Psycho

Psycho was directed by Alfred Hitchcock and is one of the most famous thrillers of all time, its build up of suspense and powerful psychological style put it apart from other thrillers of its time. one scene which really set it apart from other thrillers was the scene in which Marion Crane is murdered in the shower. The idea that the murderer within the scene is a constant enigma is just one factor to why this scene has influenced generations of thrillers. The idea that Marion is nude within the scene not only shows that she is in her natural form but also that she is unprotected from the danger that lurks behind the shower curtain.
The sudden entry of the enigma adds suspense to the scene because you suddenly know that something is afoot. The location clashes well with the sudden arrival of this character, The shower is a confined space with very little visibility too outside events. When the curtain is pulled across by the murderer we believe that we are about to see who the deviant man/woman is, but instead the tension builds as a shadow still falls across his face.
Diegetic sound plays throughout, so that the murderers footsteps are drowned out. The moment the murderer appears however non-diegetic sound suddenly jumps in, this adds terror to the scene because the man is very clearly about to murder the woman.
When Marion turns around to see the man we see the expression on her face, this look of pure fear leads to a buildup of tension and suspense within the audience. The character of Marion Crane was intentionally a charter that the audience could relate too so that when she is murdered the audience feel her fear. The close up shot of Marion screaming brings the audience into the scene and allows them to be part of the murder itself.
The camera shoots the murderer from every angle, as if building the idea that the audience should be trying to get between the murder to stop the events. In the murder we see the knife slash up against her skin and the murderer repetitively stabs in the same motion, this links to the non diegetic-sound because they are both repetitive and that Marion's pain is never ending. Every shot from the moment the the murder begins is a close up, this fits well with all generic conventions because it allows the audience to see the buildup of suspense and to feel as if they are part of the murder.
One difference between the murder in Psycho and other modern thriller murders is when the villain chose to exit. In modern thrillers the murderer will usually leave once the victim is dead, but in Psycho he leaves before the death, as if he intends to punish her by leaving her to die alone. This is very powerful because it differs the motives of the murderer from an actual Psycho to the motives of someone who purely seems to want revenge.
A final factor of this murder is the final tracking shot of the water and blood. After Marion finally dies we see both water from the shower and her blood slowly draining away together. This symbolises her life slowly washing away as well as linking to the idea that the murderer had washed his hands with her.