The 'Here's Johnny!' bathroom scene from Stanley Kubrick's 1980 psychological horror The Shining has been voted the most iconic on-screen crime moment ever, according to a new poll commissioned by the University of Lincoln. Twenty-two percent of respondents selected Jack Nicholson's terrifying portrayal of Jack Torrance as their most memorable crime TV or film moment.
Top Crime Scenes Revealed
Second place, with 21% of the vote, went to the shower scene from Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho, showing Janet Leigh being murdered by a shadowy figure. The basement scene from The Silence of the Lambs took third place with 12%, followed by the Hannibal dinner table scenes from Hannibal (11%) and the phone scene from Scream (10%).
Rounding out the top ten are the horse head scene from The Godfather (10%), the meth lab from Breaking Bad (9%), the escape scene from The Shawshank Redemption (8%), the flickering lights from Stranger Things (7%), and the kill room from Dexter (7%).
University of Lincoln's Crime Scene House
The University of Lincoln conducted the nationwide poll to promote its new Crime Scene House, a real-life training facility featuring 18 iconic crime scenes from popular TV shows and movies. The attraction includes the blood-splattered shower from Psycho, the axe-splintered bathroom door from The Shining, and other-worldly flickering lights from Stranger Things. Designed to give students hands-on experience in forensic investigation and criminal justice, the Crime Scene House took a team of film and set designers 250 hours to construct. It will be unveiled at the university's Open Day on July 4.
The launch comes at a time when the criminal justice system faces growing shortages of skilled forensic professionals. Lack of staff in digital forensics and fewer police detectives are said to be hampering investigations.
Expert Commentary
Dr Kirsty Miller, Pro Vice Chancellor at the University of Lincoln, said: 'We are living in an age where social media and true crime have made criminal investigations fascinating to huge audiences, but real investigations depend on evidence, scientific rigour and professional judgement. Our Crime Scene House is designed to spark curiosity and show prospective students how those skills are developed in practice.'
Full Top 10 List
- The 'Here's Johnny' bathroom scene in The Shining (22%)
- The shower scene in Psycho (21%)
- The basement scene from The Silence of the Lambs (12%)
- The Hannibal dinner table scenes from Hannibal (11%)
- The phone scene from Scream (10%)
- The horse head scene from The Godfather (10%)
- The meth lab from Breaking Bad (9%)
- The escape scene from The Shawshank Redemption (8%)
- The flickering lights from Stranger Things (7%)
- The kill room from Dexter (7%)
