Hitchcock and his Herrings

Alfred Hitchcock, being famous for his twisting and ever changing plots put his storytelling talents to work when creating the film Psycho. Like many films, we are introduced to our main character, Marion. Most movies’ story cycles are pretty straight forward and uniform from the get go. Hitchcock’s ability to make the audience feel as if they are watching the development of one story, then rip their attention away and divert it to a whole other subject is what keeps viewers on their toes for the whole movie. But back to Marion. Her getaway with $40,000 is the focal point of the movie for the first twenty minutes. Another twenty minutes in and we’ve already forgotten about the sketchy policeman who was tailing her all the way from phoenix. He wasn’t very significant apparently. Finally we come to the Bates Motel where we meet our quirky friend Norman Bates. We are also introduced not face to face but in concept to Norman’s “Mother”, who has seemingly lost it completely. Before we know it Marions dead and that’s that. Moving on now- is essentially the tone hitchcocks sets whenever he chooses to send his Red Herring every which way.

After much body burying between Marion, the detective, her sister and Sam, the film ends. No resolution between the money, Marion and Sam’s relationship, or whatever happened with her job. All that’s left is Norman Bates and his motherly instinct. Hitchcock deliberately servers story lines in order to keep the audience on their feet. He does not allow viewers to think ahead or behind, only to watch what is happening; what I believe makes the movie as scary as it is.