Movies

Sneak On the ‘Psycho’ Set With Rare Behind-the-Scenes Photos From Alfred Hitchcock’s Creepy Classic

As the iconic horror movie turns 65, take a look back at Hitchcock, Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins

By Abbey Bender June 13, 2025

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1. Behind the big scare

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The infamous shower scene has been nightmare fuel for multiple generations of viewers, so it’s fascinating to see Alfred Hitchcock directing Janet Leigh for a shot that would become legendary. The scene had a psychological impact on the actress, as she admitted, “I stopped taking showers and I only take baths.”
2. A romantic interlude

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Psycho was ahead of its time not just for setting the foundation for the slasher genre, but also for its sexual suggestiveness. From the opening scene, in which a lingerie-clad Leigh and her boyfriend (John Gavin) share a bed, the film established its provocation, and here, Hitchcock guides his stars as they seductively embrace. As Leigh remembered the cinematic climate of the era, “At the time, there was still the Hays Code, which was a censorship program. It was not possible to really show what you’ve got. The fact that I was in the opening scene in a half-slip and half-bra almost caused them to go crazy.”
3. Brilliant blocking

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Hitchcock films always feature visually striking compositions, and in this cool photo, he blocks a shot featuring Anthony Perkins.
4. A lighthearted moment

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Given Leigh’s gruesome fate in Psycho, it’s a relief to see her laughing with Hitchcock behind the scenes. Surprisingly, the director felt there was a sense of humor in his film, saying, "The content was, I felt, rather amusing and it was a big joke. I was horrified to find some people took it seriously."
5. Palling around

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Perkins may murder Leigh in Psycho, but the two stars look pretty friendly here. Leigh loved working with Perkins, and said, “He’s just a master. It was a joy to come to work. There was always an excitement for me, because it was like you knew what you wanted to bring to the scene, but the excitement was, you didn’t know what he was going to bring.”
6. Listening to the master

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Leigh appears to be listening intently as Hitchcock instructs her. Looking back on working with the auteur, she said, “We shot that picture so easily, so quickly, because of Mr. Hitchcock’s preparation. The planning, the concept, the details—everything was done before. It was never a haphazard, ‘Well, let’s see what we do now.’ He gave me great respect, but it had to be within the framework of his concept, his camera.”
7. Chin up

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In this cute behind-the-scenes photo, Hitchcock looks like he’s playfully chucking Leigh under the chin, but it’s more likely he’s positioning her to get just the right angle for his shot.
8. The murderer laughs

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You’d never know Perkins and Hitchcock were shooting a horror movie from this chummy portrait! Perkins had reason to be enthusiastic about the film, as Norman Bates became his most famous role, and he reprised it in three sequels, none of which were directed by Hitchcock.
9. If the shoe fits

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Hitchcock was always thought of as a dramatic, imposing figure, but this picture shows that he also liked to get silly from time to time.
10. Lunch break

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There's something so charming about seeing Leigh getting lunch from craft services during the making of Psycho. No matter how scary the movie is, you still gotta eat!
11. Touching up

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Psycho was shot on a low budget of just over $800,000, so it made sense that Leigh would do her own makeup touch-ups between scenes.
12. Getting ready

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Here, Leigh studies her lines while wearing her costume of perfectly mid-century lingerie.
13. Hitch from the back

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Hitchcock is seen from behind as he directs Vera Miles (who played Leigh’s sister), John Gavin and Anthony Perkins. He’s truly one of the most recognizable directors—even from the back!
14. Couple chat

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Here, Hitchcock and Gavin listen as Leigh animatedly speaks. While Gavin seems friendly enough with Hitchcock and Leigh, he later said he was “terribly disturbed” by the sex and violence in Psycho and admitted, “I think Hitch really got frosted with me.”
15. An ominous landscape

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Perkins looks intense while posing on Psycho’s set. The actor said, “I think Psycho is one of the things that’s given me longevity in this business. But of course it’s also kept me from roles. You know I would have hated to disappear like so many actors in the ’50s did. In a way, it’s a challenge to overcome something like that.”
16. Who's that?

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In one of Psycho’s wildest twists, it turns out Norman Bates murdered his mother, stole her corpse and delusionally channeled her by dressing in drag while committing his crimes. Here, Hitchcock shows off his gallows humor as he poses in a “Mrs. Bates” director’s chair.
17. A different angle

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In this arty composition, Leigh and Perkins are only partially visible as Hitchcock directs them, while a plume of smoke looms overhead.
18. Creepy creatures

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The Bates Motel is filled with creepy taxidermy, and here, Hitchcock points back towards birds captured mid-flight.
19. ‘Psycho’ in color?

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Because Psycho was shot on such a low-budget and featured shocking violence that would be slightly more acceptable to censors in a less vivid form, Hitchcock chose to use black-and-white film rather than color. This rare photo from the set suggests what a color version of the film might have looked like.
20. Taxidermy time

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In this sinister portrait, Perkins poses under one of his character’s taxidermy creations.
21. Eek!

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Leigh’s screams in Psycho are unforgettable, and her role established her as one of cinema’s first scream queens. Her daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis, would carry on the mantle in the ’70s and ’80s when she starred in films like Halloween, The Fog and Prom Night.
22. Action!

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Hitchcock has his signature deadpan expression as he holds up the film’s clapperboard.

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