- The shower scene from Psycho has been named the most iconic horror movie moment
- The Shining and The Exorcist also appear in the top three
Ahead of Halloween this weekend, horror movie fans have named the iconic shower scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 thriller, Psycho, as the most iconic horror moment of all time meaning that the old classics still stand the test of time.
The study, conducted by Gala Spins, asked 2,000 horror movie fanatics to name which scenes they find the most memorable, with over a quarter (27%) rating the murder of Marion Crane in the shower as their most memorable scene.
Brits prefer classic scary movies over their newer counterparts, with all the top five released in 1980’s or earlier.
| Horror Movie | Scene | Where to watch |
| 1) Psycho 2) The Shining 3) The Exorcist 4) Alien 5) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 6) The Blair Witch Project 7) The Ring 8) Jaws 9) Paranormal Activity 10) Halloween | 1The shower scene 2″Here’s Johnny” 3Head spinning moment 4Chest bursting scene 5Leatherface introduction 6Final scene in the basement TV scene Body floating up from the water Stood by the bed Closet scene | Amazon Prime Amazon Prime YouTube Amazon Prime Amazon Prime Netflix YouTube Netflix Amazon Prime Amazon Prime STARZPLAY |
Ranking fourth, Alien is the highest rated non-horror film, with the famous chest bursting scene ranking above horror classics like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (fifth) and Halloween (tenth).
The rankings changed depending on both age and gender, with men naming the chilling “Here’s Johnny” moment from The Shining (28%) as their most iconic scene, whilst women chose Psycho’s shower scene (27%).
Top five most iconic horror movie moments for men
- The Shining – “Here’s Johnny”
- Psycho – Shower
- Alien – Chest bursting scene
- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre – Leatherface introduction
- The Exorcist – Head spinning moment
Top five most iconic horror movie moments for women
- Psycho – Shower
- The Exorcist – Head spinning moment
- The Shining – “Here’s Johnny”
- Alien – Chest bursting scene
- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre – Leatherface introduction
The “Here’s Johnny” scene from The Shining was commonly chosen as the most iconic
