A Comparison of Psycho and Halloween.
Psycho has been described, as being the "father of the modern horror movie" being the first film classed in the horror genre. In 1960 Hitchcock sparked off the stalk and slash genre that is so popular today, especially among teens. However Psycho was not primarily aimed at the teen generation unlike the many teen slasher movies such as Halloween that have dominated the movies screens with the same usual conventions that are now expected in all horrors. .
Despite being released in 1960 the technology available at this time would of allowed Hitchcock to use colour in the film yet he chose black and white helping to add to the eerie atmosphere it emulates. Presenting the film in black and white emphasis's the horror genres first appearance as well as setting the events in a simple, un-complicated style where shadows are emphasized due to the lack of colour. Psycho on the other hand being a much more modern film brought out in 1978 is shot in colour, yet the majority of scenes take place in the dark alike most horrors preventing the audience form viewing certain scenes. .
A usual horror convention is to shoot the majority of scenes at night or in the dark as it sets up a creepy unnerving atmosphere within the audience. The dark holds many negative connotations being linked to a time of death and disruption. Using the dark as lighting for murder scenes or chase scenes alerts the audience before the murder has been done. By setting a certain scene in the dark creates expectations within the audience, as it is a warning that one may occur. Dark lighting also prevents the audience from seeing everything in the shot frustrating them as it denies them from seeing properly. However in some cases this can be seen as a positive effect as some murderous scenes may be disturbing for certain individuals and so the dark offers an escape for hiding some of the blood and gore with other such devices such as sound effects and music implying a vicious stabbing.
