10 Perfect Movies With One Glaring Flaw

1. The Exposition - Psycho (1960)

Looper Bruce Willis
Paramount

As it stands, Psycho might be the greatest slasher movie ever made, and in terms of pure filmmaking craft is a masterclass with few equals.

That being said, the horrific, mysterious story of Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) does have one flaw courtesy of its ending, wherein a psychiatrist (Simon Oakland) dumps a heap of exposition, explaining Bates' actions and his mental deterioration in vivid detail.

It's a painfully unnecessary scene that, viewed through modern eyes, feels slightly condescending, like Alfred Hitchcock didn't trust his audiences to understand the story they'd just been told. Everything the psychiatrist says is obvious, but Hitchcock clearly didn't like the idea of "show don't tell" this time around.

Far be it from me to tell the Master of Suspense how to make a good film, but this is one scene Psycho could have done without. The rest of it, though? Perfect.

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Aidan Whatman hasn't written a bio just yet, but if they had... it would appear here.