How Does Hitchcock Manipulate the Audience

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How does Hitchcock manipulate the audience in Psycho? In this essay, I will explain the variety of ways in which Alfred Hitchcock manipulates the audience in Psycho, and the ways in which he created such an effective film. The manipulation Hitchcock used for Pyscho began in the trailer, before the film was even screened! The most manipulating scene in this trailer is when the director gives an image that Norman Bates' mother is alive, whereas really, Norman's schizophrenic behaviour suggests his character is actually dominated by his mother. This is neither the truth nor a lie, as the mother is actually dead but not in the mind of Norman. Therefore she is dominating Bate's mind, and Hitchcock makes us infer that his mother was infact alive. Throughout his film, Hitchock uses many point of view shots. In the opening scene, there is a shot of Marion Crane looking through a rear view mirror when a policeman is approaching her at the side of the road. The policeman begins talking to her and the audience can feel a sense of empathy with Marion, creating tension and making the audience feel nervous. The fact that the audience have followed Marion through the film so far and she is the main character in Psycho, it adds to the tension we already feel for her in this scene. Tension is quickly created in the first twenty minutes of the film, such as in the opening credits when the music that you hear is what you would expect in any horror film. Notice that there isn't any image's being used, theres only lines that appear to slice through and fragment the names. At the start of the film you're not entirely glued, but when Marion starts a usual day at work, and is asked to pay a large amount of money into the bank, it grabs your attention as to whether this will play a large part in the plot of Psycho. Worry is clear in her eyes as she places the

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