'Psycho' tops AFI's thrilling films list

(CNN) -- Forty-one years after its release, fans of the movie "Psycho" still think twice before taking a shower.

Perhaps the innate fear of being stabbed to death while at our most vulnerable -- cultivated in the classic scene with Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh -- is one reason the film still stands tallest when it comes to picking the best movie thrillers of all time.

The Alfred Hitchcock film tops a new list released by the American Film Institute, ranking No. 1 on "AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Thrills." The Top 100 list was unveiled Tuesday night during a three-hour telecast on CBS, hosted by Harrison Ford. It's the fourth installment in the AFI's centennial celebration of American film.

Following "Psycho," and rounding out the top five, in order, are:

 • "Jaws" (1975), the Steven Spielberg movie that spawned the blockbuster generation and made everyone fear not only the shower but also the water, where man-eating sharks surely lurked.

THE LIST American Film Institute list of 100 most thrilling American movies

 • "The Exorcist" (1973), the film that took a cute girl (Linda Blair) and turned her into a head-spinning, vomit-spewing demon.

 • "North by Northwest" (1959), the mind-bending tale of an advertising executive mistaken for a spy and caught in a game of deadly intrigue.

 • "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991), the thriller starring Jodie Foster as an FBI agent who uses the mind of Hannibal the Cannibal (Anthony Hopkins) to track down a serial killer.

The rest of the top 10: "Alien" (1979), "The Birds" (1963), "The French Connection" (1971), "Rosemary's Baby" (1968) and "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981).

Hitchcock, living up to his nickname as the master of suspense, has nine films on the list, the most of any director. Spielberg comes in second, with six films. Director Stanley Kubrick has five films. Ford and Claude Rains are the most celebrated actors on the list, starring in four films each.

Like the AFI list's naming the top 100 films, stars and laughs, the AFI says this collection was put together to drum up interest in the history of film.

The 1973 movie "The Exorcist" was No. 3 on the "AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Thrills" list

"AFI hopes this new list will spark another national dialogue and send a new generation of moviegoers to see these heart-pounding movies," Jean Picker Firstenberg, the AFI's director and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

A jury of 1,800 people in the film community voted on the list of American films. They were told to pick the most thrilling films regardless of genre and to consider "the total adrenaline-inducing impact of a film's artistry and craft," according to the AFI statement.

Under those requirements, movies not usually associated with thrills were included on the list. "The Godfather" (1972) was No. 11; "Casablanca" (1942) was 37; "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" (1982) was 44; and "12 Angry Men" (1957) was 88.

The American Film Institute was founded in 1965, charged with preserving the heritage of film while developing new talent.