THE PSYCHO SHOWER SCENE REVIEW
The psycho shower scene is perhaps one of the most vividly remembered scenes in the history of Hollywood cinema. It was perhaps the first time that a murder was shown taking place inside a bathroom with a glamourous young female as the innocent, unsuspecting victim.
The first impression that one gets once the scene is over is that of relief. After all so much tension is built within the scene in a short duration. The second thought is that of what next. And that question is soon answered as the focus shifts to the next event. The killer appears from behind the curtains, does the job, and soon disappears. The audience is left with the wide eyed gaping of the killed female zooming out of a circular closeup view of the drain sucking all the crimson colored water.
The start itself is pretty innocuous and lures the viewer in a different direction. The young and attractive Janet Leigh steps into the bathroom, opens the shower, and undresses. We see only the upper region of her body. She then begins to take the shower as any one would do. The camera often shows the shower pipe and the water zooming out. As she begins to enjoy the shower, the angle shifts to her back showing the curtain in full view.
That is when the action begins. A shawdow emerges from nowhere, pulls the curtain open, and what follows is an action sequence whose final effect is just the one intended - the victim is left injured and bleeding to her death. It is this scene sequence that is so packed with action and so rivetting. A number of shots are clubbed together to produce a startling visual and auditory effect of shock and awe. The shrieking of the violins was just the sound required to capture the state of mind of the victim.
The reaction of the actress is just the natural reaction of a female faced with this situation. The shots show only two angles - from the killer's side and the victim's side. These are then woven together intricately, showing various points of attack and defence, into a whole that serves its purpose beautifully.
Once the attack is over, the killer's back is shown leaving the room, and the focus now shifts on the victim - dazed and injured. She collapses, trying to grab the curtain, and falls down on the floor. Here hitchcock uses his trademark visual skill. The camera shows the blood stained water running down the round drain. It gradually focuses on the drain, then zooms out with the eye of the victim as a new starting point.
If you pay close attention, the entire camera screen becomes round and then resumes the normal square shape. But unfortunately, this effect fails to create the right impression.
To summarize, the psycho shower scene is memorable because:
- It serves the purpose to the point: of showing a cold blooded murder.
- Self-contained. Does not contain any superfluous elements, or tricks.
- Realistic. The stabbing is shown the way the victim would have seen it.
- Timing: It manages to capture the timings very well. Well orchestrated.
- Impact: Creates the impact that the director wants to. See first point.
In all, the whole scene is memorabe for the perormance of the actors and the involvement of the director in creating a piece of art with all the limitations of the media being used.