Countless people have seen movies like Psycho or The Birds by the Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock. And they would see it time and again since films like these do not grow old. But what is it about these films that make them worth watching over and over? Is it the great acting performance? Most definitely! But I dare say that it is the suspense and the way these movies play with your mind. Certainly one would have a hard time finding a person who is not given the chills when Vera Miles goes down into the basement of that Victorian house up on the hill looking for Mrs. Bates only to find her mummified. There must be something to this atmosphere, to this very setting of the house and the house itself that make us feel uncomfortable and at unease.
What goes for Psycho would have to go for The Birds, too. This cozy and inviting house in Bodega Bay, right across the bay, grows more and more hostile and aggravating in the course of action. This cannot just be coincidence, can it?
Moreover, the Overlook Hotel from The Shining plays an important role in the row of scary and menacing houses in American movie history. Even though it is a place where people spend their holidays it becomes a place where nightmares come to life.
This paper will revolve around the influence of the houses on people living there, and what it is what makes them a threat to their inhabitants. Furthermore, the role and the influence of the mother with focus on the Hitchcock movies will be dealt with. Is the concept of the mother the same in all the Hitchcock movies? Is there a resemblance or do they differ in various aspects? Are the mothers as threatening as the houses or maybe even more? As a framework, the idea of Sigmund Freud’s Heimlich/Unheimlich as well as the idea of the Id, Ego and Super-Ego will be taken into consideration.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 The movies
3 Freud’s approaches
4 The uncanny
4.1 The Bates premises
4.2 The Brenner house
4.3 The Overlook hotel
5 The role of the mother in Hitchcock’s movies
5.1 Norma Bates
5.2 Lydia Brenner
6 Conclusion
7 Works consulted and quoted
Objectives and Research Themes
This academic paper examines the underlying architectural and psychological factors that transform domestic spaces into menacing threats in American horror cinema, with a specific focus on the mother figure in Alfred Hitchcock's works. The study aims to analyze how physical settings, such as the Bates motel or the Brenner house, mirror the internal psychological states of the protagonists through the lens of Freudian psychoanalysis.
- Influence of domestic environments on inhabitants in horror movies
- Application of Sigmund Freud’s theories of the Id, Ego, and Super-Ego to film analysis
- The concept of the "uncanny" (Das Unheimliche) in architectural and psychological settings
- Comparative analysis of mother figures and their possessive influence on their sons
- The evolution of domestic spaces from safe homes to sites of entrapment
Excerpt from the Book
4.1 The Bates premises
This is exactly what leads us to Norman Bates and his mother’s body he kept hidden for 10 years. When Marion’s sister Lila goes to investigate the Bates house, and she is led to a past lying hidden in it which was supposed to stay hidden and is ultimately discovered, the very definition of the uncanny, as seen above.
Marion Crane is driven out of Phoenix by her own activism resulting out of stealing the money and running away to be with her boyfriend Sam. She sells her car which has Arizona plates and buys a new car with California plates only to not draw attention to herself. The plates of this car turn out to be NFB 418 which can be seen as a foreboding of her encounter with Norman and her untimely death. NFB are Norman Francis Bates’ initials.
She first enters the uncanny space when she misses an exit and ends up at the Bates motel off the highway that was built a couple of years back (Mulvey: 270). The motel evokes the impression of the uncanny because it once was a well-known motel right by the main street leading to Fairvale. But ever since the new highway was constructed the motel is left abandoned – the formerly known and familiar becoming forgotten and archaic. There she encounters her opposite, Norman Bates who is virtually being held prisoner by his mother and the motel itself that he has to take care of and that was put off the grid because of the newly built highway.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter introduces the research focus on why certain horror films, particularly those by Hitchcock, evoke feelings of unease and suspense through setting and atmosphere.
2 The movies: This section provides a concise narrative summary of the plotlines of Psycho, The Birds, and The Shining as a foundation for the subsequent analysis.
3 Freud’s approaches: This chapter outlines the theoretical framework, detailing Freudian concepts such as the Id, Ego, Super-Ego, and the distinction between neurosis and psychosis applied to Norman Bates.
4 The uncanny: This chapter explores the theoretical definition of the uncanny and analyzes how the Bates premises, the Brenner house, and the Overlook Hotel embody this concept.
5 The role of the mother in Hitchcock’s movies: This chapter investigates the influence of possessive and controlling mother figures, comparing Norma Bates and Lydia Brenner as archetypes.
6 Conclusion: This chapter synthesizes the findings, confirming how architecture and maternal psycho-dynamics work together to create the enduring, uncanny nature of these horror classics.
7 Works consulted and quoted: This chapter serves as the bibliographic foundation of the paper, listing the primary and secondary academic sources used.
Keywords
Psychoanalysis, Alfred Hitchcock, The Uncanny, Das Unheimliche, Sigmund Freud, Horror Cinema, Architecture, Mother Figure, Norma Bates, Lydia Brenner, Domesticity, Id, Ego, Oedipus complex, Film Theory
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper explores the intersection between human psychology and physical environments in horror films, analyzing how houses and mothers serve as sources of terror and psychological conflict.
Which films are primarily analyzed?
The study centers on Alfred Hitchcock's *Psycho* and *The Birds*, while also incorporating Stanley Kubrick’s *The Shining* for comparative analysis.
What is the primary objective of this work?
The goal is to determine why these specific domestic settings become hostile to their inhabitants and how maternal influence contributes to the protagonists' psychological instability.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The author utilizes psychoanalytic criticism based on Sigmund Freud’s theories, specifically the Id, Ego, Super-Ego, and the concept of the "uncanny" (Das Unheimliche).
What does the main body cover?
It covers the plot summaries, the application of Freudian theory to character behavior, the architectural analysis of iconic houses, and a detailed study of maternal possessiveness.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include Psychoanalysis, The Uncanny, Domesticity, Oedipus Complex, and Gothic Patriarchy.
How is the Bates house interpreted in this document?
The house is interpreted as a manifestation of Norman Bates' fractured psyche, with the basement symbolizing the Id and the upper floor representing the Super-Ego.
What makes the Overlook Hotel unique in the author's argument?
The author argues that the Overlook Hotel functions as an independent character defined by history and an "impossible" architectural structure that traps its occupants.
What conclusion does the author reach regarding the mother figure?
The author concludes that both Norma Bates and Lydia Brenner exhibit an obsessive, possessive need to prevent their sons from forming independent identities or relationships with other women.
- Quote paper
- Benjamin Halking (Author), 2014, “Home-made amentia”. Mothers and houses in American horror movies, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1284548
