10 Horror Movie Twists That Rewrote The Rules

10. Killing Off the Main Star During the First Act - Psycho (1960)

It’s tempting to talk about the finale of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, during which viewers learn that the charmingly timid Norman Bates is actually a homicidal maniac suffering from dissociative identity disorder and some sort of Oedipal complex.

Yet, Hitchcock was already known for his third act deceptions and disclosures when Psycho premiered, and this one has been talked about ad nauseam by now.

So, we’re going with Psycho’s other major narrative shocker: that presumed protagonist Marion Crane is ruthlessly butchered roughly 30 minutes into the picture (in what’s arguably the most famous murder scene in cinematic history).

Despite being morally questionable – she steals thousands of dollars from her boss to help her boyfriend – Marion is an empathetic character whom most onlookers want to succeed. Therefore, having Norman stab her to death in the shower was unexpected and disturbing.

What’s more, Marion is played by Janet Leigh, whose A-list status at the time seemingly guaranteed that she’d be the person moviegoers followed until the end of the film.

This twist was so essential to how Hitchcock wanted his masterpiece to be experienced that he prohibited people from entering the theatre once Psycho started. 

Plus, numerous other horror movies have employed the same subversive tactic over the subsequent decades, with Scream's opening slaughter of Drew Barrymore’s Casey Becker being the chief example.