Sometimes, movies can transcend their original contexts and become signifiers for something bigger. When someone refers to “making an offer they can’t refuse,” you don’t need to have seen Goodfellas to get the sentiment. “Life is like a bunch of chocolates” is now a common phrase completely separate from Forrest Gump. But one movie has become so iconic that you don’t need words to reference it: just the sound of shrieking violins.
More than half a century later, this movie is more than just horror shorthand: it’s an incredibly innovative story that changed the game in a way that’s never been replicated since.
