Question: where does the show bates motel take place
Answer: The series , a contemporary prequel and reimagining of Alfred Hitchcock 's 1960 film Psycho ( based on Robert Bloch 's novel of the same name ) , depicts the lives of Norman Bates ( Freddie Highmore ) and his mother Norma ( Vera Farmiga ) prior to the events portrayed in the film , albeit in a different fictional town ( White Pine Bay , Oregon , as opposed to the film 's Fairvale , California ) and in a modern - day setting .