How ‘Psycho’ negatively impacted Janet Leigh’s life: “I stopped taking showers”
Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 movie Psycho irreversibly transformed the horror genre. Until that point, the Hays Code prevented abject violence and gore from being displayed in movies, yet Psycho violated several of these rules. From depictions of sexuality to the shot of a flushing toilet, Hitchcock’s films broke many on-screen taboos.
The movie was famously shot in black-and-white to lower the cost of production since Paramount was not sold on Hitchcock’s ideas for the film, subsequently downsizing his budget. Composer Bernard Herrmann was also forced to receive a significant pay cut as a result, almost declining the chance to score the movie. However, he eventually agreed – he was a close collaborator of Hitchcock’s, which resulted in one of the most iconic pieces of movie music ever made.
Psycho is best known for its shower sequence, in which Janet Leigh’s character, Marion Crane, is stabbed to death while washing. The scene features many close-up shots, rapid cuts and images of her blood pouring into the drain. This scene was unlike anything done before in mainstream cinema, and as a result, it acted as a gateway for more movies to show explicit violence.
However, the scene took its toll on Leigh, who found herself unable to shower for a long time after the film’s production. She told an interviewer, “I stopped taking showers, and I take baths, only baths. I make sure the doors and windows of the house are locked, and I leave the bathroom door open and shower curtain open. I’m always facing the door, watching, no matter where the showerhead is.”
Not only did Leigh find herself terrified of showers after witnessing the final cut of Psycho, but she was also constantly on edge due to unnerving mail and phone calls. Leigh frequently received phone calls and letters from stalkers who would tell her that she was going to be killed, just like her character. Leigh was naturally terrified by these threats, although they luckily never amounted to anything. Still, some letters were so horrifying that Leigh had to pass them on to the FBI.
Although Leigh starred in other successful movies in her career, such as Little Women, Touch of Evil, Bye Bye Birdie and The Fog (starring her daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis), she is best remembered for Psycho. Her performance earned her several prestigious nominations, such as ‘Best Supporting Actress’ at the Academy Awards, as well as a Golden Globe win.
Revisit the classic shower scene below.
