Psycho and Mental Illness

As a fan of horror/scary movies, I was excited to hear we would be watching and analyzing Psycho, the OG horror movie that inspired a majority of scary films throughout the years, and set a blueprint for the horror genre as a whole. 

I had previously watched most of Psycho at a birthday party a few years back, so I already knew the main storyline, along with the twist at the end of the film. This actually provided a slight advantage for me, because it gave me more time to focus on the production of the film instead of the plotline. 

When the movie started, I tried to focus more on the cinematic aspects of the film, such as the acting, the dialogue, transitions, and shots. However, the beginning of the film was very slow, and I found myself getting a little distracted, and I was beginning to lose interest. But as the film went on and the storyline progressed, I was pulled back into the 1960s black and white universe that was Psycho. Once the characters and their motives were introduced, I was able to pay better attention and put myself in Marion's shoes. I didn't realize it when I was watching the movie, but I was definitely experiencing suture, where I was basically incorporating myself into the movie in order for my mind to understand and experience the story on a better and deeper level. 

Up until Psycho came out, violence, mental illness, and gore weren't things that the public had become accustomed to yet, and the shock of seeing these things on the big screen was something that America wasn't ready for. However, I think it was necessary for our culture to become exposed to that sort of thing, and the early '60s was a perfect time for this sort of breakthrough. The '60s were a time of cultural and political change and transition, and this aspect of "change" made its way to the silver screen. The "horror" movies of the '30s, '40s, and '50s usually portrayed mythical creatures such as vampires and mummies as the main antagonist, which is one of the reasons why Psycho was so groundbreaking. Psycho utilized the taboo parts of reality to create an invisible villain that no one would expect; The human mind. The idea that the "monster" was living inside of Norman Bates all along was a shock to audiences, as mental illness hadn't been shown in media that much up until that point. 

Mental instability as a contributor to events that take place in horror movies has been a common troupe that has inspired many of the most popular horror films of all time. However, many of these films portray people with mental illnesses as dangerous and "crazy", which, though it's not always accurate, has some truth to it. Certain mental illnesses can be scary if they go untreated, and can lead to people doing and saying scary things, just like in Psycho.