One of the most shocking and unforgettable scenes from Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece of suspense Psycho is that in which Marion Crane, played by actress Janet Leigh, decides to take a shower after her unnerving conversation with Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) in the parlor of the Bates Motel. This scene is definitely a horror movie in itself, for after its premier, Psycho affected the audience so much that many were terrified to take a shower after seeing what happens to Ms. Crane in her motel room.

             Exactly why this particular scene is so much a horror movie in itself is related to the manner in which Ms. Crane, on the run after stealing $40,000 from her employer, is killed off by Norman Bates only some thirty minutes into the film. Disguised as his dead mother in a wig and a dress, Norman Bates coolly enters the room of Ms. Crane who is in the shower. When the camera shows her in the bathroom, she is standing under the shower spray, enjoying herself and relaxing from all the tensions of the day. We then see a shadow enter the bathroom, and within a few seconds, the shower curtains are violently thrown back to reveal Bates holding a very large butcher knife. He then proceeds to kill Ms. Crane by stabbing her repeatedly and we then see blood spiraling down the tub drain. Moments later, she collapses, grabs the shower curtains and pulls them to the floor, where she dies while staring directly into the camera. .

             This scene demonstrates how terrifying such an act would be for someone standing naked in the shower with no idea that in the next minute, they will be dead. The violence of the stabbing and the blood flowing down the drain are prime symbols of such horror movies known as "slasher" films. For the audience, this scene, a mere 45 seconds in length, inspired many future directors and stands as Hitchcock's "mini-movie" in a movie.