There Is No Sanctuary: Subverting the Lighting Conventions of Horror in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) and Bong Joon-Ho's Parasite (2019)

Abstract

The horror film genre is known for its iconic conventions, with one of the most distinct being its use of lighting. Horror films traditionally utilize dim and shadowy lighting to build tension and fear within the audience, while bright lighting is used sparingly to break said tension and signify a reprieve from the terror. However, in both Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) and Bong Joon-Ho's Parasite (2019), this convention is flipped on its head. This essay argues that by presenting their most gruesome moments of horror in bright light, Hitchcock’s Psycho and Joon-Ho’s Parasite break this genre convention by using light to signal their greatest terrors and subvert their audience’s genre expectations. In illuminating the darkness of minds brought to madness in bright light, both films force their audiences to reconsider what truly makes a monster while confronting the horrors of human monstrosity head-on.