10 Shocking Movie Moments That Made People Leave The Cinema

For a film without a single shot of actual skin-breaking violence, Psycho sure shook the sensibilities of the average 1960s moviegoer.

Alfred Hitchcock's classic is now considered a cinematic masterwork, building suspense on the thinnest of high-wires and taking preposterous gambles with its narrative (like killing off the main character).

Though patrons queued round the block for its opening, it was the first showing that kicked off the trend of Psycho's audiences running for the door - literally. During its opening weeks, mayhem ensued, with individuals running for the doors, others fainting and having to be removed from the auditorium, and the police were even called.

But what tipped them over? The dead mother's body? The so-called 'perversions' that had many calling for censorship? The unbearable tension and dread?

Of course not! The general consensus is that the shower scene - yep, the shower scene - which portrayed what Roger Ebert called "the most effective slashing in movie history", was just too much for audiences to bear.