Classic Hollywood: Hitchcock’s Ghosts
How Alfred Hitchcock Used “Ghosts”
Alfred Hitchcock never directed a ghost story. At least not in the traditional sense. The Hitchcock horror film is not one in which a frightened character catches a fleeting glimpse of a long-dead haunt. Hitchcock never really went for the supernatural stuff. Sure, there’s something beyond belief about the connection between Charlie and her uncle in Shadow of a Doubt. And we never get any explanation as to what prompted the violent aviary attack in The Birds. But there’s an understanding throughout most Hitchcock films that evil can’t just be blamed on some paranormal event. The evil comes from within each of us.
So how are we going to talk about a ghost movie by Hitchcock? In the book After Hitchcock (definitely worth checking out for any Hitchcock fans), an article by Ina Rae Hark called “Psycho or Psychic?” explains that while Hitchcock never addressed the existence of ghosts in his films, he did believe strongly in the “psychological phenomenon” of the influence of the dead. In fact, most of the tensions in the Master of Horror’s films stem from the psychological, from voyeurism (Rear Window) to kleptomania (Marnie) to vertigo (Vertigo…obviously).
So when we’re talking about Hitchcock’s ghosts, we’re talking about the lingering psychological influence of characters who are already dead and gone. But to Hitchcock and his characters, these ghosts are just as frightening (I would argue even more so) as any of William Castle’s thirteen ghosts.
Let’s look at Hitchcock’s very first “ghost”: Rebecca de Winter. A warning: Rebecca (1940) has been available for viewing for over half a century. So I won’t be avoiding any spoilers from now on.
One of Hitchcock’s favorite ways to show his “ghosts” was to assign an object, or multiple objects, that represented that dead character to the ones still living. Almost always, these objects brought about great guilt for the characters tied to them. In Rebecca, Manderlay is littered with these objects. It’s obvious why Maxim would not want to return to Manderlay with his new wife. The guilt of having killed Rebecca clutches at Maxim every time he sees any of her possessions, from her old clothes to her monogrammed handkerchief. The greatest reminder of Rebecca is her sailboat — the final vessel for her body. When it seems to force itself back up from the depths, Maxim knows that Rebecca’s ghost is out to ruin him.
The manifestation of the deceased through objects, and the guilt that comes with it, became a common theme in Hitchcock’s films. The piece of rope in Rope becomes the most powerful reminder of guilt for Brandon and Philip, even though David’s body is still in the room with them. In Strangers on a Train, Guy is tortured by Miriam’s shattered glasses; he can feel her accusatory eyes glaring back at him through the broken lenses.
It wasn’t just objects that could be haunted in Hitchcock films; places were very often haunted too. Rebecca introduced this idea, with Manderlay oozing foreboding and menace around every corner. With her lasting control over the daily business of Manderlay, the estate continued to belong to Rebecca after her death.
If Manderlay was Hitchcock’s first attempt at his personal spin on a “haunted house”, Psycho was him perfecting the subject. For Norman, his mother is everywhere.
Though, in reality, she’s been dead for years, Norman thinks she still paces the house, watches from the window, and comes down to the motel to personally protect her son when he is tempted by young women. If Norman had mustered the courage to leave the Bates Motel a little earlier, maybe his life would have gone differently. Instead, he sat alone, day after day, while his mother’s “ghost” surrounded him. The walls of their home and motel, filled with memories of her, just drive him further and further into insanity. It’s what he refers to as his “own private trap.” Her ghost so completely consumes him that, by the end of the film, her spirit has possessed him completely.
So have I managed to convince you of the existence of ghosts? At least in Hitchcock’s idea of ghosts? There are so many different films to be watched on paranormal ghosts, from the frightening to the downright silly. But Hitchcock’s idea — that memories can be haunting any person, at any time, and slowly driving them to unspeakable acts — is much more terrifying.
