Psycho - Film Analysis

Psycho is a very well known thriller/horror directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1960. The film is set mainly in a small, segregated, secluded motel that [Marion Crane] 'Leigh' goes to after stealing a large sum of money ($40,000) from her employer. Little does she know that she will soon be the victim of a horrible murder. 

Psycho is great example of a thriller movie as it holds many components of what makes up a typical thriller film. One of the components that this film exploits perfectly to create the feeling and tension of a thriller movie is the use of sound. The are many ways that sound is used in Psycho that helps to add tension such as; eerie music and non-diegetic sounds. During the famous, well-known shower scene there a background noise of deep, bellowing bass that amplifies as Marion Crane's murderer's silhouette gets closer and closer. Also, when the curtain in pulled and the knife is exposed to Marion Crane a large screeching sound plays over the top, this use of non-diegetic sound is used to scare the audience.