Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (staring Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins) is one of the most influential films in motion picture history. Hitchcock uses cinematography, dialogue, costumes and lighting, as well as many other film techniques to thrill the audience and keep them on the edge of their seats from the beginning of the film to the very end. These scenes we have just viewed are a typical example of Hitchcock's great ability to tell a story in a horrific way and haunt the viewers for a long time after their experience with the thrilling movie. He is able to get into the audience's minds and scare them into never wanting to have another shower again.
             Hitchcock's highly developed cinematography skills make a large contribution to the horrific atmosphere which is present throughout the film. At the start of the film, the camera slowly pans over the city of Phoenix and selects Marion and Sam's hotel room. This gives a feeling of randomness and also power, because Hitchcock could have picked any room in the entire city, and he picked this one. If he had chosen to enter any other building, we would never have known Marion's story. Chance plays a major role in this film. If we did not enter Marion's hotel room, we would never have heard her story, if they didn't need to pay off debts, she wouldn't have stolen the money and if she hadn't stolen the money, she wouldn't have been murdered. This randomness is also displayed later on in the film when Norman reaches for the key to Marion's room, and then moves his hand back before selecting the key to cabin number 1. As the camera enters the room, the blinds narrowly conceal the interior, which sets a secretive and scandalous atmosphere. Many close ups and low angle shots are used in the movie, including in this excerpt. Once inside the hotel room, the camera zooms in on Marion and Sam, showing how close they are and almost justifying t...