After four years of watching American Horror Story, fans of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk know that those guys adore homages to iconic horror movies, from The Shining to Rosemary’s Baby, so viewers can definitely expect the new Fox series Scream Queens to have more of the same. Star Jamie Lee Curtis has already come out and admitted she’ll be recreating what is arguably the most iconic sequence in horror history: the shower scene from Psycho.
This will be an amazing film reference for one huge reason, beyond it being one of the most recognizable and oft-referenced scenes in the genre. Curtis’ mother is Oscar-nominated actress Janet Leigh, who played the murdered Marion Crane in the scene that made showers a setting of terror for years after the film came out. And while I’m certain that tons of people have asked Curtis to do something similar with the scene in the past, she’s stayed away until now. Here’s why.
My entire life I have refused to step into the shower because it belongs to my mother. I have attempted to step out of the shadow of my parents for a long time…It felt like they’ve both gone, and enough time has passed. This role has appeared in my life. It’s unexpected and delightful.
She went on to tell Variety that her one rule for Murphy and Falchuk (who wrote the episode in question) was that they go the whole nine yards and recreate it as accurately as possible. So don’t expect a Scary Movie level of mockery here, as this moment was extremely important to Curtis and how she views her mother’s legacy.
You can get a sneak peek of the scene in the image below, which Curtis shared on Twitter.
The scene will reportedly come far into Scream Queens’ first season, and I have to wonder if this is a sign that Curtis’ Dean Cathy Munsch will be killed off. It seems like a strange way to spoil a plotline, but Murphy had no problem with Curtis sharing the image and breaking the news, so maybe it won’t be that big of a surprise if and when it happens. It’s entirely possible everyone will be dead by the time the season is over. Such is the case with anthology series.
The season premiere of Scream Queens, which also contains a less in-your-face Psycho reference, will debut on Fox on Tuesday, September 22.
