alfred hitchcock analysis

Major Project - Alfred Hitchcock Critical Analysis
Alfred Hitchcock was and still is considered one of the best horror directors of all time. He is
considered the "Master of Suspense" for his very well written and directed horror films, which
have left his mark clearly and firmly on the movie-making industry. With works such as Vertigo,
Psycho, The Birds and Rear Window, Hitchcock told his stories through intelligent plots, witty
dialogue and just the right amount of mystery and murder. All these factors coincide to
revolutionise the filming industry, particularly the Horror/Thriller genre, spawning a whole new
line of filmmakers mimicking his recipe for a great horror, making him a legend all over the
world.
The fact that Alfred Hitchcock is the "Master of Suspense" is what makes his horror movies so
great. It is the suspense that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats in anticipation, fear and
excitement. This sheer exposure and incorporation of suspense into all of his films makes them so
deep and uncontrollably addictive. Not a single person who has ever experienced, the full entirety
of his films, as it is not something one merely watches, one experiences it, can deny the great
presence of suspense and the immense effect it has on the film, itself. Hitchcock manages to turn a
simple horror/thriller into a film that is over whelmingly full of suspense and creates an aura and
sense of complete suspension throughout the movie, of pleasurable excitement and anticipation
that can not be simply let go and must be experienced in it's entirety. It is this amazing creation of
suspense that creates the link between suspense and horror, which is why Hitchcock is not only the
master of suspense but also the master of all thrillers. Which is why, suspense is the glue that
holds the pieces of horror together. The best way to describe this was indeed, presented by
Hitchcock, when he said. "There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it", this quote
truly embodies the whole factor of suspense, in that the 'bang' is quick and instantly over, whereas
the eventual and agonising climax to it is much more horrific.
Hitchcock once stated "Always make the audience suffer as much as possible" This quote would
possibly be one of the greatest pieces of advice Hitchcock could give. Not only that, it also
analyses his horror and suspense methods at the same time. Keeping the audience in agony longer
keeps them more and more involved in the film, intensifying the suspense to an unbearable degree,
where they won't be able to watch any more but have to, this is what Hitchcock wanted to achieve;
putting his audience in a position of unbearable excitement. This quote is also linked to the
previous quote, whereby a long and agonising feature of suspense adds far more to the film than a

quick 'bang'.
There are numerous ways in which a writer/director can create suspense. This can include;
building expectation, increasing tension, using surprise, creating immediacy, establishing
consequences, limiting time, maintaining doubt, camera angles and the use of music and sound
effects. Incorporated together these nine ways of suspense are all identifiable in many of
Hitchcock's works and all greatly add to the horror of the movie with it's own method of suspense.
The first method that Alfred Hitchcock uses in creating suspense is to build expectation. This may
be expectation of danger, for instance where the audience knows of an imminent danger that is
going to occur and are 'suspended' into the fate of that person. This is an excellent way to
captivate the viewer as, once a character has been identified to the audience, the viewer holds a
greater expectation that events will more-likely revolve around that character and therefore have a
greater suspension in the acts and submissions of that character. This is a great way to grip the
audience into a theatre of imminent danger to that character, creating suspense. Hitchcock uses
this method to his advantage in his film, Psycho. After establishing the Private Investigator in the
movie, he decides to investigate the motel, at which she was supposedly staying. The audience at
this point is thinking that the deranged mother of the owner has killed the person and a great
expectation of danger occurs when he goes into the house where the mother is, the audience is on
the edge of their seats waiting to see what will happen to the investigator. Everything was set up
for a major event and the expectation for this was openly apparent. That being said, Hitchcock
can't and doesn't rely so heavily on music and sound effects. As he once said, "If it's a good movie,
the sound could go off and the audience would still have a perfectly clear idea of what was going
on" This shows that even though sound is a great asset, nothing can go past a good visual, that can
incorporate several methods of suspense, not merely one. This is another measure of Hitchcock's
great talents, in that he believes so heavily in his work and knows what makes it so great.
Another method used copiously in the horror genre is that of creating tension. Similar to building
expectation, increasing tension uses information to manipulate the audience. In this technique, the
audience is given information and is informed of the impending fate of the character, while the
character is left in the dark. The whole fate is not yet known, however they are aware of imminent
danger and what could possibly happen to that character. This creates a lot of tension in the
audience, as they are aware of what is going to happen, while they watch the identified character

walk straight into a trap. For instance, it makes the viewer just want to scream out 'Don't do it!' It
also suspends the audience into whether the character will survive or not. Hitchcock uses this
technique in rear Window. While looking through Jeff's camera we can see a whole set of events
pan out. We see Jeff's girlfriend, Lisa enter Thuwald's, the killer's apartment through the window.
The tension continues to build as we see Thornwald enter his apartment while Lisa is still inside.
Since Lisa is an identified character that the audience cares about, nobody really wants to see the
next bit where it is imminent that the killer will find her. However at the point where she does not
know that the killer is returning, the viewers tension increases, aware of the jeopardy she is in,
especially since she does not know and we, the audience can't do any thing about it.
Another technique used by Hitchcock to manipulate his audience is the use of surprise. When
there is a sudden surprise or twist in the story or plot the audience begins expecting more violence
and mystery etc. An excellent example of this technique is in the movie Psycho. Hitchcock kills
off the star early in the movie in the classic shower scene. This surprise twist creates an
expectation for more of it and therefore more suspense. Hitchcock's remarks to this were "At this
point I transferred the horror from the screens into the minds of the audience. And although there
is only one more violent act in the whole movie, the audience is held in suspense throughout" This
is a perfect example of Hitchcock using different ways to create suspense which make his horrors
so unpredictable, the ending of this movie only has to be seen to explain why. This technique, just
like all the others is almost unique or always modified by Hitchcock so that the audience never
knows what to expect in any aspect of horror, increasing the suspense and therefore, horror.
When something vital is at stake immediate suspense is created to house the fears for that
something. This is called creating immediacy and is very effective in all movies to manipulate the
audience into caring for something that is vital to one of the characters, which otherwise may have
been less involving. This technique is also used to create suspense in Alfred Hitchcock's Rear
Window. In this movie, someone very vital to the lead character, his girlfriend has her life put in
jeopardy in a very intense scene in the movie. The audience feels for the main character and the
emotions he must be going through, watching his girlfriend, seemingly moments away from
imminent death, especially when there is nothing he could do. This technique is very useful as the
suspense created, not only captivates the audience into the events but also influences their feelings
for the boyfriend and how he is powerless over something that is so vital to him and thus, the

audience feels in the same manner.
In most of his movies Hitchcock establishes consequences for the main character to achieve and if
he didn't he would have to suffer the ramifications. This creates a great sense of suspense, as the
entire audience watches in anticipation, will he or wont's he? It keeps the audience on the edge of
their seats, as Hitchcock does, it brings alive the plot of the movie, and thoroughly engages the
audience. This is shown in Vertigo, where a Private Investigator is hired to follow the wife of a
rich businessman. After following her around for a few days he believes she became somewhat
possessed by a ghost of her grandmother and became suicidal to fulfil her husbands wishes to kill
her. The consequences of failure to help her, leads to her death and the ramifications and
implications that occur in court. However throughout his time on this case the audience feels
suspense because they sit in indecisiveness over what will happen. On one hand they would like to
see him save her but on the other they don't want a boring or uneventful movie. This is what
possible consequences do; however it also increases urgency to get it done.
Yet, another method that Alfred Hitchcock has mastered is that of maintaining doubt. If there is
doubt in the minds of the audience as to the outcome of certain events, the suspense is intensified.
When something is know there is no interest, no captivity, no suspense. For instance if somebody
told you the ending to a classic whodunit such as Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express
then you would most likely not even watch it and even if you did there would be far less thrill and
suspense when you did. This is why keeping the audience in the dark about certain events or
people works so well for Hitchcock, captivating the audience into curiosity and intensifying the
suspense further. In Psycho, Hitchcock puts huge doubt in the minds of the audience when he kills
off the star half way through the movie. If anyone knew what was going to happen, they can think
again and this method suspended the audience in a far greater way than if it were what they had
predicted. Nevertheless, this difference makes the audience guessing until the very end, not
knowing if or when he will do something this different again.
Limiting time is another method used that captivates the audience in another will he or won't he
escapade. This technique adds urgency to the scene, captivating the audience and intensifying
their viewing. This urgency adds suspense by adding a further enemy, time. This begins a race
against the clock and incorporated with this technique can be many others, such as building
expectation, increasing tension or creating immediacy. One example of all of these techniques

coming into effect in the same scene could be if the hero, for instance Superman had to defeat his
arch nemesis and stop the bomb from going off (limiting time) save his girlfriend (immediacy) and
to save the world from an asteroid (establishing consequences) all after the disappearance of his
side-kick (maintaining doubt). It is Hitchcock's measure as a director to choose different variables
and combinations that create the best suspense and therefore the greatest thrillers. Time is of the
essence in Hitchcock's Vertigo. A time limit is created as Johnny rushes to save Madeline from
committing suicide. Unfortunately he is too late, however the suspense as he staggers up the stairs
to try and reach her in time is unbearable.
Another method of establishing suspense and creating horror is that of incorporating different
camera angles, from different perspectives, angles and types of shots. Manipulating the camera
angle can do so much for the movie, as it affects the audience so greatly, it is almost like helping
them see from Hitchcock's mind of what the movie should express. This may be elevating the
camera to show who is in charge and establishing power or from a characters perspective to add
perspective and greater insight into that character, i.e. their feelings, emotion and most importantly
what they perceive through their eyes. This is shown very well in two movies, Psycho and Vertigo.
Firstly, in Psycho, Hitchcock uses camera angles alternatively to give the viewer and idea of what
the would-be victim is experience. It adds, a more eerie feeling, creating greater suspense, as there
is no better way to tell a story than through the eyes of those who experienced it. Again, in
Psycho, camera angles are adapted to bring fear into the minds of the audience. When the victim is
about to be attacked, the camera angle depicts the murderer, launching himself directly at the
victim. The camera is placed just under the killer to create the feeling that we, the audience are
under attack. Thirdly, in Vertigo the main character is afraid of heights due to a terrifying incident
where he was hanging off a ledge 15 stories above the ground. This would not look nearly as
frightening from an upward looking view as it would from the perspective of the man hanging at a
perilous height. These examples are just a few that allow Hitchcock to create suspense just with
the camera.
The final, but possibly the greatest creator/amplifier of suspense is music and sound effects. Sound
is 50% of the whole impression of the movie so it isn't hard to see why Hitchcock puts it to such
great effect. Firstly, the sound and music coincide with the scene that is taking place; the music
always fits the mood. For example during parts of intrigue and mystery taking place the music fits

appropriately, such as a quick 3 beats with a trumpet and drums, Da Da Da and zooming into the
characters face to see their expression, to signify the previous statement. This also shows the
intertwining of music and different filming techniques used by directors, especially Hitchcock to
better their films. However, more importantly in a horror scene, the music is always very quiet or
not present just before imminent danger. This quietness is used to put the audience into a false
sense of security, before a sudden incident, which is made much more unexpected and therefore
more horrifying, catching the audience off guard. This then escalates to coincide with the
positioning of the killer/victim, as when one approaches the music intensifies into a loud playing
of violins to catch your attention. For example in the classic shower scene in Psycho, as the killer
slowly approaches, suspense is created through the uprising of the music, just like Jaws, with the
approaching shark. The classic violins play their high-strung and high-pitched tune, at the climax
of the music is always the murder, or in this case stabbing of the victim, which coincides with the
blood curling scream. Without a doubt, music is half the movie and Hitchcock uses it to great
effect in elaborating even more suspense into the minds of the audience.
Another technique that Hitchcock manipulates to his advantage is that of using symbolism.
Symbolism creates subliminal backdrops or themes that add to the overall mis-en-scene. Paini
described Hitchcock as "one of the greatest inventors of images in the 20th century, and the only
filmmaker whose work reflects the impact of each of its major art trends: classicism, symbolism,
mannerism and modernism". Symbolism is shown in all of Hitchcock's movies, but especially in
Psycho. Symbolism in this movie involve the stuffed birds in Norman's office and the 'peeking'
conversation that highlight the impending chaos of the film and the double image of Norman
Bates reflected in the hotel window. Norman's dead mother in the basement is also a symbol of the
mental psychosis of Norman that sends him into thinking she never really left and that she is
always with him, inside of him.
However, if criticism could be laid from a personal viewpoint, it would be the lack of excitement
felt by today's audiences. However, this factor may not contribute to criticism but rather acts as an
appraisal of Hitchcock's abilities as a director. This is due to the sheer amount of violence, action,
blood, deaths, and gruesome and vulgar acts of insane and neurotic characters in horror movies
today. This is basically the method used these days for great horror. Sure it appeals to the current
generation but it also shows that the directors of these films simply don't measure up to

Hitchcock's standards, they go for a simple intense moment every now and again, not
incorporating as much variation of suspense as Hitchcock did so many years before. This
enhanced Hitchcock's abilities as a director, relying on his own skill, rather than that of the special
effects-guy.
Of course, it would not be fair to praise Hitchcock for the entire success of his movies. It was also
the actors, producers, writers, cinematographer and sound technicians, all of whom won or were
nominated for academy awards in Rear Window. This either means one of two things that the
association and work with Hitchcock aided them or that Hitchcock relied on others. Either way led
to an end product of brilliance, placed together and put into place by Hitchcock.
Alfred Hitchcock is so much more adaptable and accommodating to the changing faces of
cinemas. With a career that spanned 57 movies over 50 years, Hitchcock produced movies
throughout the history of the popular medium, from the silent era to stereo sound, black-and white
to Technicolor, wide screen to television, and from Europe to Hollywood. This shows how
adaptable he was to changing circumstances, audience and cinema paraphernalia. While he
progressed with each movie he got better and better until the continual success of several movies
were hailed as 'masterpieces'. No director is ever without fault, and Hitchcock was no exception,
from million-dollar blunders to little-known movies produced in Japan. Although these were
minor 'character building' mistakes, just like a craftsmen making a wooden sculpture, he kept
chiselling away until a final, desired or 'perfect' result has been made.
Beyond doubt, Hitchcock was the master of suspense and by combining these techniques in any
desired order he has established himself and his movies as classics. Along with his ability to adapt,
his versatility and love of directing, Hitchcock and his movies are to be remembered and
benchmarked for a long time to come.