Caters
A group of primary school children have been left scared of their own bathrooms after an audio clip of the Hitchcock film Psycho was played in class.
Children at Eastfield Primary School in Hull were played the audio from the famous horror film as part of a lesson on how to 'establish mood created by music'.
Only the audio was played, but the children - some as young as nine – have been left scared as the clip included the sound of Janet Leigh's character Marion Crane screaming and falling against the shower cubical walls as she is violently murdered.
Mum Karen Kay says her young son Jason is now too afraid to have a shower, and won't go into the bathroom to use the toilet without taking a plastic sword with him for protection.
"I am absolutely disgusted and shocked any teacher would feel this is appropriate. Jason has become scared stiff and will not go to sleep on his own," she told reporters. "He now feels he has to take his plastic sword and knife with him every time he takes a shower or goes to the toilet.
"He is always asking an adult to guard the door while he does whatever he has to do in the bathroom. The music to the murder scene is scary and Jason has said the children heard the woman screaming and the body falling in the shower. It's horrific.
"This has had a massive impact on the way he thinks and I am furious with the school. I've spoken to other parents about it outside school and they just can't believe it.
"I have to literally drag Jason in the shower now and it's all because of this. My message to the school would be for it to look hard at the material it is using and see whether the content matches the age group of the children.
"I don't mind admitting that I get a bit scared when I hear or see any type of murder scene, so it is no wonder Jason is so frightened - he's only nine."
The school has since apologised and says it is reviewing the type of music it plays to children in the future.
Katie Beal, headteacher at Eastfield Primary School, said: "We have apologised to Jason's mum and have looked to review the type of music played within lessons in the future. The purpose of the lesson was to establish mood created by music and short sound-only clips of film music were played to children to do this.
"References to the films including descriptions and any dialogue were not disclosed, although some of the children did try to guess the film."