There's only one film that could have slashed its way up to the top spot and that's Hitchcock's Psycho, a movie that many now consider to be the first and greatest slasher film of all. Halloween may have popularized many of the signature elements of horror, but Psycho is the undisputed granddaddy that started it all. Starring Janet Leigh (Jamie Lee Curtis's mother), Psycho shocked and horrified audiences back in 1960 by killing off its main character at the end of the very first act. Think that's surprising? What really sticks in your mind long after the credits have rolled is the infamous 'shower scene', which has gone down in history as the most iconic horror sequence ever made. Such a scene would have been impossible to show in cinemas just a few short years earlier, but with the erosion of the Motion Picture Production Code, Hitchcock was able to include scenes of sexuality and violence in a way never before seen in a mainstream film. The opening scene where Sam and Marion are depicted as lovers sharing the same bed was hugely controversial at the time of Psycho's release, particularly as the pair weren't married. As if that wasn't bad enough, Hitchcock even dared to show Marion flushing paper down a toilet, something that had never been seen on the big screen before. Scandalous! With its unprecedented approach to adult topics and a host of iconic scenes, no other horror film has influenced the industry as much as Psycho. Agree or disagree? Did we miss out any more horror movies that changed the industry forever? Let us know in the comments section below!
David is a primary school teacher who tries his best to turn every math lesson into a discussion on the latest Pixar film. Passions include superheroes, zombies and Studio Ghibli. In between going to the cinema, moving to South Korea and eating his body weight in KFC, David writes for a number of movie sites, http://becarefulyourhand.blogspot.co.uk/
