Hidden violinists startle unsuspecting house viewers with ‘Psycho’ music in shower

16 August 2021, 13:20 | Updated: 17 August 2021, 12:05

When the shower curtain was pulled back, a shrieking rendition of Bernard Herrmann’s spine-chilling score ensued.

There can be many surprises when viewing a house in person for the first time.

But a violin trio hiding behind a shower curtain waiting to prank you with the Psycho theme? Probably not something anyone would anticipate.

Watch as three violinists spring a piercing performance of Bernard Herrmann’s ‘The Murder’ on unsuspecting civilians, when they pull back the seemingly innocuous curtain.

Like Hitchcock’s terrifying shower scene, this musical prank was quite the shock...

Read more: The 13 scariest horror film soundtracks ever written

Herrmann’s unsettling string theme was penned just for the on-screen shower attack, but Hitchcock was originally set on doing all the motel scenes without music.

After some convincing from the film’s composer, Hitchcock finally trialled the moment of – spoiler alert – Marion Crane’s murder with Herrmann’s chilling musical accompaniment. In the end, the decision was a no-brainer.

With its eerie dissonance and shrieking strings, Herrmann’s score electrified the sequence, and made movie music history.

Read more: Hear a colossal 80-inch symphonic gong that sounds straight out of a horror movie

Unfortunately, we only get around 30 seconds of Psycho-inspired musical escapades before the next prank unfolds.

It’s all part of a hilarious montage from TV show Republic of Telly, which also had the musicians causing a street blockade while playing the ‘Imperial March’, and chasing after joggers as they performed the Rocky theme.

Just remember to check behind the shower curtain at your next house viewing, in case a violinist is lying in wait...