Marion Crane

Marion Crane is the late main protagonist who appears in Robert Bloch's 1959 novel Psycho, the seminal 1960 film adaptation directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and its critically panned 1998 remake directed by Gus Van Sant. She is also one of the supporting characters from the season 5 of Bates Motel. She is Lila Crane's sister who steals her boss' money and goes on the run, stopping at the Bates Motel; there, she is murdered by Norman Bates, who is under the control of his "Mother" personality, in the film's legendary "Shower Scene".
She was portrayed by the late Janet Leigh in the original movie and by the late Anne Heche in the 1998 remake. In the prequel TV series Bates Motel, she is portrayed by singer Rihanna.
==Novel and films==
In the novel and its two film adaptations, Marion is a secretary from Phoenix, Arizona, who is in a long distance relationship with her boyfriend, Sam Loomis. She wants to get married, but Sam insists that he is too poor to give her the life she deserves. Desperate, Marion steals $40,000 ($200,000 in the remake) from her employer and drives to Fairvale, California, where Sam lives. During the trip, is stopped by a police officer and trades in her car; in both encounters, she is nervous and defensive, eliciting suspicion that she is up to something.
At night, she stops at the Bates Motel, which is run by Norman Bates. He shyly asks Marion to have dinner with him, and she agrees. Moments later, however, he hears Norman arguing with a woman who seems to be his mother, who calls Marion a "cheap, erotic" woman and forbids Norman to talk to her. When Marion asks Norman about his mother, he reveals that she is mentally ill and that he has been taking care of her since his father died. When Marion gently suggests that he institutionalize his mother, Norman angrily insists that he could never abandon her in "one of those places". Taking pity on Norman and realizing that she is danger of becoming like him, Marion decides to return to Phoenix and give the money back, and bids Norman goodnight.
Marion returns to her room, and decides to take a shower. As she bathes, a shadowy figure enters the room, pulls back the shower curtain, and stabs Marion to death. Norman, convinced that his mother committed the murder, puts Marion's body - and, unbeknownst to him, the money - in the trunk of her car and sinks it into the swamp by his house. Later, after it has been revealed that Norman committed the murder while dressed as his long-dead mother, a psychiatrist explains that Norman's "Mother" personality took over his mind and killed Marion because "she" was jealous of Norman's attraction to Marion.
Marion appears in a flashback at the beginning of the sequel film Psycho II, in which "Mother" stabbed her to death in the shower. 23 years later, Norman is released from hospital after being declared sane, which motivated her sister Lila and niece Mary to try and get revenge on Norman by sending him over the edge.
Marion is referenced in Psycho III, in which Norman falls for a nun named Maureen Coyle, who reminds him of Marion Crane and even shares the same initials as her. Norman ends up accidentally killing Maureen when causing her to fall down a flight of stairs and her head impaled on the wall.
==TV series==
Marion Crane appears in the 2013-2017 television series Bates Motel, a contemporary re-imagining and prequel to Psycho. She appears in the fifth and final season as a supporting character. Her sister Lila is omitted from the show, with Marion making mention she is an only child.
A secretary from Phoenix, she is involved in a long-distance relationship with Sam Loomis, a real estate developer from Seattle, Washington. Unknown to Marion, he is already married to a woman named Madeleine. Marion secretly books into the Bates Motel with Loomis, which is owned by Norman Bates. Norman spies on the pair of them through a peephole, although isn't able to get a good view of Marion.
A few weeks later, Marion plans to runaway and settle down with Loomis. She steals her boss' money and drives to White Pine Bay in order to be with Loomis. She contacts him during the journey, although Loomis attempts to put her off as his wife has discovered his cheating. Marion ignores Loomis and informs him she will meet him at the motel. She books into a room, and begins to befriend Norman. Norman informs Marion about Sam already being married, and an angry Marion goes to his address and smashes up his car. She returns to the motel and Norman urges her to take the money and leave White Pine Bay and start a new life. She follows his life and drives off in her car, and throws her phone out the window to cut off communication with everyone she knows.
In her place, Sam Loomis is stabbed to death in the shower when he moved into her motel room following her departure, although the act was committed by a vengeful Norman himself rather than his "Mother" personality.
==Gallery==
===Images===
Leighscream2.jpg
Marion Crane Death.png|Marion Crane's death in the original movie
Psycho-1998-marion.jpg|Anne Heche as Marion Crane in the 1998 remake
Mariondeath.jpg|Marion Crane's death in 1998 remake film
MarionCraneRihanna.jpeg|Rihanna as Marion Crane in Bates Motel
17311139 1302211343189448 395939174250819972 o-1490730473-640x427.jpg
Bates-motel-rihanna-shower-scene.jpg
==Trivia==
*The novel and film portray her death differently: in the novel, Norman/"Mother" cuts Marion's head off; in the film, he stabs her to death.
*Leigh was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance, while Heche was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress for hers.
==External Links==
*Marion Crane at Wikipedia
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