Research - Intertextuality

Intertexuality - is a term to describe the visual referencing between films. Different films literally 'borrow' from each other, and the audience may recognise the similar elements of camera angles, aspects of mise en scene, sound similarities and methods of editing, props, setting and even lighting.

The Famous Shower Scene From 'Psycho'

The famous shower scene from Psycho has been used in many different films particularly from the sub genre of Horror - Thriller. The film 'Fatal attraction' has many visual references from Psycho. In both scenes a women is scene to be inferior to men, women are stereotyped as venerable in contrast to men being masculine and in power.

'Fatal Attraction'

Fatal attraction shares many familiar elements from the original shower scene from psycho, one of many may be the non dietetic sound in which is used to create the scene very tense and frightening is similar. The sound of a high pitched violin is used to create suspense and a tense atmosphere for the audience. In addition the diegietic sound of the women screaming is familiarised with the scene from 'Psycho'. In 'Fatal Attraction' a women is seen attacking another women with a knife, the downwards motion of the knife is another visual aspect from Psycho, however the man downstairs soon comes into the scene and drowns the women in the bath, in which shows the man as masculine and in power of the situation. The shower curtains used are almost identical to the scene from 'Psycho'. Finally the visual reference of the blood being washed away into the water as scene in Psycho, However from this scene the blood is washed away into the drain as seen in a close up from 'Psycho'.