• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Alfred Hitchcock's iconic horror film Psycho left actress too scared to do simple act for rest of her life

Home> Film & TV> News

Published 18:28 25 Nov 2024 GMT

Alfred Hitchcock's iconic horror film Psycho left actress too scared to do simple act for rest of her life

Janet Leigh opened up about her phobia after shooting the 1960 horror movie

Ellie Kemp

Ellie Kemp

Janet Leigh admitted she struggled with an everyday task after starring in Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 mystery-horror Psycho.

As soon as you hear those words - Alfred Hitchcock and Psycho - what springs to mind?

It's that iconic shower scene, right?

Perhaps the most-recognized scene in TV and film history, it sees Leigh play Marion Crane, who is then stabbed to death by Anthony Perkins' Norman Bates.

Advert

The scene - and its technical work - cemented Hitchcock as one of the greatest filmmakers of our time.

In fact, the entire movie ushered in a new convention, and even revolutionized the way we experience cinema to this day.

Janet Leigh in Psycho (Archive Photos/Getty Images)
Janet Leigh in Psycho (Archive Photos/Getty Images)

Did you know that before Psycho came out, theaters would screen movies on a loop?

Advert

People could walk in whenever, then fill in the gaps as the movie replayed.

But Psycho's twists and turns would've been majorly spoiled if this was allowed.

So Hitchcock and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer got cinemas to enforce start times - and the rest is history.

Anyway, back to that shower scene...

It took an entire week to shoot - a third of the movie's entire filming schedule.

Advert

And its impact on Leigh - who is the mother of actresses Jamie Lee Curtis and Kelly Curtis, whom she shared with actor Tony Curtis - was long-lasting.

She told the New York Times in 1995: "I stopped taking showers and I take baths, only baths."

She admitted that when she stayed overnight in a hotel or at a friend's home where only a shower was available, she panicked.

Leigh then explained the precautions she took each time, adding: "I make sure the doors and windows of the house are locked and I leave the bathroom door open and shower curtain open.

Advert

Janet Leigh with her book in 1995 (Rick Maiman/Sygma via Getty Images)
Janet Leigh with her book in 1995 (Rick Maiman/Sygma via Getty Images)

"I'm always facing the door, watching, no matter where the shower head is."

Leigh said that both Perkins and Hancock himself were affected by the scene too.

The star went on to write a book about her experience of starring in the film, titled Behind the Scenes of the Classic Thriller.

Advert

Despite the phobia she'd picked up from Psycho, Leigh stuck with the horror genre, starring alongside daughter Jamie Lee Curtis in 1980's The Fog and 1998's H20: 20 Years Later.

The iconic actor sadly died at her Beverly Hills home in 2004 at the age of 77 after a long battle with vasculitis, a disorder which destroys blood vessels by inflammation, which she'd kept private.

Featured Image Credit: Bettmann via Getty Images/Archive Photos/Getty Images

Topics: Film and TV, Celebrity

Ellie Kemp
Ellie Kemp

Ellie joined UNILAD in 2024, specialising in SEO and trending content. She moved from Reach PLC where she worked as a senior journalist at the UK’s largest regional news title, the Manchester Evening News. She also covered TV and entertainment for national brands including the Mirror, Star and Express. In her spare time, Ellie enjoys watching true crime documentaries and curating the perfect Spotify playlist.

X

@EllieKempOnline

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • Chilling real life story inspired iconic horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street
  • Director behind Keira Knightley's new Netflix cruise thriller explains why it was his ‘worst nightmare’ to film
  • Terry Crews says chance encounter 'changed his life' and had him feature in Denzel Washington's most iconic film scene
  • Scientist reveals simple everyday act couples can do together to feel happier by 20 percent

Choose your content:

4 hours ago
13 hours ago
15 hours ago
a day ago
  • West/Getty Images
    4 hours ago

    Netflix fans hooked on ‘drama of the year’ as it’s binged for 102 million hours

    Fans say the series has the 'perfect' ending

    Film & TV
  • Fox News/James Devaney/GC Images via Getty
    13 hours ago

    TV host savagely cut off by co-host after claiming Jennifer Aniston used to be 'much better looking'

    The TV segment involved a lot of awkward faces

    Film & TV
  • Netflix
    15 hours ago

    Netflix debuts bizarre documentary of how entire island got addicted to cocaine after drug smuggling goes wrong

    A bizarre series of events resulted in many of the islanders getting addicted to drugs

    Film & TV
  • Nanci Santos/Getty Images
    a day ago

    97% Prime Video series hailed by Stephen King gets brand new prequel

    The drama is moving to a new streaming service for its backstory

    Film & TV