The famous opening of Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film, Psycho begins with a birds eye view of the city of Phoenix, Arizona. The camera pans across the city and shows the houses and cars, to create mise-en-scene. The camera begins moving in and focuses on a building, zooming until it reaches a window that leads the viewer into the opening interactions of the protagonists. The blinds are closed, leaving only a small gap in which the viewer looks into.
This sequence is known as the hand of god, in which the audience plays the role of God, and has the advantage of seeing what happens to the characters. This technique allows for the voyeurism of the viewer, while also creating fear, as the protagonists seem to be randomly chosen. This allows for the moral codes of horror to resonate with the audience.
The Cherry falls (2000) hand of god serves a similar purpose while also creating verisimilitude of a small, guarded and conservative community. The close up on the church spire and the serene water combined with the creepy singing create a sense of unease, making the reader question what is behind the image of a perfect town.
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