Sound EG2: Psycho

Poster

Psycho
(Alfred Hitchcock., 1960)

Budget: $807k
Box Office: $32m (US) $50m (worldwide)

The sound from the opening sequence and famous shower killing scene in Psycho. Here is a clip of the shower scene:




At the start of the opening sequence there is a mixture of strings and mysterious music over the titles and idents. This is continuous, but the intensity of it is varying. There is an audio-bridge from the titles to the opening shots, but the style and sound changes, clearly distinguishing this change.

In these opening shots the music doesn't give the impression that the film is a slasher, as it sounds quite orchestral. As the camera zooms the music changes to be more jolty and has quite a lot of rests in it. By doing this it creates tension and the audience are curious of what is being zoomed in at.

Before the shower scene the music is quite quiet, with delicate strings playing in the background. This builds tension as it is a considerable change from the previous sounds. When she steps into the shower there is no non-diegetic sound. However, the diegetic sound that can be heard sounds quite exaggerated, this will bring more attention to the silence of no music.

When the scream queen is being stabbed the non-diegetic sound starts again. Dramatic strings are used to create suspense and add intensity to the killing scene. There is also a constant layering of screams over the music and the strings are very sharp and disjointed. When the killer leaves the room the strings then become very low and less dramatic to reflect what has happened.and the lack of life now left in the room.