Psycho: The Shower Scene

"Mary started to scream, and then the curtains parted further and a hand appeared, holding a butcher's knife. It was the knife that, a moment later, cut off  her scream. And her head."

Famously shot on an $800,000 shoestring in six weeks. The 45 second shower scene, shot in seven days using 70 separate camera set-ups, is not just the most memorable in the film, it is the plot pivot, the expected- and unexpectedly vicious- dispatch of the leading lady halfway through.

The blood that swirls down the plughole is chocolate sauce, the stabbing sound effects were created by violating a Turkish melon. Janet Leigh also wore contact lenses to create the dilated pupils.

I investigated this famous shower scene to see if i could create a dramatic event just as well. I noticed that they obvioulsy didn't use real blood and also craeted an authentic stabbing sound. I could use some of these techniques in my own horror film. I also investigated the camera angles of the scene as there are over 70 seperate shots. This would cause major problems whilst shooting the scene as they had to be careful not to capture all of the cameras. I think this is why most of the shots within the scene are close ups. I have learnt from this that it takes alot of time and patience to film a successful horror event.