PSYCHO image analysis

In this scene from PSYCHO (1960) Marion and Norman are talking about putting his mother into a ‘mad house’ where we learn that Norman has been in one before. Norman has a low, expressionist angle on him which emphasises his power over Marion, contradicting the audience’s previous impression of him. In this scene, his mother side seems to be taking over, hence why he grows angry with Marion. Low key lighting is used, emphasising the night setting and making the atmosphere particularly eerie. This also illuminates the owls on the wall making them look alive as they are an important symbol in this film. As they are birds of prey they connote the dangerous side of Norman and as Marion’s surname is Crane there is a connection to her being the victim. The fact that they have been stuffed with their wings outstretched also makes it look like they are about to strike. This is a reference to Norman preserving dead bodies such as his mother’s, which is also a reference to Ed Gein, who dug up his mother’s corpse and preserved it.

Norman is placed to the right of the scene which emphasises the birds’ importance as they take up two thirds of the frame. Half of Norman’s face is in the light, the other in the dark which emphasises his Schizophrenia.