*** Disclaimer: This post contains ALL OF THE spoilers! If you've never seen Psycho or Pulp Fiction, this post might not be the best one to read yet. It will 1000% spoil details about both movies as well as potentially bore you to sleep if you haven't a clue what I'm yammering on about. Proceed with caution!! ***
It is arguable that Psycho and Pulp Fiction are two of the most widely-known films ever made. They both have had such lasting impacts that have extended way past the time of their releases that they are both still referenced all the time. Each is uniquely effective and utilizes different tools to connect with and impact viewers in really bold ways, but there are some really prominent similarities between the two as well that almost hide in plain sight.
The first thing I wanted to touch on is the strong presence of so many parallels and even direct references to Psycho that live within Pulp Fiction. One of my best friends is a Pulp Fiction fiend and he loaned me a book he has by Jason Bailey that goes into intense levels of detail about the making of the movie, the storyline, and the impact of the movie- basically anything you could ever want to know about the movie and more**. The book features a full spread of homages and references made in the film to other films, and it specifically lists Psycho! Bailey reminds us that the unforeseen encounter between Butch and Marcellus at a crosswalk in Pulp Fiction directly mirrors Marion Crane sitting at a crosswalk and seeing her boss as she's leaving town in Psycho. These are both instances of a moderately tense situation turning into a drastically more stressful/climactic one. Another pretty obvious reference that I assumed was drawing forth from Psycho was the way Vincent fell back into the shower after being shot a whole round of times by Butch in Pulp Fiction. As the frame transitioned over to show Vincent's bloody body full of bullet holes slumped over in the shower, I immediately thought of Marion's body draped across the tub after she was stabbed repeatedly by Norman. Both of those scenes were sort of peculiar, calm-after-the-storm moments; they are so still and quiet, but equally charged with shock, tension, and varying levels of sadness. Hitchcock and Tarantino both employed phenomenal precision in creating these types of scenes that are simultaneously really intense and incredibly calm. It creates a sort of oxymoron of the brain when I experience scenes like that, and I have great admiration for their abilities to produce that tastefully and skillfully.
Another really significant aspect of both Psycho and Pulp Fiction is the phenomenal attention to detail, specifically in hyper-focused scenes that aid in defining central characters. When I watched Psycho, I was taken aback by the level of detail presented specifically in scenes like the one where Marion is in the car lot bathroom getting her money out to pay for her new getaway ride. As funny as it felt to reflect on after the fact, the aspect of this scene that stood out most to me was when Marion took the stack of cash out of the envelope, removed the rubber band, and slipped the rubber band onto her wrist before she started counting out the bills. It caught my attention so much because this is such a human thing to do. I have worn hair bands and rubber bands on my wrists since I was like 7 years old, and the simplicity of her automatically slipping the band on her wrist as opposed to setting it on the sink was a really keen detail to include. It humanized her in this moment of her being in a situation that (hopefully) not many of us have been in before. I felt like it grounded her character in a strange way, at least in my eyes. Then when I watched Pulp Fiction, I was struck again by another small detail that aided in defining Mia Wallace's character. When Vincent gets to her house he waits around for a while for her to get ready, and when she comes out from her room she kind of positions herself in the room to make herself known, then crosses one of her bare feet behind her in a perched stance, and says "Let's go." In this moment, the camera is directly behind her feet. We hear her take charge and let Vincent know it's now time to leave, but we see her bare foot do this sort of playful twist tap behind her and we immediately learn about who she is. This was another instance of me getting caught up on that small detail because again, it's such a human act. We twirl our hair, we play with our hands, we rock back and forth on our feet. These are the things that make us human. This scene in Pulp Fiction grants us the opportunity to see the sort of playful, seductive, bold elements of Mia's personality and removes any sort of pedestal you may have had her on before as this important, emotionally removed, fully put-together character. Both films provide these hyper-focused scenes that employ more attention to the human senses in a stunning feat of telling you things without actually saying them. Viewers can take what they want from these scenes, but they are truly highly effective storytelling techniques. Including these tiny details creates vivid images and understanding and permits humanization of select characters. Hitchcock and Tarantino both achieve this with excellency.
For me, the experience of watching both of these films for the first time ended with a surprising shift in tone and an unexpected opportunity for deep reflection. Psycho built upon the foundations of the story of a woman named Marion Crane in order to tell a bigger story of Norman Bates and in doing that, created a sort of social awareness piece. My primary takeaway from watching Psycho was not, "WOW! I loved the special effects, and gosh the acting was fantastic. And did you see that set design?!" Instead, I left with chills down my spine and sorrow in my heart. I took from it an enhanced awareness of the effect of Dissociative Identity Disorders and related conditions and an overall appreciation for the modest strength of the film as a whole. Despite accentuated drama in certain respects, Hitchcock included so many clever little details in his film that work alongside each other to create a brilliantly stitched together tale. He created a masterpiece that not only illustrated what this sort of psychosis looks like to an observer or a victim, but had the talent and power to interject viewers right into Norman's brain. We get to experience elements of the perspectives of Norman, his victim, and even passersby. On the same note, as I was soaking in the last 5 minutes of Pulp Fiction it surprised me how solemn and reflective I felt. There was so much pain, dysfunction, and unhappiness all throughout the film and wrapping it up with Jules' sort of philosophical challenge at the end about shepherds and their flocks and the balance in our world really wrapped it all together with a pretty serious bow on top. I didn't go into either of these movies with any sort of expectation to be emotionally moved, but each of them truly did speak to my heart in its own way and I was pleasantly surprised. Psycho and Pulp Fiction are without a doubt works of art and definitely worth the watch.
If you've seen Psycho and/or Pulp Fiction in full, how did each of them impact you? Which do you feel is more effective at telling its story?
Thank you as always for stopping by! Here's to making today exponentially less tragic than the storylines of Psycho and Pulp Fiction and finding more moviemakers with the level of skill and passion that Hitchcock and Tarantino possess.
{Today's mind/heart/soul-healthy challenge: Try to respond with "healthy no's" this week if you are feeling spent and stressed and life is demanding too much of you. For example, a healthy no might look like not agreeing to help rob a coffee shop this weekend if you've got a term paper due, or saying you'll pass on helping someone to steal money from their company and flee the town because your apartment is absolutely filthy and you need to clean.}
*MAKE TODAY STORY-WORTHY.*
** This is a link to the book my friend loaned me on Pulp Fiction if anyone is interested! https://www.amazon.com/Pulp-Fiction-Complete-Tarantinos-Masterpiece/dp/0760344795