10 Even More Movies With Ridiculously Subtle Foreshadowing

There is no denying that Alfred Hitchcock was a master of suspense, and there can be fewer greater examples of such talent as 1960's Psycho. The film based around psychotic killer Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) is one of the most influential in the history of the horror genre, and is nothing short of iconic.

As the narrative follows the search for the missing Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), the victim of the infamous shower stabbing scene, it's revealed that Norman killed his mother and kept her mummified and essentially taxidermied, often actually taking on her personality himself as some form of a coping mechanism.

During Norman's conversation with Marion toward the beginning of the film, he of course never lets on the true fate of his mother. As far as his guest is concerned, she is alive and well.

However, when she suggests to Norman that his mother should be institutionalised after seemingly overhearing an argument between them, the son takes great offence. When he asks why she would say such a thing, he says that his mother is as harmless as one of his taxidermied birds. Only after seeing the body reveal does it make sense just how similar to those birds she was.

This isn't even the only foreshadowing revolving around Norman's stuffed animals, in that a strong parallel is established between the killer and his owl, both being nocturnal predators. Linking his mother to his hobby, however, is done with just the slightest bit more subtlety.