However, since I'd like to do well in class, I watched Psycho. I was surprised from the get-go that I became genuinely interested in this movie. I thought I'd be trying to distract myself with my phone or something else so that maybe it'd be less scary. Instead, I couldn't stop watching. Of course, this may be because Alfred Hitchcock is a really good movie maker. But, I think there's something else to it entirely.
I wanted to know what happens. Naturally, I know some things about this movie as it's been out for so long and is often called a classic. But, I've never actually seen it, so I didn't know all the details. In order to keep me, someone who doesn't like horror whatsoever, interested in the movie, it had to have a story. And it did. The next thing it had to have was good characters. I think this, more than anything is what kept me hooked. Norman Bates seemed ordinary. Maybe a little odd and reclusive with his hobby of taxidermy. But, still, he seemed harmless.
Now, I went into this movie knowing who Norman Bates is, so I didn't let myself be fooled by him. Still, I can see how people first watching this movie when it came out would completely believe that his mother was the murderer.
The first moment we're really shocked about who the guilty party is, is when the police officer informs us that Norman's mother has been dead and buried for years. How can this be? We've heard him talking to her and even seen her shadow in the window! Now, suddenly, the unknown becomes greater. Not only do we not know who's going to die next, we also don't know who's really guilty. What keeps us hooked on the movie even when we're scared, according to Carroll, is that "Humans, it appears, are born with a kind of fear of the unknown which verges on awe" (162).
The next thing that keeps us watching horror movies is the feeling we get once it's all over. For example, after that very, very creepy (and extremely well done) ending of Norman grinning into the camera, I hurried downstairs and flopped on the couch next to my mom. I also messaged a friend and gushed to her about how creepy it all was! I wasn't necessarily fearing for my own life as I knew it was all a movie. Still, I had a sort of nervous energy now that I need to get out. As Carroll says, "being in an emotional state is invigorating and, if we don’t have to pay the price of the emotional state (in the way, for example, that fear customarily requires danger), then we will view being in that state as worthwhile." I think that's what I was experiencing. Of course, I'm probably not going to watch another horror for as long as I can, but there was definitely a strange emotion I felt once the movie ended. I almost want to watch another one to see if it happens again. (But I won't.)
Yep. Creepy. Kudos, Hitchcock.
Rachel, I completely agree with your post. This horror movie is definitely one that keeps you in suspense. While Norman is incredibly creepy and Marion getting stabbed to death in her shower isn't really something a normal human being should be comfortable viewing, the mystery of who the murderer is keeps people in suspense. The audience wants to know who killed Marion. This desire to know the outcome is exactly what Carroll describes in his article. However, I also think people desire to see what isn't completely normal for humans. Just as people enjoy fairytales and magic, I think part of the appeal of horror movies is the fact that they are extremely strange and not typical. While murderers exist, the concept of someone dressing up as their mother and murdering someone in the shower is extremely unrealistic. This unrealistic aspect keeps people interested as well, regardless of the grotesque and scary content.
ReplyDeleteI really like that you mention what effect the movie has on the viewer, even after it finishes. The infamous shower scene that Psycho is known for is so unlikely when you look at it from an average day perspective. But every once in a while, everyone has been a little bit spooked out about whats on the other side of the shower curtain. This creates both the rational and irrational fear experience. Hitchcock shows something very unlikely, but is possible in an actual human encounter. Though not many people have been personally attacked in a shower, the scene from this movie that so many people has seen, still crafts a slight fear just in knowing that that situation is a possibility; despite how unlikely.
ReplyDeleteI think your comment on the mystery and intrigue ramping up when we are told something that doesn't appear to make any sense, such as Norman Bates' mother being dead is particularly apt. I think this may be a commonality between the horror and mystery genres. The simple but strong desire to understand is what often will hook most audiences into either of these types of films. A difference with horror, I think, is that were far more invested in finding out the truth. Hopefully we have connected with the characters enough to fear for them and the stakes in needing to understand are so much higher. Perhaps understanding while save us from the machete wielding maniac.
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