Psycho Original Film Score

It's Sunday, October 1st.  It's 53 degrees, the windows are open, and I have an iced coffee with a mermaid on it (not my typical drink, but I had a gift card). For this inaugural edition of Sunday Spins, and in celebration of my favorite month, I'm about to drop the needle on a record that combines my love for music with my love for horror.  Today we're listening to Bernard Herrmann's Original Film Score of the Hitchcock classic "Psycho". In some ways, this isn't at all what I intended for this blog, but the mood struck me to listen to this record, and that is exactly what I intended... to go wherever the mood and the music take me.

When most people think of both the film and the soundtrack they think of the iconic shower scene, but there's much more here to enjoy.  The Prelude to the film starts off with blood pumping rhythms that are occasionally joined by legato melodies.  Herrmann did an excellent job setting up these contrasting elements of the score right from the beginning.  There is some beautiful work going on during the setup of the film that is often overlooked. 

Much like the pacing of the film itself (and as a horror fan I miss this about the classics of the genre), after the initial excitement, we're brought to a place of peace.  This is when our characters have no idea the horrors they're about to face.  In this case, the score begins to give hints early on that something isn't right. The Prelude comes back into play as our leading lady leaves the city. At this point, if you couldn't tell by the name, you start to realize that something is looming just around the corner. The sounds are now going from creepy and morose to frantic. The themes from the Prelude are woven in and out, including some hints toward the well-known music that accompanies the shower scene.

At the end of side 1, Marion gets to the hotel, meets Norman, and checks into her room.  Some of the best moments of the record happen here. It's creepy, but not heavy-handed. There's room for the music, the characters, and the audience to breathe a little, but we all know something isn't quite right.

Side 2 starts with what you've all been waiting for.  The strings stab and scream as Marion meets her end. The low, powerful bass/cello parts between the screams of the high strings are just as impactful for me. 

From there we go to moments of profound sadness, then anxiousness and fear. As a listener, it feels like I'm going through Norman's process as he realizes what has happened. The soundtrack tells the story, but in a different way when experienced apart from the film.

It's no surprise to me as both a music fan and film buff that a masterpiece like "Psycho" would have a compelling, beautiful, soundtrack that can tell the story on its own (if you're less familiar with the film it helps to read the song titles). It's always a great experience for me to listen to this one. If you haven't checked it out, I highly recommend it.  If you haven't seen the movie (where have you been?), sorry for the spoilers but go watch it anyway.

Happy October, enjoy your week, do cool shit. I'll see you next Sunday.

-Squirrel