Psycho, Entertainment and the Rise of the Mass Audience
Since the emergence of the picture palace in the 1920’s and 1930’s, cinema has been heavily regarded as a means of entertainment, an activity in which to indulge at our own leisure. To reflect this idea of entertainment the environment in which we consume film is incredibly imperative to whether the aim of entertainment is achieved. Hollywood has had a considerable influence on the entertainment aspect of cinema and the commercialisation of movies. The release of Alfred Hitchcock’sPsychoin 1960 demonstrates how a film created for entertainment, managed to have an overwhelming effect on its audience members, a feeling which is still very present in today’s audience which is considerably rare for a film that was made over 50 years ago. A name such as Hitchcock in modern society is in some ways comparable to Stephen King and the success of his blockbuster horror movies. For instance, when the genre of horror is discussed, both Hitchcock and Stephen King are names which automatically come to mind which speaks volumes for their impact on cinema and what our expectations became for genre films.
In Psycho the violence inflicted on Janet Leigh’s character was incredibly shocking at the time as well as the sexualisation of Marion produced by the female gaze. The film tested the boundaries of censorship in 1960 and amplified the horrific elements of the genre in a way which became increasingly explicit. The reaction of Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘greatest success’ meant that the boundaries of film were forever altered and any film that followed Psycho, would have to compete for its status. Hitchcock talks about “playing” the audience “like an organ” because he completely defies audience expectation by allowing them to form a relationship with what they believe is the film’s protagonist for her to be killed off in the first third of the film. This manipulation of the audience fits the “cinema of attractions” because it “solicits a highly conscious awareness of the film image engaging the viewer’s curiosity.” The “cinema of attractions” refers to a phenomenon whereby the spectator becomes aware of their own act of looking or engaging in visual pleasure. A scene which particularly stands out in Psycho which demonstrates this idea is the infamous shower scene in which the spectator takes on a voyeuristic position while observing Marion shower. It’s almost like we become aware that it is wrong to be exploiting Marion’s vulnerability, however, we are being manipulated by Hitchcock and forced to engage because of the “attractions” taking place on screen which direct our attention to different points of focus. This is most commonly known as voyeurism, a phenomenon in which we gain pleasure from watching others display nudity or engage in sexual behaviours which in this instance the nakedness of Marion is the voyeuristic gaze which is being forced upon us. Due to censorship in 1960, nudity and sex in film were viewed as outrageous by audiences therefore, with the addition of extreme violence inflicted on Marion it makes the outrage even more amplified, giving the film an endless display of reactions.
An advertisement for Psycho insists that “No one…BUT NO ONE…will be admitted to the theatre after the start of each performance”. This again reiterates the idea that Psycho was intended to be consumed as a form of entertainment because it engages audiences from beginning to end and asks audiences to take it seriously by allowing the film to be shown in the way it was anticipated by Hitchcock. In addition, because cinema is regarded as a form of leisure and escapism there is this idea that the working class exchange their hard-earned labour for a small amount of leisure time therefore making cinema an experience where the audience get their “money’s worth”. Maltby argues that “what we really buy at the cinema is time” which relates to the idea that leisure time is a luxury, so it is up to advertisements and the appeal of the ‘cinema experience’ to draw audiences in. The universal reaction of shock and fear from the screenings of Psychoacted as an advertisement in itself “Faintings. Walkouts. Repeat visits. Boycotts. Angry phone calls and letters” are just some of the many reactions the film had. Part of the film’s appeal is the way in which it places the spectator in the action, we experience the same distress and terror that Marion feels when the curtain is pulled back to reveal her killer as she is brutally murdered and the camera lingers on her body as it collapses to the ground.
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