Suspense is Information "Information" is essential to Hitchcock suspense; showing the audience what the characters don t see. If something is about to harm the characters, show it at beginning of the scene and let the scene play out as normal. Constant reminders of this looming danger will build suspense. But remember - the suspense is not in the mind of the character. They must be completely unaware of it. In Family Plot (1976) Hitchcock shows the audience that brake fluid is leaking out of a car well before the characters find out about it. In Psycho (1960) we know about the crazy mother before the detective does, making the scene in which Balsam enters the house one of the most suspenseful scenes in Hitchcock's career. The essential fact is to get real suspense you must let the audience have information." --Alfred Hitchcock
