One of the most iconic and famous scenes in horror history is in Alfred Hitchcock‘s thriller Psycho. The sequence shocked audiences back in 1960 by breaking basic story structure – Hitchcock killed off the film’s protagonist only 45 minutes into the film. And while the timing of the death threw audiences for a loop, the scene itself was disturbing…
While showering, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is brutally attacked by a mysterious female assailant, who ends up being Bates Motel owner Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). Even though you never actually see the knife piercing the skin, Hitchcock’s blocking/camerawork mixed with a chilling score delivered a brutal punch that makes this one of the most memorable and influential sequences ever.
In fact, the film had a huge impact on John Carpenter, whose inspiration bled directly into his 1978 slasher Halloween (which ironically(?) starred Jamie Lee Curtis, the daughter of Psycho‘s Janet Leigh). We came across this excellent fan edited video that replaces Psycho‘s score with that of Carpenter’s Halloween. The result is beyond perfection.
