How Hitchcock Made the Most Iconic Scene in Movie History

Psycho 1960 — In this installment of How They Shot It, we look at the most iconic sequence in film history: the Psycho shower scene.

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Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction to Psycho's Shower Murder Scene
01:00 - History of Psycho
02:29 - The Screenplay
03:02 - Making the Scene
06:00 - Shooting Around Nudity
07:44 - Sound Design
09:20 - The Music
10:14 - Gaslighting Censors
11:31 - Takeaways

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PSYCHO 1960

Alfred Hitchcock is one of the most important filmmakers of the 20th Century, having made countless influential movies that loom large over a span of genres. One of his many achievements is creating the slasher genre with "Psycho," a film unlike anything else in his catalogue. Today, we look at the defining sequence of the film, the shower scene.

BACKGROUND FOR ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S PSYCHO

The infamous shower scene remains one of the most iconic and studied moments in film history. At the time, Hitchcock was already a well-established master of suspense, but "Psycho" represented a departure. He financed the film himself and kept costs low. Adapted from Robert Bloch’s novel, the film shocked audiences not only with its violence but with its narrative bait-and-switch: the presumed protagonist is killed 45 minutes into the story. The shower scene was central to that shock: Hitchcock’s goal was to devastate audience expectations using suggestion, rhythm, and misdirection more than explicit gore.

PSYCHO BODY DOUBLE

Hitchcock storyboard artist Saul Bass (who also designed the film’s title sequence) to meticulously plan each shot. Janet Leigh, playing Marion, had a body double (Marli Renfro) for many of the shots, particularly those involving nudity. Hitchcock was adamant that no shot show nudity or the knife actually piercing flesh, which necessitated careful choreography. To simulate blood, chocolate syrup was used, since it had the right consistency and photographed well in black and white.

MAKING OF PSYCHO SHOWER SCENE

The rapid editing is crucial to the scene, created the illusion of extreme violence without ever showing a fatal blow. Bernard Herrmann’s score, the unforgettable shrieking violins, was critical to the scene’s impact. Originally, Hitchcock intended the scene to play without music, but after hearing Herrmann’s composition, he changed his mind. The stabbing sound was mimicked by a knife plunging into melons. Together, the editing and music formed a cinematic assault that redefined screen violence. We're still seeing its effects today.

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♬ SONGS USED:

“Prelude and The City” - Bernard Herrmann
“Psycho Main Theme Suite” - Bernard Herrmann
“Temptation” - Bernard Herrmann
“The Window” - Bernard Herrmann
“The Peephole” - Bernard Herrmann
“The Swamp” - Bernard Herrmann
“Peeping” - Danny Elfman
“In Bed” - Danny Elfman
“Logos” - Danny Elfman
“Out The Gate” - Danny Elfman
“Sacrifices” - Danny Elfman
“The Censor” - Danny Elfman
“The Swim” - Danny Elfman
“Walk With Hitch” - Danny Elfman
“Gimme Some More” - Busta Rhymes

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