10 Horror Movie Twists That Pissed Everyone Off

1. Norman's Real Mommy Issues - Psycho 2

Urban Legends: Final Cut
Universal Pictures

Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is one of the most influential movies of all time, with the story of Norman Bates and "Mother" one that led to one of the greatest films in the history of cinema.

So, how do you follow that tale up? Well, if you're Psycho 2, you deliver the big twist that Norma Bates wasn't actually Norman's mother. Instead, it was Norma's sister Emma who was the real mother of Norman, with Norma having took the boy in as her own when Emma was locked up in a mental asylum.

Taken on its own, this twist was so frustrating. Making it all the more frustrating, though, is that Psycho 2 had done a fantastic job up until that point. Showing Anthony Perkins' Norman readjusting to society after spending 22 years institutionalised, you can't help but feel for the character as he desperately tries to keep on the straight and narrow as others try to push his buttons.

For those feeling a Psycho sequel was never needed, the bulk of this follow-up shows how wrong that notion was. Unfortunately, the groan-inducing final act reveal undermines all of the great work previously done by the film. No wonder Norman decided to kill Emma shortly after she explains his true parentage to him.

It's also no surprise that Psycho III undid this ridiculous idea and again cemented Norma Bates as Norman's real ma.

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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 dayjob, 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, Jamie Hayer, 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.