Psycho (1960) Image Analysis

In this scene from Psycho (1960) is when we see Norman’s mother for the first time, although by the use of low-key lighting the audience never actually see her face but just the silhouette of her body which makes her seem all the more mysterious. The knife used by Norman’s mother to kill Marion is a phallic symbol, from the shape and the stabbing process which proceeds, and it is used to make the audience question if this is actually the mother or not. Although the audience never see the knife pierce the skin surface, because of the Hays Code, but this is still very shocking to the audience due to the relaxation of the Hays Code, where before violence, gore or sexual scenes were banned completely from the screen.
The use of quick editing in this scene makes the audience feel excited yet confused as it is hard to follow, which is a very good way of hiding the violence. Collision cutting alerts the audience as it cuts from a quiet shower scene with the sound of water trickling to an outburst of Norman’s Mother attacking Marion with the sound of a parallel, high pitched chord repeating as the knife penetrates her skin. This scene makes us feel somewhat sorry Norman as it seems that he is begin controlled by his mother, in that as soon as he starts to feel some attraction towards a woman his mother “personality” violently kills her.