10 Moments That Literally Stopped Horror Movies
3. Psycho - The Shower Scene
It’s not often that the central character of a film dies, and so when it does happen it’s quite a shock. Psycho was no exception to this rule, flooring audiences with lead character Marion’s death.
In the famous scene we see Marion showering, only to be rudely interrupted and savagely killed by Norman Bates acting in his Mother persona. As she lies in the tub, the water still flowing, the audience is immersed in a moment of utter bewilderment.
What’s going to happen next? How can we move forward without our leading character?
After a frenzy of stabbing there is suddenly no action, just the audience watching Marion as she sinks down into the tub and her eyes glaze over.
Director Alfred Hitchcock has gone down in history for many of his film-related achievements, but this scene remains as one of his absolute top offerings.