The Simplicity of a Psychopath

Paper Summary:

This paper contends that in the ending scene of Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film "Psycho", we find out how much of a psycho Norman Bates truly is. It discusses how the simplicity of the scene's cinematography makes this character truly frightening after we realize the thoughts that have been going through his head for the duration of the film.

From the Paper:

"In the last scene of Psycho the character Norman Bates, played by Anthony Perkins, is sitting in a jail cell. He has just been caught attempting to murder Sam Loomis and Lila Crane in his basement, and was found to have murdered Arbogast, the private detective, as well as several other girls. At this point Norman is no longer a part of the film. Physically he is sitting in the chair in the jail cell, but the mind of Norman Bates is nowhere to be found. He is in the mindset of his deceased mother whom he takes the personality of during portions of the film, and is discussing how she turned in her son (Norman) for the murder she committed. In reality Norman is speaking about Norman. The emotional mayhem that is going on in this character's mind in this scene is thoroughly offset by the plain and simple cinematography."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Psycho. Dir. Alfred Hitchcock. Screenplay by Joseph Stefano. Perf. Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh. Paramount, 1960.

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