8 Things We're Sure We've Seen In Films (But Actually Haven't)
3. The Graphic Shower Stabbing Scene - Psycho
Alfred Hitchcock pulled a very naughty trick in his 1960 psychological horror Psycho. The film follows Janet Leigh's real-estate secretary Marion Crane stealing $40,000 and going on the run to be with her boyfriend... Only to be brutally stabbed to death in the shower whilst staying at the Bates Motel less than halfway into the runtime. The scene is one of the most iconic in cinema history, and helped to validate modern horror in its artful, impactful execution.
Despite the scene's shocking and savage nature, it has been noted that at no point is the knife shown penetrating any skin. The scene is a feverish barrage of cuts between Leigh's screaming form, the knife being raised and plunged and increasing volumes of Hershey's chocolate syrup draining into the bath.
However, many viewers are still convinced that it's far more graphic than that, featuring flesh being pierced and rended from the victim's body. Even WhatCulture's very own horror aficionado Ash Millman was so convinced of this that she wrote about it in an essay and was promptly marked down.