In this scene from Psycho(1960) we can see Norman Bates ‘peeping’ on Marion getting ready to get into the shower, who has been deliberating put into room 1 as it is next to his office. In this scene Norman is a voyeur which is common a feature in Alfred Hitchcock’s films, linking to his ‘auteur’ style. This is commented on by Laura Mulvey in her study of ‘The Male Gaze’, in her study she states that women are shot in such a way to give pleasure to the male audience. She explains this as a result of the male-dominated CDI and the large amount of male producers and directors, and Hitchcock was often accused of being a voyeur himself. A good example of this is when Hitchcock hosted a dinner party, he dyed all the food blue and watched and laughed at his guests reactions as he stood behind a two-way mirror.
The use of low-key lighting in this scene is very effective, the shadows hiding is face connote his darker side towards Marion. This scene also makes the audience feel somewhat ‘close’ to Norman as this close-up, point of view shot of him makes the audience uncomfortable feel as if they are there with him and in a way watching him peep on the innocent Marion.
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