10 Most Paused Horror Movie Moments

There are few films in the history of horror cinema as revered as Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, and with good reason -- it is half psychological thriller, half gothic horror; its villain is two people in one; and, of course, it takes a massive departure from cinematic tradition by killing its main character at the end of the first act.

And the killing of Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is no mere trifle. In one of the most famous scenes in the horror canon, Marion is caught mid-shower by knife-wielding, cross-dressed motel owner Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). The strings shriek, and the camera cuts back and forth between perspective shots of Norman plunging the knife, reaction shots of Marion's face, and body shots of the knife hitting home.

But does the knife really go in? We see blood, we see the knife against Marion's skin, but even the swiftest pauser in the land may struggle to stop the disc at precisely the right moment to tell what really happens. And, ever since the advent of home video, dedicated film fans have been trying to do just that. Despite the fact that Hitchcock himself said -- to audiences and censors alike -- that it was all camera trickery, we imagine they'll still be trying for years to come.