Fresh Air A Look Back At Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’
4 snips
Nov 21, 2025 
Join award-winning actress Janet Leigh as she shares her firsthand experiences filming the iconic shower scene in Psycho, revealing Hitchcock's meticulous planning and the shocking impact of her character's death. Screenwriter Evan Hunter discusses the challenges of adapting The Birds, including Hitchcock's creative choices and the unique techniques used to create suspense without explaining the birds' motives. Film critic Justin Chang wraps up the discussion with insights on Hamnet, highlighting its emotional depth and Jesse Buckley's standout performance.
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Making The Shower Illusion
- Janet Leigh describes the technical breakdown of the shower sequence: 70-plus setups, storyboards, and different camera framings dictating wardrobe.
- She explains multiple stand-ins and non-retracting prop knives created the illusion of stabbing without showing penetration.
The Take They Printed
- Leigh recalls a take where adhesive moleskin began peeling from her body under steam during a long technical shot.
- She let it rip and that take was the one Hitchcock printed in the final film.
Editing Intensifies Terror
- Leigh says watching the edited shower scene terrified her more than filming it because editing and music concentrate emotion.
- She realized how exposed and defenseless one is in a shower, which changed her personal bathing habits.
