psycho sound in motion

Christopher Galarza\



“Psycho the shower scene”



In one of the most well known scenes in movie history “the shower” scene in Psycho, it is also one of the most brilliantly shot scenes. The use of music to intensify the moment if the hidden treasure within the scene not to mention the film. The feeling of suspense and the effect of the cuts during the scene create questions to why it is even happening.
Watching the movie with music give you plenty to absorb, plenty to think about, but the one effect the music does create as well as the movie, is create its own world in that single scene. From the begging where the robe comes down to the finale cut , your eyes stay on the screen but at the same time you go , What the hell was she not the main character?. One of the most satisfying shots in this scene is when she sits there with the little life she has left and grabs the shower Curtin tries to getup but falls face first while shower Curtin rips off ring by ring. There is a bit of an insecurity feeling when watching the scene because of the music and the setting that it creates, you don’t feel safe.
Psychos shower scene would be nothing without the music, so what is it exactly without it. When watching the scene with no music you lose the feeling of insecurity, but what is revealed is this gagging feeling with the sound effects of the knife going into her body. The main character without the music is just a victim you don’t feel much excitement or involvement in the scene. In other words without the music it would lose much of the movies own life.
In any movie sound is one of the most important things that is used, the simplest of sounds composed in the most unique and brilliant ways goes a long way. In psycho this is just one example of the life that sound gives to a movie.