6. Psycho (1960)
Despite being considered an absolute masterpiece and the granddaddy of the slasher genre, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho also features a final scene that feels entirely pointless by today’s standards.
Psycho‘s climax sees Norman Bates captured and arrested for multiple murders. However, its final scene is a lengthy explanation of Norman’s psychosis and its basis, his methods and reasoning, and a brief description of previous crimes he had committed. When watched back today, it’s a bizarre inclusion to a film so fraught with tension.
The reason for the scene is essentially that Psycho was so ahead of its time, it required a detailed breakdown of its own story. While it’s considered a strange left turn for the film by modern audiences, without that explanation, it may not have had the same colossal impact on the horror genre, so Psycho‘s final seemingly pointless scene should ultimately be forgiven.