10 Movies That Smashed The Box Office With A Totally Unknown Cast

3. Psycho

While it would be unfair to describe Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins as totally unknown quantities before Psycho, in many ways this is the film which started the trend towards independent film-making and turned the traditional approach to casting on its head. Hitchcock had his initial pitch to make the film rejected by Paramount. They preferred the idea behind a film titled €˜No Bail For The Judge€™, which was eventually shelved, and projected to star Audrey Hepburn. Really they wanted another star-studded thriller in the classic Hitchcock mould. Ultimately Hitchcock persisted, and got his wish to make the film €“ though the studios refused to finance or promote it; instead they would only distribute it to cinemas. Hitchcock had to find the money for every aspect of the film himself. The film may have starred two relatively established actors of the time, but it was how these actors were used which most was interesting. Neither actor was allowed to promote the film, for fear of giving away the plot. Rather than using two stars to get punters in, Hitchcock deprived the film of this traditional marketing routine. Leigh lasted just a few scenes before she was killed off, a move which was totally alien to audiences until that point, while Perkins was cast as Norman Bates, the murderer €“ again an unusual choice. It was this sort of film which eventually necessitated directors, particularly in the horror genre, avoided well-known actors.