10 Classic Films Critics Originally Hated

The original king of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock was coming off blockbuster success with North By Northwest when he scared audiences silly with this subversive chiller. Relegating himself to a lower budget than usual, Hitchcock hired a TV crew and shot this early example of the slasher genre in black-and-white to get its explicit content past censors.

Critics took issue with its notorious shower scene, jump scares, end twist and generally grim atmosphere. The Observer's C.A. Lejeune was so overwhelmed by the film that she quit her job in protest of it (though it's hard to figure out how anyone but her was badly affected by this strategy).

The film's detractors were forced to eat their words thanks to its wild popularity among viewers. With queues branching out into the streets for screenings, Psycho took the world by storm and was promptly re-evaluated for what it was; a thrilling, groundbreaking piece of high cinematic art. Bolstered by a great cast, particularly the excellent Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins, the film's use of bloody violence, psychological scares and dramatic irony re-shaped the world of horror cinema to come.