10 Exact Moments That Changed The Horror Movie Genre Forever

2. Psycho - The Shower Scene

The shower scene in Psycho could well be the most iconic scene in the history of horror – and even in the history of film, period. But while the screeching soundtrack, crazed editing, and blood-soaked bathtub are hugely impactful, what was most significant about this moment is that it killed off its star.

Ahead of its release, the marketing for Psycho saw Janet Leigh front-and-centre. Leigh was one of the most recognisable stars in the industry, and her marriage to Tony Curtis saw the pair positioned as one of Hollywood’s “it” couples.

So, audiences were left in disbelief at seeing Janet Leigh killed off less than halfway through the movie – said shock happening 47 minutes into Psycho’s 109-minute run time.

From this point on, all bets were off and no A-lister was sure of making it through to the finale of any particular horror film. This, of course, a trick that was brilliantly revisited by Wes Craven in 1996’s Scream as he offed headlining act Drew Barrymore in the movie’s opening scene.

Authored by Andrew Pollard

Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.

First Posted On: 25th Jul 2019

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Horror