being played
out on screen. This led to another concern for Hitchcock- his own role in the
film.
Hitchcock’s signature cameo in all his films actually began out
of necessity back during his silent era. His film budgets back then were much
smaller than the budgets he was granted once he signed with Paramount Pictures.
In order to physically fill up crowd shots, everyone on set- including Hitchcock-
would appear in the scene. Once Hitchcock became more well-known, so did his
face and distinct, rotund figure; audiences began to recognize and pick him out
in his films. This quickly became a game for both Hitchcock and the audience:
when and where would you see Hitchcock in this film? What started out as a
mischievous game however quickly became a complication for Hitchcock. If the
audience was too busy looking for his cameo, then they wouldn't be paying
attention to the story. So with Psycho,
and all of his subsequent films, Hitchcock strategically placed his cameo early
on in the film before any significant storytelling began. This way, he was
still playing this ongoing game of hide-and-seek with the audience, but without
disrupting the mood of the film.
Hitchcock's Psycho cameo. In the first 10 minutes of the film.
Once the scenes were all shot- including Hitchcock’s cameo-
the crew and some of the cast gathered to watch the rough cut. And, according
to screenwriter Stefano, it was horrible. He recalled being so disappointed
after that first viewing, and having no idea how to admit this to his director.
Hitchcock however, just patted Stefano on the leg and reminded him “it’s only a
rough cut.” The film then went on to Bernard Herrmann who performed a miracle;
he wrote and added the now-famous Psycho
theme. His original compositions, made up solely of string instruments,
completed the film. After viewing the film again with the added score, Stefano
described it as being a completely different movie. It made that rough cut into
a cinematic experience.
For its time, the Psycho
had some pretty racy scenes in it. It explicitly discussed and displayed illicit pre-marital sex, nudity, and insanity. Many people were scandalized by the various
scenes of Janet Leigh undressing or laying around in her slip and bra. There
was also a big upset about the use of the word “transvestite” in the
psychiatrist scene. What I find most
entertaining however is the reactions people had to the famous shower scene.
Hitchcock and Leigh rehearsing the shower sequence. Via.
This 3 minute scene required 78 shot set-ups and took 7 full
days to film. It’s a fantastic scene that makes your heart race no matter how
many times you've seen it. What’s most interesting is the illusion of the
sequence. Not once do you ever see the knife actually pierce Leigh’s skin. The
stabbing is instead represented with the rapid cuts in the film; the audience automatically
associates every film “cut” as another literal “cut” with the knife. Audience
members, however, were so convinced by Hitchcock’s cinematic device, that many
left the theater talking about the gory stabbing, describing the knife slashing
through Marion’s skin as if they saw it. One reviewer was so engrossed by the
scene that he actually described Marion’s red blood swirling down the drain- in
the black and white movie. Many audience members however agreed, swearing they
saw the red blood as well.
Hitchcock was such a visionary, making his films not simply
entertainment, but an experience. While all aspects of Psycho are astounding- the story, the characters, the acting- what
really makes this film so prevalent today is the sheer mastery of this film. As
Hitchcock said, when people watch Psycho
they are “aroused by pure film.” Even if you’re not schooled in film technique
or even if you don’t consider yourself a film enthusiast, it’s still impossible
not to notice the how inventive and creative this movie is. All around, it’s an
exceptional example of film at its best.
Lisa Helene.
Just for fun, here are some fan-made, minimalist movie posters for Psycho that I think Hitchcock would have loved:
I love how this one is reminiscent of the opening title sequence. Via.
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