MovieChat Forums > One Foot in the Grave (1990) Discussion > Psycho references

Psycho references

posted 14 years ago by made_o_stone
8 replies | jump to latest

I have noticed a couple of clever little references to Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho' in the series. The first is in 'Dreamland' when Victor goes to buy a pair of (dead man's) shoes. When the lady approaches the door, her shadow against the glass and the slight pause are very shower scene-esque. The other is more obvious and is in 'Hearts of Darkness' when Victor is showering and the woman's shadow appears on the curtain.

Little touches like this are brilliant and definitely add to my enjoyment of this great programme.

I think you're the same as me / We see things they'll never see / You and I are gonna live forever

[–] tremas-1 13 years ago

In the 1995 Christmas special, there is a visual reference to the 007 movie "Dr. No." Pippa goes to her car to look for something in the back seat and finds a tarantula (by the name of Edwin) moving in her direction on the seat.
There is a tight closeup of Pippa's contorted, horrified face, as she looks over her shoulder at the spider and a shot of the spider from her point of view. The image, the lighting and the sequence of shots is identical with "Dr. No," where James Bond finds a tarantula parading on his bed. I don't think the sequence is coincidental.

[–] heat22000 13 years ago

Near the beginning of 'The Man in the Long Black Coat' we see Margaret looking at a large knife as some string instrument noises not unlike the iconic Psycho violin play.
Early in Series 2 there is the joke about Mr Swainey's mother at the window and Margaret blaming "that Alfred Hitchcock film" for Victor's suspicions about why you never see her.

[–] tremas-1 13 years ago

Yes, you've identified the music correctly as the piercing, high-pitched notes from the movie "Psycho," composed by Bernard Herrmann.
I just rewatched that episode ("The Man in the Long Black Coat") and was struck by another musical cue and a perplexing visual clip. As Victor dumps a barrelful of horse manure on his allotment, you hear four bars of the theme tune from the Granada TV series "Sherlock Holmes" (composed by Patrick Gowers) and then you see actor Eric Idle appear out of the fog.
What's perplexing about this is that there is no fog anywhere in the area, neither before nor after Idle appears. The shot of Idle emerging from the fog takes 1 or 2 seconds, no more, and is totally out of context. The whole scene – except for those 2 seconds – was shot in late afternoon, so why the sudden and brief fog?
Odd, very odd.

[–] heat22000 13 years ago

Also...

I guess in 'One Foot In The Algarve' a woman faking her own death via a fall echoes Hitchcock's Vertigo.

[–] jameswarrender 13 years ago

There are also a lot of references to the Nightmare on Elm Street series, especially in series two.

[–] tremas-1 12 years ago

TO: MADE-O-STONE
The image of the woman through the glass door in Dreamland is more of an allusion to the TV program Alfred Hitchcock Presents than to the movie Psycho.
In the TV program, Hitchock's silhouette entered the screen as the soundtrack played Gounod's Funeral March for a Marionette. The silhouette appeared to be projected on a frosted-glass pane similar to the one in Dreamland.
In the movie Psycho, the silhouette of Norman Bates' "mother" fell on the shower curtain, a touch that was replicated in Hearts of Darkness.
It was sharp of you to notice the similarities. My compliments.

[–] jameswarrender 12 years ago

I've also noted a lot of references to the Nightmare on Elm Street series.

- Victor points out a video of it in a Christmas special
- Mr Sweeny is holding a copy of one of the films in a Series 2 episode
- Victor asks Margaret who "that man is with the spiky fingers who cuts your face to bits" or something like that - she replies with "Hardy Kruger"

[–] tremas-1 12 years ago

TO: JAMESWARRENDER
What's funny about Margaret's reference to the star of the film series "Nightmare on Elm Street" is that she identifies him as "Hardy Krüger."
The name of the "man with the spiky fingers" is "Freddy Krueger."
Hardy Krüger is the name of a fine German actor who was very active in films beginning in 1943. He will be 85 on April 12 of this year (2013).
For pictures of Hardy K., go to Google Images. IMDB has a biography of him, or you can consult Google.