Psycho Analysis

Psycho is one of the most well known, and well respected thrillers of all time. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock 'the Master of Suspense', he used many techniques to create a film that has stood the test of time.
The 'Shower Scene' is perhaps one of the most famous scenes in cinema history, often being copied and almost always being used as an example of his works. In it, lead character Marian is killed by what appears to be an old woman with a kitchen knife. However, as we can see in the picture, the woman is silhouetted , meaning that no details can be made out. This means that anything the audience sees is entirely down to what they believe they percieve. This technique can be a powerful one, as it plays on the imagination of the viewer, and so can feel more frightening to them. This is played with even more, as Hitchcock never actually shows any violence during this killing. We are shown the knife bearers hand drawing back, and going fowards, but then it cuts to Marian's face. The only gore shown is in the small amount of blood that flows down into the drain.
What adds even more to this scene is Psycho's incredibly famous musical score. Using muted violins, Hitchcock has some of the most effective tension raising music used in cinema. It puts the viewer on edge with its unusual sound, whilst letting us know that something key to the plot is soon to happen.
The killing takes place at about 47 minutes into the film, which is 109 minutes long. This is unconventional, as up to now, we are in the belief that Marian is the main character, and the plot of the story is focused on her stealing the money from her workplace. However when Hitchcock kills her off, it confuses the viewer as to what they thought was going to happen next. Up until that point the audience would likely have presumed that Marian would have either figured out a way to give back all the money and make up for her crime, or made a successful escape with it. However her death leads the viewer to a new state of suspense, as they truly don't know what's going to happen next. This was a truly revolutionary move by Hitchcock.
What follows the 'Shower Scene' is a period of no dialogue, where Norman Bates cleans up the murder. Normally this would be seen as a dull, pointless scene, however with the viewer having believed the film was about the stolen money, we find ourselves throughout this scene wondering whether Bates is going to discover the money and/or what he's going to do about it. Throughout the scene the camera often hovers over little details we believe Bates hasn't spotted which could lead to the discovery of this murder, but then he turns back and corrects them. It also lingers over the disguised stash of stolen money, which we belive Bates will find. However he sees it only as a rolled up newspaper, and sinks it with the rest of the evidence that Marian was there. Therefore we can see that from this scene, through small details, Hitchcock has turned what would normally be a dull event for an audience, into a tense scene.
From all this we can see that the techniques Hitchcock used to create tension and suspense were a powerful musical score, and unconventional time in the film for the death of the main protagonist, and using the viewers imagination to make the killing more effective.