--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mary started to scream, and then the…" description: "\"“Mary started to scream, and then the curtains parted further and a hand appeared, holding a butcher's knife. It was the knife that, a moment later, cu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/446/robert-bloch-13489_psychological-thrill_mary-started-to-scream-and-then-the-curt_2291391.jpg" --- # Mary started to scream, and then the curtains parted… ![“Mary started to scream, and then the curtains parted further and a hand appeared, holding a butcher's knife. It was the knife that, a moment later, cut off her scream. And her head.” quote by Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/446/robert-bloch-13489_psychological-thrill_mary-started-to-scream-and-then-the-curt_2291391.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/446/robert-bloch-13489_psychological-thrill_mary-started-to-scream-and-then-the-curt_2291391.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/446/robert-bloch-13489_psychological-thrill_mary-started-to-scream-and-then-the-curt_2291391.jpg) > ““Mary started to scream, and then the curtains parted further and a hand appeared, holding a butcher's knife. It was the knife that, a moment later, cut off her scream. And her head.”” [Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A sudden, violent horror erupts, silencing the victim’s terror and ending in death. **In simple terms:** Violence abruptly ends a scream. Key Takeaway Beware sudden danger. Themes horror violence shock Mood terrifying intense Type dramatic horror When to use this quote - home invasion - nightmare scenario - survival horror Key Concepts psychology of fear sudden trauma Questions to Reflect On - How does sudden violence affect viewers? - What can this teach about confronting fear? A Different Perspective The graphic nature may be too intense for some audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [That moment when you have all of your worries and so you go into your room shut the door and pull out your best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessi/that-moment-when-you-have-all-of-your-worries-and-so-you-go-into-your/) [Jessi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessi/) > [If you cut, I cut. If you cry, I cry. If you scream, I scream. If you die, then so will I.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie/if-you-cut-i-cut-if-you-cry-i-cry-if-you-scream-i-scream-if-you-die/) [Leslie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie/) > [Head held high, she stepped toward the block and sank to her knees, and it was then that Akiva started to scream. His voice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/head-held-high-she-stepped-toward-the-block-and-sank-to-her-knees-and/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [“The old woman started to scream but nobody came to see what was the matter. Can one be sure who is screaming and from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mro-ek-s-awomir/the-old-woman-started-to-scream-but-nobody-came-to-see-what-was-the/) Mrożek Sławomir > [Freedom is like a man who kills himself Each night, an incessant butcher, whose knife Grows sharp in blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/freedom-is-like-a-man-who-kills-himself-each-night-an-incessant/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [We tell you what the condition of the heart, just take it - a butcher knife in his chest had sword, Life are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/we-tell-you-what-the-condition-of-the-heart-just-take-it-a-butcher/) Mak\_786 > [Dr. Warthrop chopped off my finger with a butcher knife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/dr-warthrop-chopped-off-my-finger-with-a-butcher-knife/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [Never throw a butcher knife in anger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/never-throw-a-butcher-knife-in-anger/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [Ill cut you outta my life like a butcher with a knife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/2much4you2touch/ill-cut-you-outta-my-life-like-a-butcher-with-a-knife/) @2much4you2touch > [“She opens her eyes as the fury continues, pinning me with her glare. Her gaze reached into my soul as I spin the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-fonseca/she-opens-her-eyes-as-the-fury-continues-pinning-me-with-her-glare/) [Christine Fonseca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-fonseca/) > [“This madman must be stopped.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianne-harman/this-madman-must-be-stopped/) [Dianne Harman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianne-harman/) > [“It was one of those late summer days trying its best to convince everyone that winter would never seep through and ravage the earth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-waines/it-was-one-of-those-late-summer-days-trying-its-best-to-convince/) [A.J. Waines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-waines/) > [“She averted his eyes, but not before he recognized the pain in them, a tormented and languished gaze, a stare preserved for people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-simon-gunn/she-averted-his-eyes-but-not-before-he-recognized-the-pain-in-them-a/) [Jacqueline Simon Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-simon-gunn/) > [“He who fears being watched from the abyss will be unable to look into it himself. The truth can only be obtained by pressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadamu-yamashita/he-who-fears-being-watched-from-the-abyss-will-be-unable-to-look-into/) Sadamu Yamashita > [“You look good, Clearwater. Been working out?' Danie teased. 'He does, doesn't he?'Janelle agreed. 'This will totally work.' James' eyes darted back and forth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandi-salazar/you-look-good-clearwater-been-working-out-danie-teased-he-does-doesn/) [Brandi Salazar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandi-salazar/) ## More by Robert Bloch > [So much for modern science and its wonderful discoveries that just about everything can kill you. Life is only a bedtime story before a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/so-much-for-modern-science-and-its-wonderful-discoveries-that-just/) [Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/) > [“She was the only one left, and she was real. To be the only one, and to know that you are real - that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/she-was-the-only-one-left-and-she-was-real-to-be-the-only-one-and-to/) [Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/) > [“Murder was a terrible thing. Even if you’re not quite right in the head, you can realize that much. Mother must be suffering quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/murder-was-a-terrible-thing-even-if-you-re-not-quite-right-in-the/) [Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/) > [Sure God created man before woman, but then again you always make a rough draft before creating the final masterpiece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/sure-god-created-man-before-woman-but-then-again-you-always-make-a/) [Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/) > [“Norman Bates heard the noise and a shock went through him. It sounded as though somebody was tapping on the windowpane. He looked up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/norman-bates-heard-the-noise-and-a-shock-went-through-him-it-sounded/) [Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/) > [I haven't had this much fun since the rats ate my baby sister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/i-haven-t-had-this-much-fun-since-the-rats-ate-my-baby-sister/) [Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/) > [“Looking back, looking back and trying to figure what made you that way, several things stand out in your mind. There may have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/looking-back-looking-back-and-trying-to-figure-what-made-you-that-way/) [Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/) > [“Nobody would be quite as surprised as my wife, when I killed her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/nobody-would-be-quite-as-surprised-as-my-wife-when-i-killed-her/) [Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/) > [“That was still my meat—the true-detective yarn. I picked it up and started to read it over, wondering for the ten thousandth time why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/that-was-still-my-meat-the-true-detective-yarn-i-picked-it-up-and/) [Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/) > [I have the heart of a child. I keep it in a jar on my shelf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/i-have-the-heart-of-a-child-i-keep-it-in-a-jar-on-my-shelf/) [Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/) > [“She raised her face defiantly, and the sharp shadow line slashed across her neck. For a moment, it looked as though somebody had just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/she-raised-her-face-defiantly-and-the-sharp-shadow-line-slashed/) [Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/) > [“Forget the past, let the dead bury the dead. Things were working out fine, and that was the only thing he had to remember.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/forget-the-past-let-the-dead-bury-the-dead-things-were-working-out/) [Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/) > [Norman Bates heard the noise and a shock went through him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/norman-bates-heard-the-noise-and-a-shock-went-through-him/) [Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/) > [“All at once she could hear the sullen patter of the rain and sense the sigh of the wind behind it. She remembered the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/all-at-once-she-could-hear-the-sullen-patter-of-the-rain-and-sense/) [Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/) > [“I’VE never seen such a look of mortal agony on a human face before. She screamed quite a bit before she died, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/i-ve-never-seen-such-a-look-of-mortal-agony-on-a-human-face-before/) [Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/) [Explore all 50 Robert Bloch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/) ## More Psychological-thriller quotes > [“You look good, Clearwater. Been working out?' Danie teased. 'He does, doesn't he?'Janelle agreed. 'This will totally work.' James' eyes darted back and forth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandi-salazar/you-look-good-clearwater-been-working-out-danie-teased-he-does-doesn/) [Brandi Salazar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandi-salazar/) > [“He who fears being watched from the abyss will be unable to look into it himself. The truth can only be obtained by pressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadamu-yamashita/he-who-fears-being-watched-from-the-abyss-will-be-unable-to-look-into/) Sadamu Yamashita > [“She averted his eyes, but not before he recognized the pain in them, a tormented and languished gaze, a stare preserved for people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-simon-gunn/she-averted-his-eyes-but-not-before-he-recognized-the-pain-in-them-a/) [Jacqueline Simon Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-simon-gunn/) > [“It was one of those late summer days trying its best to convince everyone that winter would never seep through and ravage the earth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-waines/it-was-one-of-those-late-summer-days-trying-its-best-to-convince/) [A.J. Waines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-waines/) > [“This madman must be stopped.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianne-harman/this-madman-must-be-stopped/) [Dianne Harman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianne-harman/) > [“She opens her eyes as the fury continues, pinning me with her glare. Her gaze reached into my soul as I spin the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-fonseca/she-opens-her-eyes-as-the-fury-continues-pinning-me-with-her-glare/) [Christine Fonseca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-fonseca/) > [“Of all the problems and complications in my life, I had not expected love to be one of them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacie-evans/of-all-the-problems-and-complications-in-my-life-i-had-not-expected/) Stacie Evans > [“I don't want you to be interested in my life. I want you to be interested in me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicci-french/i-don-t-want-you-to-be-interested-in-my-life-i-want-you-to-be/) [Nicci French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicci-french/) > [“I closed the door and sank into my desk chair. My heart was pounding even harder. I felt like someone who had just staggered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-white/i-closed-the-door-and-sank-into-my-desk-chair-my-heart-was-pounding/) [Kate White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-white/) > [For God's sake stop making people in your image. Harry was real. He wasn't just your hero and my lover. He was Harry. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/for-god-s-sake-stop-making-people-in-your-image-harry-was-real-he/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [“I knew the end would come, one day. I knew my life deserved to be over. Yet, even knowing that, I was no less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacie-evans/i-knew-the-end-would-come-one-day-i-knew-my-life-deserved-to-be-over/) Stacie Evans > [“She was born under the sign of Gemini. And that stands for the good and evil twin. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde both hiding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-claudia-antunes/she-was-born-under-the-sign-of-gemini-and-that-stands-for-the-good/) [Ana Claudia Antunes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-claudia-antunes/) > [“Empathy is overrated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-fear/empathy-is-overrated/) C. Fear > [“A small white rabbit with floppy ears and a twitching pink nose bounded out from the thick forest brush. Fingers twitching at his side,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandi-salazar/a-small-white-rabbit-with-floppy-ears-and-a-twitching-pink-nose/) [Brandi Salazar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandi-salazar/) > [“But you haven’t had my brand of dangerous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-dominguez/but-you-haven-t-had-my-brand-of-dangerous/) [Ella Dominguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-dominguez/) Browse all 67 Psychological-thriller quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Mary started to scream, and then the curtains parted further and a hand appeared, holding a butcher's knife. It was the knife that, a moment later, cut off her scream. And her head.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Bloch" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/mary-started-to-scream-and-then-the-curtains-parted-further-and-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Psychological-thriller" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/mary-started-to-scream-and-then-the-curtains-parted-further-and-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/446/robert-bloch-13489_psychological-thrill_mary-started-to-scream-and-then-the-curt_2291391.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/446/robert-bloch-13489_psychological-thrill_mary-started-to-scream-and-then-the-curt_2291391.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/446/robert-bloch-13489_psychological-thrill_mary-started-to-scream-and-then-the-curt_2291391.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Mary started to scream, and then the curtains parted further and a hand appeared, holding a butcher's knife…” — Robert Bloch", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Robert Bloch", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Mary started to scream, and then...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/mary-started-to-scream-and-then-the-curtains-parted-further-and-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/mary-started-to-scream-and-then-the-curtains-parted-further-and-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```