10 Killer Last Lines In Horror Movie History
5. "They'll Say, 'Why, She Wouldn't Even Harm A Fly'." - Psycho
Now more than 60 years old, Psycho’s shocks (while no longer a surprise to most) are still some of the most potent in horror cinema.
Whether it’s Marion’s demise shortly after checking in to the Bates Motel, or the revelation of Mrs Bates in all her desiccated glory, Alfred Hitchcock's scariest film is full of moments that, once seen, are never forgotten.
In the final scene, Norman Bates sits in a police station after being arrested for the murder of Marion, private investigator Milton Arbogast, and his mother and her lover ten years earlier. But it's his mother who inhabits his mind, as we hear in this last line, which is uttered by a female voice as Norman watches a fly crawl across his hand.
This moment is really made by the fact that, just as we hear the words, "She wouldn't even harm a fly", Normal looks directly into the camera and smiles. The shot fades and we glimpse the spectre of a skull behind his face.
More than half a century after the film was released, it remains one of the most chilling images in movie history.