Intertextuality

Intertextuality - is a term to describe the visual referncing betweens films or in other cases books (text).


In this case, intertextuality is when films "borrow" from each other, this can be type of shots, mise en scene or even sound.  A common case where intertextuality is taken place is within the film Psycho, many other films borrow from Psycho such as The Stepfather, What Lies Beneath, The Room mate and Fatal Attraction.

On the left is the shower curtains snapping of the pole in The Stepfather and on the right is the also the curtains snapping off but from Psycho, this is and example of intertextuality. As The Stepfather has borrowed the idea of a close up shot of the shower curtains snapping/breaking.

The two shots above are also an example of intertextuality. Both shots of the shower heads, the left one from The Room mate and the right one from Psycho. So here you see The Room mate has borrowed the idea of the shower head.

The film Psycho has many elements that other films have borrowed, mainly:

• The white bathrooms
• The shower head
• The stabbing
• The twitch in the hand or foot
• The shower curtains break,snapping