Explain.

In both Psycho and Cat People the directors have used shadows to maintain the mystery behind the killer, because the audience is not supposed to know who (or in the case of Cat People what) they are. Particularly in the pool scene where Alice is swimming and Irina approaches here, the shadows are use create an unsettling atmosphere. The light reflected from the water makes moving patterns all over the walls, leading Alice and the audience to feel as though Irina could be anywhere.

Similarly, in Psycho the shadows are used to ensure the audience is not entirely sure who killed Marion. We're not even sure whether it is a man or woman, because of the clearly masculine build and yet effeminate wig. This is achieved through having Norman silhouetted against the shower curtain in the shower scene. Shadow is often used in this way in other movies.

The idea that the unknown is much more terrifying than the known is often explored in horror movies. Shadows are a good way of achieving this by showing the general outline of a threat, rather than everything in great detail. This is done in The Tingler when the creature walks across the projection table in the movie theatre, and the audience sees its shape on the screen.

Censorship has also been an issue in earlier horror films, because the less modern audience was much more easily offended/ disturbed than the one today. In Frankenstein, for example even the line "I now know what it's like to be god!" had to be cut in the first version because it was considered too blasphemous. Shadows have been used to monitor the level of violence so that the film is suitable for the current audience. Most of the scenes that could have been very brutal in Cat People were censored through the use of shadow. The scene where Irina, in the form of a panther attacks her therapist where they could have shown a very gory battle they choose instead to show her shadow pouncing against the wall.