In Zizek’s discusses in his chapter, The Hitckcockian Blot, about a “fantasy window” (92). He explains it by saying, “In short, the meaning of what the hero perceives beyond the window depends on his actual situation this side if the window he has just to “look through the window” to see on display a multitude of imaginary solutions to his actual impasse” (92-93). What this basically means is the person sees a situation as if through an imaginary window able to look in on what is to happen or what is happening. This is really shown in Hitchcock’s film Psycho. For Norman Bates, when he is peering into the peephole through the wall to see the female character undressing. This of course is due to a sexual desire he has for the female character. When he looks through this peephole he has made, the audience sees through his eyes as if the audience themselves are looking into the motel room as the woman is undressing for her shower.
An episode of Criminal Minds actually mirrors Pyscho in several ways. First the main character is very similar to Norman Bates, the killer, Rhett Walden, in the episode has some mother issues that help to cause the death of others. Also, Rhett has kept his mummified mother around, both acting as if their mothers were very much alive. Along with some very uncanny resemblances the movie and the episode shows the Hitchcockian fantasy window. Below is a clip I have chosen which shows the perspective of the fantasy window of both Rhett and the police who are ready to arrest him.
In the beginning when we see Rhett talking to his mother we see him looking into a mirror fixing his tie and getting ready to face the outside word. While he continues to talk, he moves away from the mirror but the camera stays and frames this sort of weird intimate talk he has with his mother before they move outside. Rhett and his mother seemed to be windowed off, before leaving the confines of their home.
From the clip, we see two different things. First we see a black and white version of the scene but instead of being arrested, Rhett and his mother walk into the midst of paparazzi signing autographs. The camera in the beginning is aimed up and behind Rhett and his mother as if someone is watching this scene from behind them. This shows the given “imaginary solution” through the window.
The second version is in color and shows a very different scene. The police, along with us, see Rhett carrying a mummified body down the front stairs. The police are not really sure how to react to this scene they see coming towards them but drop their guns a little and the camera singles in on several different parts of the mummified woman. The scene in itself is horrifying, but the most horrifying is the way Rhett seems to be stuck behind his imaginary window, only seeing his dead mother alive while paparazzi capturing this moment, as if him and his mother were famous movie stars. But when the camera returns to the reality the police have windowed we see the paparazzi are nothing more but gun men to shoot Rhett down if he tries to attack. Towards the end of the given scene, Rhett is framed off while his eyes are closed laughing like a madman. Having his eyes closed could mean he is not ready to give up his imaginary scene of walking down the red carpet. The framing off of just his head shows a little of the insanity of Rhett grinning and laughing like a madman, which is like many horror movies, with the sadistic menacing laugh from the killer.
