Psycho Vs. Bernard Herrmann

In films, every genre has its iconic sound. Be it the thrillers’ “dun-dun-dun”, announcing the impending arrival of the Great White from Jaws or the sound of tumbling boulders from the Raiders Of The Lost Ark, flooding the bodies of adventure-loving movie-goers with adrenaline. Horror films pay their tribute to the classic razor sharp, etching noise of strings from the movie Psycho, causing the immediate rise of dread and suspension. The director-composer duo responsible for the acclaimed “all-time best horror film” Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock and Bernard Herrmann, had previously worked on many films together, already having a close professional relationship, making it easier for the two create a movie that was the product of both their visions. When Psycho was released in 1960, it defied every pillar of a typical Hollywood movie, stunning the public
However, today it is seen as a great contributor to cinema. The score of the movie is no less. Because of is unique expression of movie scenes, the score of the horror movie Psycho, composed by Bernard Herrmann, is one of the greatest musical pieces from the 20th Century.
Composer Bernard Herrmann had to implement cunning, out-of-the-box methods to attain his desired score due to cutbacks and restrictions during the production of Psycho. When Hitchcock presented the storyline of Pyscho to Paramount’s executives, they were not swayed. Undeterred, Hitchcock self funded the movie’s budget. This put great strain on Herrmann as he no longer had resources to create Hitchcock’s vision using a full orchestra. Instead Herrmann offered a solution. He found “tremendous range” within the limited group of the string section (Siegel). The use of strings was however very