Why is Psycho a Slasher?
Ever since its release in 1960, Hitchcock's Psycho has become known as the best horror film of all time. It is a seminal slasher. An influential film. It set a new level of acceptability for violence and defiant behaviour in film. It is controversial - it was the first film to show a toilet on screen.
However, some may argue that Psycho is not a slasher, and that the victimised characters were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. But in Mark Kermode's article, he explains why Psycho is a seminal slasher.
Kermode starts off by saying how Psycho is based on Robert Bloch's novel, who was inspired to write his "potboiler" by news reports about the murderer and necrophile, Ed Gein, who appeared to be an ordinary Wisconsin man. Gein made ornaments and clothing from skin of the dead - which I suppose influenced Norman's interest in taxidermy in Psycho. This is what scared a lot of people - the fact that this phenomenon is based on something that happened in real life. This is summed up through Kermode; "The terror... lay in the fact that the killer 'could be the person sitting next to you.'"
"Dispute still rages.." says Kermode. The fact that people are still obsessing over the film only proves how influential the film is. The most original and influential moment in the film is the "shower scene", which became iconic in pop culture because it is often regarded as one of the most terrifying scenes ever filmed. It films Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) in her most vulnerable moment, and then she is murdered unexpectedly - which adds to its terrifying quality. Part of its effectiveness was due to the use of startling editing techniques borrowed from the Soviet montage filmmakers, and to the iconic screeching violins in Bernard Herrmann's musical score.
Psycho contrived a template for future slasher franchises through its edgy aesthetic and controversial scenes (particularly the toilet flush shot). It directly inspired Halloween, which funnily enough features Janet Leigh's daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis, and spawned a number of sequels including my personal favourite, the TV show Bates Motel.
It has inspired works of artistic film too, including Gus Van Sant's post-modern colour copy remake, which stars Vince Vaughan as Norman.
Douglas Gordon's art installation 24 Hour Psycho which displayed the film to a snail's pace. In fact, Gordon's piece of art is the tenth longest experimental film of all time.
The principle from all of this is that "Psycho is still ensuring that no one feels safe in the shower."
However, some may argue that Psycho is not a slasher, and that the victimised characters were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. But in Mark Kermode's article, he explains why Psycho is a seminal slasher.
 |
| Norman Bates in Psycho (1960) |
 |
| Freddie Highmore who plays Norman in the prequel TV series, Bates Motel |
Kermode starts off by saying how Psycho is based on Robert Bloch's novel, who was inspired to write his "potboiler" by news reports about the murderer and necrophile, Ed Gein, who appeared to be an ordinary Wisconsin man. Gein made ornaments and clothing from skin of the dead - which I suppose influenced Norman's interest in taxidermy in Psycho. This is what scared a lot of people - the fact that this phenomenon is based on something that happened in real life. This is summed up through Kermode; "The terror... lay in the fact that the killer 'could be the person sitting next to you.'"
"Dispute still rages.." says Kermode. The fact that people are still obsessing over the film only proves how influential the film is. The most original and influential moment in the film is the "shower scene", which became iconic in pop culture because it is often regarded as one of the most terrifying scenes ever filmed. It films Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) in her most vulnerable moment, and then she is murdered unexpectedly - which adds to its terrifying quality. Part of its effectiveness was due to the use of startling editing techniques borrowed from the Soviet montage filmmakers, and to the iconic screeching violins in Bernard Herrmann's musical score.
Psycho contrived a template for future slasher franchises through its edgy aesthetic and controversial scenes (particularly the toilet flush shot). It directly inspired Halloween, which funnily enough features Janet Leigh's daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis, and spawned a number of sequels including my personal favourite, the TV show Bates Motel.
It has inspired works of artistic film too, including Gus Van Sant's post-modern colour copy remake, which stars Vince Vaughan as Norman.
Douglas Gordon's art installation 24 Hour Psycho which displayed the film to a snail's pace. In fact, Gordon's piece of art is the tenth longest experimental film of all time.
Comments
Post a Comment