How does Hitchcock build tension in ‘Psycho’?

In the 1960 film ‘Psycho’, director Alfred Hitchcock builds tension throughout using a variety of mediums. As the first clear cut thriller within film history, ‘Psycho’ is in fact the film which set the classic conventions of the genre so, as expected, has all of them. The action takes place in a lonely out of the way location in the middle of nowhere. It’s far from the city in a quiet area where nobody would hear anything suspicious because you don’t have many neighbours and the ones there are live far off.

One way that Hitchcock builds tension is through the use of camera angles. At the beginning of the film there is one long panning of the establishing shot with no cuts- then a very sudden cut with a jerking movement. This lulls the reader into a false sense of security expecting further panning then ripping them away to a new sight. This could be reflecting the state of Norman Bates’ mind. As the camera is scanning across the city, the window that it chooses feels quite random, as if it is choosing a victim. Again making the audience feel uncomfortable as it is if they are being placed in Bates’ mind. Another camera angle that I thought helped to create tension was when Marion Crane was driving in the storm. A point of view shot was used which make the audience feel as if they were in the car driving, creating a sense of fear and building tension.

Furthermore, Hitchcock builds tension through the use of sound. The music played in the opening sequence is very dramatic, the string instruments being played at a very fast pace. It is dark, discordant and full of tension, giving the feeling that time is running out and you are being chased. Even the music seems to have no idea of where its going, sharply plucked high pitch strings one moment and then a very low pitch the next. It is wild and unpredictable. Also the use of the dramatic music played whenever we see Norman Bates suggests to the audience that he isn't one of the good guys he presents himself as, helping to build tension as the audience don't know what he is actually going to do.

Additionally, Hitchcock uses the use of titles to build tension in ‘Psycho’. In the opening titles a date is displayed which has no year; suggesting to the audience that the film can still feel very relevant, as if the events within it could happen at any time and place. The time is written in words, and makes it seem like a police file within the aftermath of a crime. This contradicts with the effect of the date missing the year, marking when everything happened precisely. This could lead to the audience becoming confused as they are not sure when exactly this happened, building tension as they do not know when anything will be happening further on in the film. When the opening credits roll the screen and text is at random being split into bars, they are moving around constantly. Even the bars are unstable, sometimes splitting sideways and other times vertically. This reflects the dual nature of Norman Bates, hinting at the later revelation of his split personality.

Lastly, Hitchcock uses Mise-en-Scene to build tension. In the opening shot Marion looks passive and is lying down on the bed, foreshadowing her fate. At first when we see her she is dressed in white which suggest innocence to the audience. In a later scene this changes and we see that she is wearing black underwear when she is getting dressed to leave with the money that she stole. This helps to build tension as black suggests death and danger. Once again whilst Norman Bates is watching her through the peephole, she is wearing black underwear again; she is a doomed woman. His watching through the peephole also reflects the beginning of the movie where the audience ‘secretly’ watched Marion through a window in her underwear, hinting that Norman is the killer.

In conclusion, Alfred Hitchcock successfully uses a wide variety of mediums to build tension throughout the film ‘Psycho’.  In my opinion, I believe Hitchcock was excellent at creating tension especially through the use of the dramatic music that is played at times of suspense throughout the film. I think that since the film was in black and white it made it seem darker, scarier and creepy.