8 Most Iconic Slasher Movie Death Scenes

2. Psycho - Splish Splash I Was Taking A Bath

Despite predating the rise of slasher films, Psycho is often considered the first of the genre. Set in a backwater hotel with a vulnerable woman and a shadowy killer, it most likely set the stage for later slashers. It's most obvious contribution to public consciousness was a scene that ironically has no actual slashing. Whilst taking a shower, the protagonist is surprised when the curtain is pulled back to reveal a silhouetted woman with a knife. She is then implied to be repeatedly stabbed by the assailant and dies. This scene showcases multiple examples of Hitchcock's innovations. He uses "cutting on action", a method that edits often disjointed footage into one continuous scene. Hitchcock's use is so brilliant that audiences at the time often claimed "seeing" the knife penetrate her skin. This is enhanced by the use of "psycho strings", yet another Hitchcock-pioneered method that uses staccato string music that evokes the "feeling" of penetration itself. And finally, seeing our killer's face in unnatural shadow further makes the event uncannily disturbing. What makes this scene iconic is that it established much of the subgenre's themes succinctly. Previously, American horror films cast threats in foreign places-laboratories, castles, etc. In this film, the villain is much more intimate. And yes, in a sexual way. The shower, a place of privacy and comfort, is just as viable venue for death as a backwoods Eastern European village.