Bright Lights Film Journal | Hitchcock Photo Essay: Staircases

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Alfred Hitchcock

A Hank of Hair and a Piece of Bone

You've got to climb those stairs

By Alan Vanneman

See the introduction to this nine-part photo study.

Staircases in Hitchcock's films almost always lead to trouble. For Hitchcock, the simple act of going up a staircase seemed to be a disorienting experience, taking you away from safety towards the unknown. Spiral staircases were particularly threatening. In Hitchcock's films, circular movement — the swirling vortex — implies a loss of control, usually with sexual overtones, and often leading to death.

The staircase in Notorious (1946). Note how the chandelier, the urn, and the column at the bottom of the banister all reinforce the circular imagery.

The staircase in the McKittrick Hotel in Vertigo is a dead ringer for the one in the Bates' residence in Psycho. (The exteriors are equally similar.) This three-shot sequence shows the first floor, the lighting fixture/banister post, and an anticipation of Mrs. Bates. (However, the old lady here is harmless.)

The second set of stairs in Vertigo, at the old mission, merge the staircase and vortex images completely. These are steps that drive you crazy.

The staircase in Psycho is almost a combination of the two staircases in Vertigo, forming a complete spiral, which we can't quite see, because the steps that lead down to the basement are concealed beneath the steps going up to the second story.

Hitchcock often used banister slats to suggest prison bars and confinement. This framing shot from Psycho (in the deputy sheriff 's house) achieves a remarkably claustrophobic effect.

In Psycho's climax, Lila Crane (Vera Miles) hides from Norman (Anthony Perkins) underneath the stairs, and then decides to enter the basement, leading her to the heart of the matter.

Click any of the links below for additional categories/motifs, or to return to the intro page:

Houses † Staircases † Women's Hair † Hands † Eyes

The Uncanny † The Vortex † Notorious Sequence

The Man Who Knew Too Much Sequence

ALSO: Check out other fine articles and reviews by the author.