Facts about Psycho's Shower Scene

1. It was shot from December 17 through December 23, 1959. The three-minute scene features 77 different camera angles — most of which are extreme close-ups — and includes 50 cuts, which can be very intense and jolting for the audience - making them feel as if they are having a heart attack.



2. The blood was chocolate syrup, which was dominantly used for fake blood in black and white film as it turns out better than red fake blood.



3. The sound of the knife stabbing Marion Crane was done by plunging a knife into a melon.



Marli Renfro
4. Janet Leigh claimed she never had a stunt double in her shower scene. However, on the other hand, there are some people who argue that this is not true, in particular Robert Graysmith, who wrote the book The Girl in Hitchcock's Shower. He said that Marli Renfro, a playboy bunny, played Leigh's body double.



5. All of the screams heard belong to Leigh - although some are diegetic and some are non-diegetic.



6. The scene was directed by Alfred Hitchcock - not the designer Saul Bass. Bass' prep storyboards so closely detail every moment of the sequence that some have suggested he should share directional credit with Hitchcock.

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