Physco is a typical thriller set in a remote place the hotel and with the stereotypical victim however it is unconventional in the fact that the killer is female.
The scene starts of with the women entering the toilet where there mid shots capturing the dark background this creates a sense of mystery because you wonder what lurks within the dark this is typical of a thriller trying to create suspense.
The shower scene starts with the women exiting her room and undressing in the bathroom this give her a sense of vulnerability being in the nude. the bright light, however this is ironic that the scene take place in their this is common of thriller to portray irony also there is more mise-en-scene the bathroom tends to be a private place and a safe place this is emphasises by the lighting because it well lit it seem secure unlike the dark room beforehand .the women is cleaning herself this my represent her cleansing her self of guilt. Entering the shower the camera cuts to a low angle close up of the showerhead. This shot diverts our attention away from the realism of the scene keeping are attention of what is going on in the rest of the scene.
The next shot is a mid shot then camera slowly pans to the left showing she no longer the main interest this adds confusion because what it then all of a sudden the camera focuses on the mysterious movement going on behind the blurred shower curtain this camera work helps to establish what’s going to happen next in the viewer mind.
Suddenly the shower curtain is pulled back and the whole frame is filled with a close up of a mysterious figure confusion of who it is helped my running water and lighting which allows the killers face to remain hidden. The only clear prop in the scene is the knife in the hand, which stands out due to the lighting. The next shot is a low angle which gives a point of view of the women showing the mysterious figures power over the women standing over her. The reality of what is going to happen is then reflected by the close up of the knife this intensifies the sense of danger.
The shot after is an extreme close up of the victims face which zooms in and capture the terror that’s about to take place this makes the audience tense and on their seat for whats about to happen to her it also allows the audience to feel what she feels. From then on the speed of the editing and the transition of slide to slide become quicker which emphasises the bribability of the attack. This is then topped off by high shot, which shows her weakness, vulnerability to the fast paced attack. After the attack quick cut to a storm of outside which is some pathetic fallacy showing a wild storm to emphasise the brutality of the attack this also add a bit of thriller because it add chaos and suspense to the scene it also mirrors the emotion the previous frame.
Up to the start of the attack there is only diegetic sound the sound of the water and that’s about during the start the attacking sharp string instruments emphasise the brutality of the attack and the fast pace of it all this diegetic sound during the attack and before and suspense and drama to the whole shower scene making the scene more dramatic and keeps the audience tense for whats to come. Also the non-diegetic sound of the knife entries makes the scene seem more gory and brutal. Also there is an echo in the plughole which Is more non diegetic sound which insinuates that she is dying.
In the next shot shows a close up of the victims hand slowly sliding down the wall this can imitate a few things her slowly dying or her loosing the strength to fight back however the red nail polish on her hand may represent death as this stands out most and red tends to signify death or danger. In the next frame there is an extreme close up as the eye of the victim is dilating as if her life is leaving her or the killer leaving the room.
The next scene is an extreme close up of the victim holding on to the shower curtain mirroring what’s happening to her the moment she lets go of the shower curtain she letting go on her own life as if she clinging on for her own life
The next frame is effective because it mimics the life of the victim life draining away .the camera is a close up of the shower plug hole with it taking up the hole shot zooming out following the circling motion of the water going down the plug hole and mirror this effect on the victims dilating eye as is zooms out the stiffness of her eye reflect her life drifting away.
