Psycho (1960) - knife
Knife
The knife on display at Movie Madness is one of two original knives used during the famous shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s PSYCHO. Hitchcock did not believe in trick knifes, so he had two knives made out of balsa wood created for this incredible scene. The first knife had a sharp end which was used during most of the filming of the shower scene. The second knife was shortened and rounded at the end, designed so the knife can get as close as possible to Janet Leigh’s stand-in. By doing this, it helped create the illusion that it was actually stabbing Janet Leigh’s character Marion. It was used in only three frames of the movie.
The PSYCHO knife on display at Movie Madness is the only surviving knife from this classic film. This very same knife was used again by director Richard Franklin in the 1983 sequel, PSYCHO II, when Vera Miles character, Lila, is stabbed through the mouth.
Movie Madness purchased this famous piece in 1996 from Antiquities International, located at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.
