Literatura e adaptação cinematográfica: o suspense em Psicose

Abstract

This work presents an analysis about the similarities and differences regarding the construction of the genre thriller found in Alfred Hitchcock and Robert Bloch‘s homonym work Psycho. By involving two different signic means of narrative, the objective is to understand the reasons behind the false premise of the verbal language supremacy over audiovisual, using film adaptation theories. For such purpose, theories of film adaptation were used, a fundamental aspect of this work. It also presents a study about the genre thriller and how it can be found in both Psycho‘s book and movie. It was necessary to use the studies of André Bazin, Robert Stam and Linda Hutcheon in order to work with Adaptation Theory, seeing as they present similar ideas about the deconstruction of literary supremacy, making the forms of art equal. Regarding the thriller genre, concepts from the book Hitchcock/Truffaut (2004) were used. Hitchcock received the alias ―Master of Suspense‖ for his vast theorical and practical experience about the genre in filmmaking. Furthermore, it is important to stress that the comparisons presented in this analysis do not suggest any judgment of value, they only critically and analytically expose similarities and differences that were found in both works and their respective languages.