Historical context

Psycho was based on a book by Robert Bloch, which was in turn loosely inspired by a notorious Wisconsin multiple homicide case involving a man named Ed Gein. The gruesome series of brutal murders committed by this psychopath has inspired a number of other movie portrayals of mad killers, from "Leatherface" in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) to "Buffalo Bill" in The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Alfred Hitchcock was by this time well established as a director who specialized in suspense stories. At a time when movie directors were not generally well known to the moviegoing public, Hitchcock was a familiar figure who hosted his own weekly television show. Having acquired the rights to Bloch's novel, Hitchcock decided to try to produce the film quickly and inexpensively without sacrificing quality. He used the same crew and equipment that had been employed to create his television episodes. Following his usual practice of planning the film shot by shot in advance, and shooting on a television-style schedule, he was able to make the film on a significantly smaller budget than that of most pictures of comparable stature.

Narrative context

Hitchcock and Stefano experiment with a somewhat convoluted narrative structure in which Marion Crane is firmly established as the main character, then abruptly killed off just one-third of the way through the film, leaving the audience no one with whom to identify. (This unorthodox approach explains why Hitchcock insisted that no audience members be seated after the movie began. If they were seated too far in, they would miss the putative star of the film altogether.) How does Hitchcock encourage the audience to sympathize with Marion? After her death, to whom are we encouraged to transfer our sympathy? How is this accomplished?

Although exposition is normally inserted near the beginning of a film, in Psycho we continue to be given important pieces of expository information quite late in the film. Why was this done?

The film includes a number of striking examples of foreshadowing, both verbal and visual. What are some examples?

Hitchcock often spoke of a type of narrative device that he called a "MacGuffin." This refers to that element of the plot which is important to the characters in the film -- sometimes desperately so -- but which holds no importance at all for the audience. For example, in a spy story in which all the spies are after a roll of microfilm, the microfilm is the MacGuffin. As far as the audience is concerned, it could just as well be a secret document or any other artifact. It makes no difference to the story. Is there a MacGuffin in Psycho?

Aesthetic context

Bird imagery is to be found throughout Psycho. What are some examples? Why do you think this motif was chosen?

The film also makes use of extensive mirror imagery. What are some examples? Why do you think this motif was chosen?

The music of Bernard Herrmann is frequently cited as a significant factor in the effectiveness of Psycho. Herrmann and Hitchcock worked together on a number of projects during the 1950s and 1960s. In what way(s) does this score enhance Hitchcock's film?

Early in the film, how does Hitchcock creatively use the soundtrack to draw us into Marion's thoughts?

How does Hitchcock use editing in the film to generate suspense?

Rhetorical context

Hitchcock prided himself on making films that were pure entertainment. He used to say, "some people's films are slices of life; mine are slices of cake." Is there in fact no rhetorical dimension to Psycho; no "message?"

Generic context

Psycho is generally regarded as a seminal film of the horror genre. And yet, it contains only two scenes of violence, minimal blood, nothing supernatural, and no monsters in the usual sense. In what sense, then, can it be considered a horror film?