Lit Log #1 // Reviewing the Reviewer

Out of all the movie reviews that I read for the movie Psycho, Pure Psycho: The Art of a Midnight Masterpiece written by John M. Heath caught my attention the most. He focuses the majority of the article on breaking down the techniques used in the film that kindle an emotional reaction from the audience. He includes multiple shots to back up all his points and shows, not tells, the readers what a real cinematic masterpiece this film is. In addition, Heath pulls quotes from the director himself, Alfred Hitchcock, to tie the whole article together. The most impressive thing this article accomplishes is getting me to enjoy the film. Not as a story, but as a picture film. As a person who is not a fan of horror or thriller movies, the interpretation, and breakdown this article goes through make me want to rewatch Psycho to appreciate it for what it is.

Heath starts off strong with a quote from Hitchcock talking about the pride he takes in his film. Hitchcock goes on about the joy he feels knowing that his film, Psycho, had an effect on the audience. He enjoys that it sparks an emotional response from the audience and the fact that he was able to create that reaction through his film. Heath follows this quote with an explanation about how Hitchcock is a part of the “old school silent-era directors” that lived by the rule “Show it, don’t say it” (Heath). Anyone who has watched Psycho knows this to be true, even without previously knowing about the rule. Hitchcock is a master at keeping his audience on the edge of their seats. He is able to execute this level of suspense by not saying much and instead of showing his audience what he needs them to know. Everything, one way or another, leads the audience down to the big reveal at the end.

Something that Heath and most film reviewers can agree on, is the manipulative mastermind that Hitchcock is. In addition to his usage of “Show it, don’t say it,” he also dictates the relationship the audience has with the story. In the beginning, he pins the audience on a birds-eye-view of a city. He immediately follows this by closing in on a hotel room, peaking through the window. Heath said it best, “We feel that we’re prying, witnessing something that we shouldn’t. Yet, we can’t look away.” (Heath). Hitchcock wants his audience to feel like peeping toms. He creates this discomfort, and builds this question of Am I allowed to watch? in the mind of his audience. This allows Hitchcock to enter the minds of his viewers and push the limits with what he shows. He is able to build suspense, real the audience in, and hit them with major and unexpected events, all with the clever use of different shots.

One of the technical elements used in this film that Heath goes into is Hitchcock’s use of strong compositional lines. This specific element triggers an uneasy feeling in viewers and Hitchcock uses that to his advantage. If we remember the rules for watching Psycho, Hitchcock made the film with the intention of trapping his audience in theaters to watch this movie all the way through. Something Heath missed is the importance of the audience’s memory. Because Hitchcock wants the ability to control and impact the audience’s emotions, he needs them to sit through the whole film. This way, when he shows viewers strong compositional lines with the suggestion that they hold a deeper meaning, he needs to trigger a memory in their heads to convey this message. In the article Heath shows these examples side by side, helping readers to understand his point, but in the film, Hitchcock uses his limited runtime to do the same.

Following the theme of repetition and memory, Hitchcock loved to draw parallels between seemingly meaningless events at the beginning and the bigger events that happen later on. He hints at so many little things that some may not even notice. Thankfully Heath does a great job of breaking these small details down for us. For example, there is a weird connection between birds and women in this film. If we remember the birds-eye-view in the opening scene, and then watch the dinner scene with Norman and Marion, we as audience members can begin to understand that Hitchcock wanted us to link the two in our minds. “We learn that these three things (birds, sex, and women) are inextricably linked in the twisted mind of Norman Bates” (Heath). Why does it matter that these things are connected in Norman’s head? As we find out after the dinner scene, it’s because the story shifts to follow Norman instead of Marion. Hitchcock planned this shift all along and was clearly informing the audience about the change through the dinner scene.

It is small connections like this that start to turn wheels in my head and make me want to go back and rewatch to look out for these subtle things. Heath’s article makes me want to go back and look for more connections or small details I missed. It is this very article that makes me want to rewatch Psycho to appreciate it for what Hitchcock intended it to be. A midnight masterpiece.