8 Widespread Movie "Facts" That Are Totally Untrue

5. Alfred Hitchcock Insisted On Using Ice-Cold Water Whilst Shooting Psycho's Iconic Shower Scene

Psycho We all know that Alfred Hitchcock got a kind of pleasure tormenting his attractive leading ladies. Just ask Tippi Hedren, who was subjected to all sorts of ill-treatment during the making of his movie The Birds. His lack of empathy and willingness to screw with his actress was, of course, the reason why he opted to use ice-cold water during Psycho's infamous shower scene - how else was he supposed to capture a worthy scream from leading actress Janet Leigh? It makes for a great story, doesn't it? Shame that there's not an ounce of truth to it, then. Despite the fact that every second person who has seen Psycho still enjoys citing this is a "fact," there really is no evidence to suggest that Hitchcock used ice-cold water during the gruesome shower scene. No one knows, exactly, where such a rumour began, but even Janet Leigh herself has spoken out about this myth, insisting than cold water was never even considered to be an option, and that the crew were very careful and generous to ensure that it flowed at a comfortable temperature. Next they'll be telling us Hitch used chocolate syrup for the blood! Crazy!
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