A Filmmaker's Guide to the Horror Techniques Used in 'Vertigo' (1958)

(Note: This article will cover analysis on the film 'Vertigo' and, in order to get the most out of the article, it is recommended that you watch the film at least once over.)

Possibly one of the greatest Hitchcock films of all time, Vertigo stands as one of the most tense films ever made. To this day, even though I have watched it over ten times, I still get tense when it gets a replay on Film 4. It is a masterpiece of tension and suspense and counts as one of the best horror films ever made that doesn't include the usual suspects when it comes to theme. Let's have a look at what we'll be covering:

• Space
• Appearances
• Nightmares

Let's get on with the film analysis then:

Space

Obviously, in a film called Vertigo you're going to need a fair amount of height. But the width is also very important. There's enough space in some scenes so that the characters can hide and get away from each other, there's also a lack of space in some scenes that would purposely prevent this hiding. Let's have a look at a scene that explores space:

The scene with the Bell Tower is very important as it shows us the actual vertigo of the main character. Another good thing about this scene is it shows is the narrow width, meaning that we, as the audience, would find it impossible that anyone could hide within the confines of this space. However, Hitchcock plays on this to make that statement untrue, in fact there were people hiding and this is what set the motion of the story. It is something that would make an audience tense and fearful of what else could possibly happen within these walls if people have already been hiding in a place previously thought to be impossible to hide in.

If you wanted to use a similar technique then your space has to be partially concealed in some way. This can be done either by using cinematography or by shadowing. In this film, I think you'll see it is a very clever shadow effect that shades part of the top of the bell tower away from the audience; thus making it an obvious place for someone to hide but not obvious as a hiding place because of the way in which the set is designed.

Appearances

The appearance of various things and people plays a massive role in Vertigo seeing as it is the main focus of the way in which the character of "Madeline" is designed. It is also the main deception of the film and therefore would have a fair amount to give when it comes to analysis. Let's take a look at the scene:

In the scene in which Scottie tries to make Judy look like Madeline, it is clear to the audience that as this transformation takes place, it is clearly just the "Madeline" character in disguise. This is done subtly by the transformations taking place over a while rather than them happening all at once. It becomes clear that she is actually the "Madeline" character when she is writing the letter and looking at the grey suit in the wardrobe. This is a hint, but doesn't give away the story.

It is only when Scottie sees the necklace that he becomes aware that this is actually the "Madeline" character in disguise. The way in which this is done is by constantly having tensions surrounding the character of Judy.

Firstly, we have when Scottie knocks on her door, this is tense because we do not yet know who this is or why Scottie is talking to her. The second thing we have is the grey suit which is in her wardrobe and the letter she writes. This creates tension as we are "sure" this couldn't be the same person, could it?

It is all questions and no answers until the necklace is seen. An incredible technique of suspense and pure nail-biting tension. This means that the main focal point of all the tension bases itself on the appearance of Judy/Madeline and how she transforms from one to the other in the film.

If you wanted to achieve this in your own film, you would need moments of disbelief and moments of tension that are balanced well against each other in order to create the theme of appearance being the main focal point. You will need to base this on the transformation of the appearance of a character in which there is a lot of reliability or pity (as we see Madeline attempt suicide by drowning herself early on in the film). After this, the tension and disbelief can have a "transformative" build up in which there is changes in the character appearance and persona.

So it goes a bit like this:

Character Intro —> Build Up of Trust and Emotion —> Tension/Deception

And thus you will have your Judy/Madeline character.

Nightmares

In Vertigo it is clear that the characters are plagued by their own mental state. We have Scottie who is plagued by his vertigo and unanswered questions about Madeline's death and we have Judy/Madeline who is plagues with guilt (just to mention two). Each main character has their own form of "nightmare" and some, we get to see—some we have to imagine.

Let's take a look at the scene:

In Vertigo, we have a scene entitled "Scottie's Nightmare" in which the main character has a nightmare resembling his own mental state. This sends him slightly loopy and he goes to see someone who could help him. Needless to say, he had been acting strangely and sort of aloof at the time of his nightmare anyway. In the scene, you will see a range of suggestive frames, one of which references Scottie's vertigo. It reenacts the death of Madeline but with an unknown body of whom we can only assume is Scottie committing suicide out of grief. The way in which this is filmed is suggestive but not direct—we don't physically see the body of the person who falls but can assume it is a man. Since Scottie has serious vertigo, we can only assume it is him.

If you wanted to achieve this in your own film then you have to build up a slight problem with the mental state of the character from the very beginning of the film. In the moment of urgency, you can make it peak so that the character experiences very strange things in which they require help out of fear for what they may do. The build up of tension surrounding the main character's mental state is important for the audience to feel the impact as well.

Conclusion

I hope you have enjoyed this short but exciting analysis into Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958) and I also hope you'll take the analysis into your own hands when looking at the following themes:

• Colour Scheme
• Urban Landscape Vs. Rural Landscape
• Suicidal Thoughts

Good luck on your next project!