10 Sudden Time Jumps In Horror Movies That Completely Change Everything
3. Psycho
Much as the secrets of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho aren't really secrets these days, for anyone experiencing it unspoiled for the first time, it's one hell of a ride.
The expectation from its poster and premise is that the film will be a rather self-contained horror romp in which Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) fends off a deranged assailant in the Bates Motel. Except, Marion is of course killed half-way through the movie - apparently by motel owner Norman Bates' (Anthony Perkins) mother - at which point Norman disposes of her corpse and car.
After this, the film moves forward a week in time, where Marion's sister Lila (Vera Miles) arrives in town to investigate her disappearance, and Psycho basically becomes a very different movie, largely focused on a new set of characters alongside Norman.
If the subversion of Marion's shockingly sudden mid-film death wasn't enough, Hitchcock pulled another one by then fast-forwarding a week, all while leaving the audience to ponder quite what's up with that Norman fella.