Alfred Hitchcock's film "Psycho" is a black and white horror film produced in the 1960's, Hitchcock based this film of a book he had read, "Psycho", by Robert Bloch. "Psycho" is an American psychological thriller horror; the centre of this film is based around a secretary, Marion Crane, who embezzles forty thousand dollars cash from her boss's client, Mr Tom Cassidy. Marion flees the town of Phoenix and heads towards the town of Fairvale to find happiness with Sam, during this journey Marion finds herself checking into Bates Motel and becoming a victim of the motels manager Norman Bates, a schizophrenic and disturbed man. Throughout this film the themes of 'good and evil' are explored through Hitchcock's use of use of duality, characters actions. All these themes together create a well-constructed horror film.
Through the use of duality, good and evil can been expressed is various ways. One major example of good and evil expressed through duality is the use of black and white clothing representing white as purity and black being impure. Before Marion is corrupted by money, she is seen wearing white clothing, showing that she is good, and pure. As Marion pack her bags and leaves for Fairvale she is seen to be wearing white and then hanging into black as she considers running away with the money. Through the use of this we see how Marion has changed from good, to evil from the use of black and white clothing. Another example of duality to explore good and evil is the use of lighting within scenes, for instance the parlour scene where Norman invites Marion to eat supper with him. Within the parlour Marion sits near a lamp, the lamp lights Marion's face up as if she were an angle, representing her as good and giving of a warming side to her, despite she is on the run. As Marion is not hidden in the shadows and enlightened by her surroundings shows that their is signs of possible redemption within her.
