Psycho (1998) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error A young female embezzler arrives at the Bates Motel, which has terrible secrets of its own. Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC Famous Directors: From Sundance to Prominence From Christopher Nolan to Quentin Tarantino and every Coen brother in between, many of today's most popular directors got their start at the Sundance Film Festival . Here's a list of some of the biggest names to go from Sundance to Hollywood prominence.

a list of 32 titles created 06 Feb 2011 a list of 33 titles created 31 Jan 2013 a list of 23 images created 24 Jan 2014 a list of 49 titles created 08 Jul 2014 a list of 31 titles created 10 Aug 2014 Search for " Psycho " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. 3 wins & 5 nominations. See more awards » Videos After twenty-two years of psychiatric care, Norman Bates attempts to return to a life of solitude, but the specters of his crimes - and his mother - continue to haunt him. Director: Richard Franklin Norman Bates recalls his days as a young boy living with his schizophrenic mother while fearing his unborn child will inherit his split personality disorder. Director: Mick Garris Norman Bates falls in love with a nun - which makes his "mother" jealous - who has visited the Bates Motel alongside a drifter and a curious reporter.

Director: Anthony Perkins A Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run, and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother. Director: Alfred Hitchcock Edit Storyline Marion Crane steals a lot of cash from a man whom her boss is in business with. On the way to see her boyfriend, she stops off by an old motel, run by the odd Norman Bates. She is murdered in the shower. Her sister, boyfriend, and a private investigator try to find out where she is, while we learn more about Norman Bates. Written by Jordan Sharp <rainman88@earthlink.net> The Classic Story of a Boy and His Mother See more » Genres: Rated R for violence and sexuality/nudity | See all certifications » Parents Guide: 4 December 1998 (USA) See more » Also Known As: $10,031,850 (USA) (4 December 1998) Gross: Did You Know?

Trivia In addition to their obvious unsuitability for the roles, the casting of Vince Vaughn and Anne Heche as Norman Bates and Marion Crane was distastefully inappropriate because Vaughn and Heche had just played lovers in Return to Paradise (1998). See more » Goofs Some continuity errors were deliberately included, being copied from the original Psycho . See more » Quotes [first lines] Samuel 'Sam' Loomis : You never did eat your lunch, did you? Marion Crane : I better get back to the office. These extended lunch hours give my boss excess acid. Samuel 'Sam' Loomis : Why don't you call your boss and tell him you're taking the rest of the afternoon off? Its Friday, anyway - and hot. Marion Crane : What do I do with my free afternoon? Walk you to the airport?

The logo for Imagine[inc.] drips in blood instead of water See more » Connections Referenced in Identity (2003) See more » Soundtracks Quite Possibly the Worst Film Ever 11 March 2003 | by truthbealiar – See all my reviews I know that the original Psycho was a classic and remaking it was a mistake, ESPECIALLY a shot-by-shot remake. I think that that has been more or less proven by the rest of the comments here. But there's far more wrong with this movie than just that. The first problem is the color. The original film was shot in black and white but, what few people realize is, the original was shot AFTER color film had been invented. The choice of black and white film was partially a budget concern, but it was also a stylistic choice of Hitchcock's. Now, this is not to say that the remake should have been redone in black and white, but the colors of this movie are all too wrong. The most predominant colors in the film are orange and green, particularly on Marion who is not supposed to be a flashy character.

The bright colors make it look like a happy movie and, when horrific events take place in these color schemes, it looks like a cartoon more than anything and the audience is inclined to laugh rather than scream. The second problem is the lighting. This is a dark dark tale which should be highlighted by dim lighting, but this remake seemed not only to fail in this but seemed to go in the OPPOSITE direction. Most of the scenes are very brightly lit, even at times when it is illogical to do so because it's at NIGHT! Another obvious problem is Vince Vaughn's performance. Yes, he does pull off Norman Bate's awkwardness and madness quite well, I don't deny him that. But there is one element to the character that he failed to show: the softness. There should be a certain deceptive friendliness to the character, at least at first, which then fades away once we realize the truth about him. Beyond being a character trait of Norman Bates, this is a recognized character trait of ALL PSYCHOPATHS!!!! There are a few good aspects of this film. Some of the performances are great. As I said, Vince Vaughn came very close to pulling off a decent portrayal of Norman Bates.

Viggo Mortensen and Juliane Moore were great together and their chemistry was very different from the characters in the original, which was a welcome change. Anne Heche may have been atrocious but, unlike Janet Leigh who was untruthfully advertised as one of the biggest stars of the film, Anne Heche was given last billing in the opening credits. I read on the cover of a copy of the Psycho novel that Gus Van Sant claimed this was not a remake of the Hitchcock film but rather a new adaptation of the original novel. I now wish that I had bought that book and saved the comment because, after seeing this film, that comment is quite possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen. There was no attempt in this film to disguise the fact that it was a rip off of the original, and it would be far more believable if Van Sant had tried to tell us that he was really a three ton ape from the planet Zafroomulax. So many shots were copied exactly without any actual thought as to why Hitchcock had composed the original shot in that way. Such as the scene in which Sam and Lila are talking while their faces are entirely covered in shadow.

Hitchcock covered these actors' faces in shadow because he thought they were bad actors and wanted to hide their faces so nobody could see their awful performances, not because of any artistic or stylistic purpose. In other words, my review is about as pointless as the movie itself in that it replicates something that's already been said. Like everyone else here, I reccommend you don't waste your time on this film and get the original. 79 of 128 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Psycho Movie Review & Film Summary (1998) | Roger Ebert The most dramatic difference between Alfred Hitchcock's " Psycho " (1960) and Gus Van Sant 's "shot-by-shot" remake is the addition of a masturbation scene. That's appropriate, because this new "Psycho" evokes the real thing in an attempt to re-create remembered passion. Advertisement Curious, how similar the new version is, and how different. If you have seen Hitchcock's film, you already know the characters, the dialogue, the camera angles, the surprises. All that is missing is the tension--the conviction that something urgent is happening on the screen at this very moment.

The movie is an invaluable experiment in the theory of cinema, because it demonstrates that a shot-by-shot remake is pointless; genius apparently resides between or beneath the shots, or in chemistry that cannot be timed or counted. Students of trivia will note the differences. The opening shot is now an unbroken camera move from the Phoenix skyline into the hotel room where Marion Crane ( Anne Heche ) is meeting with her lover, Sam Loomis ( Viggo Mortensen ). There is a shot of Loomis' buttocks, and when he turns toward her, a quick downward glance of appreciation by Marion. In the scene in which Marion packs while deciding to steal the money, Heche does more facial acting than Janet Leigh did in the original--trying to signal what she's thinking with twitches and murmurs. Not necessary. Advertisement The highway patrolman who wakes her from her roadside nap looks much the same as in the original, but has a speaking voice which, I think, has been electronically tweaked to make it deeper--and distracting. We never get the chilling closer shot of him waiting across the street from the car lot, arms folded on his chest.

When Marion goes into the "parlor" of Norman Bates ( Vince Vaughn ), the stuffed birds above and behind them are in indistinct soft focus, so we miss the feeling that they're poised to swoop. There is a clearer shot of "Mrs. Bates" during the knife attack in the shower. And more blood. As for the masturbation scene as Norman spies on Marion through the peephole between the parlor and Room No. 1: Even if Hitchcock was hinting at sexual voyeurism in his 1960 version, it is better not to represent it literally, since the jiggling of Norman's head and the damp off-screen sound effects inspire a laugh at the precise moment when one is not wanted. Advertisement All of these details would be insignificant if the film worked as a thriller, but it doesn't. One problem is the casting of Vaughn in the Norman Bates role. He isn't odd enough. Norman's early dialogue often ends in a nervous laugh. Anthony Perkins , in the original, made it seem compulsive, welling up out of some secret pool of madness. Vaughn's laugh doesn't seem involuntary. It sounds as if he intends to laugh.

Possibly no actor could have matched the Perkins performance, which is one of the unique creations in the cinema, but Vaughn is not the actor to try. Among actors in the correct age range, my suggestion would be Jeremy Davies , who was the frightened Corporal Upham in " Saving Private Ryan ." Anne Heche, as Marion Crane, lacks the carnal quality and the calculating detachment that Janet Leigh brought to the original film. She is less substantial. Van Sant's decision to shoot in color instead of black and white completes the process of de-eroticizing her; she wears an orange dress that looks like the upholstery from my grandmother's wing chair. Viggo Mortensen is also wrong for Sam Loomis, the lover. Instead of suggesting a straight arrow like John Gavin in the original film, he brings an undertow of elusive weirdness. The only new cast members who more or less get the job done are William H. Macy as the private eye Arbogast, and Philip Baker Hall as Sheriff Chambers.

By having a psychiatrist ( Robert Forster ) reproduce a five-minute speech of clinical diagnosis at the end of the film, Van Sant demonstrates that a completely unnecessary scene in the original, if reproduced, will be completely unnecessary in the remake as well. I viewed Hitchcock's "Psycho" a week ago. Attending this new version, I felt oddly as if I were watching a provincial stock company doing the best it could without the Broadway cast. I was reminded of the child prodigy who was summoned to perform for a famous pianist. The child climbed onto the piano stool and played something by Chopin with great speed and accuracy. The great musician then patted the child on the head and said, "You can play the notes. Someday, you may be able to play the music." Advertisement Psycho (1998) - Original Trailer - YouTube Psycho (1998) - Original Trailer Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later.

Uploaded on Nov 22, 2010 A young female embezzeler arrives at the Bates Motel, which has terrible secrets of it's own. Directed by: Gus Van Sant. Cast: Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Julianne Moore, Viggo Mortensen, William H. Macy, Philip Baker Hall. Release Date: December 4, 1998. Category Meet TV's New Norman Bates - CraveOnline by Blair Marnell Sep 14th, 2012 Earlier this year, A&E gave the greenlight to "Bates Motel," a new TV series that will act as a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock's classic film, Psycho. And now, the leading man has checked into the series. TV Guide is reporting that English actor, Freddie Highmore has signed on to portray the young Norman Bates, who was immortalized in Hitchcock's film by Anthony Perkins. Henry Thomas also played a young Norman Bates in Psycho 4, while Vince Vaughn took over the role in the 1998 remake.

This isn't the first remake for Highmore, who starred opposite Johnny Depp in the 2005 version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, in addition to his turns in Finding Neverland, The Spiderwick Chronicles and The Art of Getting By (pictured above). Highmore has also provided vocal performances in Astro Boy, The Golden Compass and the three Arthur animated films. In "Bates Motel," the story will follow Norman's early years as he is slowly driven to kill by his abusive mother, Norma Bates (Vera Farmiga). Previous descriptions of the series have called it "a cross between 'Twin Peaks' and 'Smallville.'" Former "Lost" co-showrunner, Carlton Cuse is executive producing "Bates Motel," which will run for ten episodes in its first season. Production of the series is slated to begin later this year, with "Bates Motel" expected to debut on A&E in 2013. What are your thoughts on the casting of Highmore to play Norman Bates? Let us know in the comment section below!

Psycho | Moviepedia | Fandom powered by Wikia Gross $32 million (USA) Psycho is a 1959 pulp fiction novel by Robert Bloch, which details the life and crimes of the profoundly disturbed Norman Bates. The novel was loosely inspired by the crimes committed by Ed Gein . Bloch's novel was adapted into an acclaimed black-and-white feature film in 1960 by Alfred Hitchcock . The affecting, subtly humorous screenplay was written by Joseph Stefano , and, overall, is quite faithful to the novel. Commonly regarded as one of Hitchcock's best films, Psycho has also been acclaimed as one of the most effective horror films . The film spawned several sequels, though they are generally seen as works of lesser quality. In 1998, Gus van Sant 's remake of Hitchcock's Psycho was released. Though van Sant utilized an unusual approach (his Psycho followed Hitchcock's nearly shot-for-shot), his version of Psycho received mixed reviews, and was awarded a Golden Raspberries Award . The book had Mary Crane from Dallas, Texas as the leading lady. Since a real Mary Crane exists, Alfred Hitchcock changed her into Marion Crane from Phoenix, Arizona.

The original film version of Psycho starred Janet Leigh, Anthony Perkins, Martin Balsam , John Gavin , Vera Miles, and Simon Oakland . Contents Spoiler warning: The following contains plot details about the entire movie. The movie's first scene takes place in a cheap hotel room and shows Marion Crane (Leigh) and her boyfriend Sam Loomis (Gavin) in their undergarments after a Friday afternoon tryst. Marion is clearly unhappy, torn between her desire to be with Sam and her shame at these discreet meetings. But, Sam explains that between his father's unpaid debts and alimony payments to his ex-wife he is forced to live in the back room of a store. Until his finances improve, they cannot marry. Marion returns to find that her boss has just sold a house to the rich Tom Cassidy (Frank Albertson), for $40,000.

Cassidy flirts with Marion, asking if she is "unhappy." "You know what I'd do about unhappiness," he tells her, "I'd buy it off." He then plops down $40,000 in cash, explaining that his daughter has never had an unhappy day in her life and this house is to be her wedding present. Marion's boss is uncomfortable with that amount of cash in the office and asks Marion to deposit it at the bank for the weekend, explaining that he'll get Tom to write a check the next week. Instead of depositing the money she packs and leaves town, the money the ticket to her and Sam's happiness. Hitchcock builds his trademark tension as Marion becomes convinced that people know of her crime, trading her Granny Smith apple-green 1956 Ford Mainline for a golden white 1957 Ford Custom 300 just across the state line in California, because she believes she is being followed. Driving at night in a pouring rain, Marion realizes that she can go no further and turns off at the sign for the Bates Motel. The place seems deserted, but she notices the figure of a woman in the window of the now infamous house around back.

Honking her horn for service Norman Bates (Perkins), runs down from the house and helps her into the office. The motel, he explains, receives few visitors, as the Interstate 5 highway has bypassed Route 99 she was following. Only those who are lost or take the wrong turn ever come here, but Norman keeps it open to give him some relief from taking care of his ill mother. Despite finding out that she is only 15 miles from Fairvale, and Sam, Marion decides to stay the night. Norman cheerfully offers to share his dinner with her rather than force her back out into the storm. While settling into her room Marion overhears a fight between Norman and his mother through the open window. The mother refuses to allow Marion to come up to the house, accusing Norman of a "cheap erotic mind" that "disgusts" her and of him lacking the "guts" to send Marion away. Norman sheepishly brings some food down to the motel, inviting Marion to dine in the office's parlor, which is gaudily decorated with examples of Norman's hobby of taxidermy : birds being his favorite subject.

As she eats, Marion discovers that Norman's mother is not only ill, but also overly controlling of her son. "Do you ever go out with friends?" she asks. "Well a boy's best friend is his mother," he replies. As they talk Marion comes to realize that she must return to Phoenix and make amends. The shower scene. It turns out that Bates' mother is not ill physically, but mentally. She stabs Marion to death in the famous shower scene (with its now trademark score by Bernard Herrmann, featuring the screeching violins). Unlike Mary from the novel, Marion is not decapitated in the scene. Bates is horrified when he finds the corpse, but cleans up as if he has done this several times before. Her car containing Marion, her belongings, and the money is sunk in a swamp behind the Bates' property. The rest of the film deals with the search for Marion. Marion's sister Lila (Miles) drives to Fairvale to confront Sam, unable to believe that her sister took the money. As they talk another individual arrives, a private detective Milton Arbogast (Balsam), sent by Tom Cassidy to recover his money.

Arbogast explains that he was following Lila in hopes that she would lead him to Marion. It soon becomes clear, however, that Sam is unaware of either Marion's whereabouts or the theft. Arbogast then is able to trace her to the Bates Motel, calling Lila and Sam to let them know. But Arbogast's curiosity proves fatal when, upon returning to the motel, he climbs up to the old house to talk with mother and is stabbed by the same figure that killed Marion. When the detective fails to report back, Sam and Lila become convinced that he must have discovered something important, possibly from Norman's mother, and decide that it is time to involve the law. But the local sheriff is skeptical of their story, or that Norman's mother could have any important information. For Norman, he explains, lives alone at the Motel, his mother having died 10 years earlier in a particularly gruesome murder/suicide. Lila and Sam realize that they must go to the motel themselves to see what Arbogast had discovered. While Sam distracts Norman down at the office, Lila goes up to the house to talk with mother.

Sam tries to pressure Norman into admitting that he stole Marion's money, but the argument escalates into violence and Norman is able to knock Sam unconscious, and flee up to the house. Hearing Norman enter the house, Lila slips down to the basement and is shocked and horrified only to find the corpse of Bates' mother. A figure with a dress and knife tries to kill Lila and at that moment the killer is revealed to be Norman Bates himself (cross-dressed in his mother's clothing, complete with wig). Sam also appears at this moment and is able to wrestle the butchers knife out of Norman's clawed hand. At the end of the film a forensic psychiatrist (Oakland) explains to Lila, Sam and the police that not only has Norman confessed to the killings of Marion, Arbogast and two missing girls, but explains that Bates' mother, though dead, lives in Norman's psyche. Norman was so dominated by his mother, and so guilt-ridden over having murdered her and her lover 10 years earlier when it appeared she was about to remarry, that he had tried to "erase" the crime from his mind by bringing his mother back.

Physically this was done by exhuming her corpse and preserving it with his taxidermy skills, but mentally this was accomplished by allocating half of his personality to his mother. He acted as she would, talked as her, and even dressed as her in an attempt to erase her absence. And because Norman was so very jealous of his mother, he assumed she was also jealous of any woman he was attracted to. The Norman personality had convinced itself that his mother was not dead, so it had no knowledge of "her" crimes. The last scenes shows Bates totally taken over by his "mother" {a double exposure shows Norman's face superimposed by that of Mrs. Bates dead face} while Marion's car is being salvaged. Selected quotes Edit "Oh, we have 12 vacancies. 12 cabins, 12 vacancies." - Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates "Well I'm not a fool. And I'm not capable of being fooled! Not even by a woman." - Perkins as Bates Psycho in film history Edit Psycho is often seen as a turning point in film history, representing the shift from Classical to the more experimental "Post-Classical" film.

Psycho's unconventional storytelling and stylized photography and editing show the influence of the French New Wave and the European art films that Hitchcock admired. In his novel, Bloch used an uncommon plot structure: he repeatedly introduced sympathetic protagonists, then killed them off. This played on his reader's expectations of traditional plots, leaving them uncertain and anxious. Hitchcock recognized the effect this approach could have on audiences, and utilized it masterfully in his adaptation The most original and influential moment in the film is the "shower scene", which became iconic in pop culture because it was one of the most terrifying scenes ever filmed. Part of its effect was due to the use of startling editing techniques borrowed from the Soviet Montage filmmakers, and to Bernard Herrmann's bizarre but effective musical score. Psycho is an example of the types of film that appeared in the 1960s after the erosion of the Production Code . It was unprecedented in its depiction of sexuality and violence (in addition, it was the first film ever to depict a flushing toilet onscreen). Its box office success helped propel Hollywood toward more graphic displays of previously censored themes. Psycho is often considered to be the first of the slasher movie genre.

In the advertising campaign in its original run, Hitchcock told movie theater owners not to allow seating after the movie began. This was so the surprises of the film would remain surprises. Previously, people entered the movie theater whenever they showed up and left whenever they wanted; after Psycho, movie theaters quickly began adopting a policy of setting specific times for showing films and (generally) not letting people in afterwards. Sequels and remakes Edit The film spawned four sequels: Psycho II (1983), Psycho III (1986), and Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990); the latter was a TV movie . Anthony Perkins returned to his role in all three sequels, and Vera Miles returned to hers in Psycho II. Psycho IV was written by Joseph Stefano , who wrote the original film. The sequels are generally considered weak and unimaginative in comparison to the original. Bates Motel (1987) is a TV movie in which the motel is taken over by a new, equally mentally ill owner. In 1998, Gus Van Sant remade Psycho.

The remake is in color and features a different cast, but aside from this it is a virtually shot for shot remake that copies Hitchcock's camera movements and editing. A few small changes are introduced to make explicit the original movie's sexual subtext. Anne Heche plays Marion Crane, with Vince Vaughn as Norman, William H. Macy as Arbogast, Viggo Mortensen as Sam Loomis, Julianne Moore as Lila Crane, and Robert Forster as the psychiatrist. Trivia Edit Robert Bloch lived in Weyauwega, Wisconsin, close to Ed Gein's stalking grounds in 1957, when the Gein murders were discovered. The idea that "the man next door may be a monster unsuspected even in the gossip-ridden microcosm of small-town life" [1] took root in Bloch's subconscious at that time. Bloch states that he did not realize "how closely the imaginary character I'd created resembled the real Ed Gein both in overt act and apparent motivation" until years later.

Psycho was the first film to introduce a single main character and then kill her halfway into the film - a rather shocking turn of events in 1960, with no apparent indication of where the story might go afterwards. Psycho was the first film to show a toilet being flushed onscreen. Although there is little visible gore portrayed on the screen, the infamous "shower scene" is often regarded as one of the most frightening sequences in cinema history, entirely due to the soundtrack, an original piece entitled "The Knife." To test the scare factor of the "mother's corpse" prop, Hitchcock placed it in Janet Leigh's dressing room and listened to how loud she screamed when she discovered it. Chocolate sauce, which shows up better than stage blood on black-and-white film, was used as the blood for the infamous shower scene. A knife, wielded by Hitchcock himself, plunging into a melon was the source of the sound effect.

Psycho is consistently in the top 25 on the Internet Movie Database 's list of top 250 films, was #18 on American Film Institute 's 100 Years, 100 Movies and #1 on its 100 Years, 100 Thrills, and has been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry . In 1966, CBS had planned to air Psycho. However, the September 18 murder of Valerie Percy, 21, one of the twin daughters of then-U.S. Senator Charles H. Percy (Republican, Illinois) days before its scheduled airing caused CBS to cancel this plan. Valerie was killed at night at home by an unknown intruder with a hammer and a knife. Despite a US$50,000 reward and an international investigation, the case is still unsolved. Her killing remains a mystery. In 1993, the video-artist Douglas Gordon exhibited a version of Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film which was slowed down so that it lasted for 24 hours.

In order to get Psycho made, Hitchcock had to put up the cash himself. That is Hitchcock himself standing outside the office window when Janet Leigh enters. Patricia Hitchcock, Alfred Hitchcock's daughter, plays the other secretary. There is a subtle poke at her plain looks when she explains away Tom Cassidy's inattention with "he must have seen my wedding ring." The voice of Norman Bates' Mother throughout the entire Psycho movie series was that of noted radio actress Virginia Gregg . Anthony Perkins did not participate in the shower scene. He was in New York City preparing for a stage play. Actor Ted Knight who became well known for playing the idiotic newscaster Ted Baxter on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" is seen at the end of the movie as a policeman guarding Norman Bates. Balsam does not actually fall down the stairs. He was seated in a hidden chair that goes down the staircase! Allegedly there is an allegory about Marion. In the first scene where she wears black underclothing, she has turned evil and decides to steal the money. In the last scenes in which she appears when her underclothing is white and she bathes, she "cleans" herself of evil when she decides to return the money.

Psycho has inspired numerous spoofs and parodies: In a Mel Brooks spoof of Hitchcock films "High Anxiety " Brooks is trying to take a shower when he is hit with a newspaper by a demented bellhop; In a episode of Cartoon "Goof Troop" a burglar literally goes down the bathtub drain clutching at the shower curtain; in the cartoon "Animanics" the stupid Goodfeathers try to become stunt doubles on a Alfred Hitchcock film {including the parody of "The Birds}; a reference to "Psycho" is a actor who resembles Anthony Perkins/Norman Bates who keeps staring at the Goodfeathers... External links Psycho Mythology – Who are Norman & Norma Bates? - Entertainment Focus Psycho Mythology – Who are Norman & Norma Bates? 27Shares 25 0 0 2 Hit A&E series Bates Motel, a prequel to Psycho, returns to screens in the US for the second season in March. If you’ve not caught the first, it’s released on Blu-ray and DVD on 3rd February. Set in the present day, Bates Motel stars Freddie Highmore as an adolescent Norman Bates and Vera Fermiga as his domineering mother Norma.

It’s persuading a whole new generation to check in at the Bates Motel and meet the son and mother who have been firmly rooted in popular culture for six decades. You can see our verdict on Bates Motel’s place in the mythology later on, but first, join us on a chronological journey through the history of Psycho, during which we look at the actors who have played Norman Bates, and the few who have characterised his tyrannical mother. We attempt to nail down the question: just who are the definitive Norman and Norma Bates? The story of Psycho, and the knife-wielding serial killer Norman Bates starts with a novel by Robert Bloch, which was published in 1959. The movie, released the following year, became far more famous than the book since it was directed by Alfred Hitchcock and almost instantly received classic status. The Norman Bates found in the pages of Bloch’s book are a million miles removed from any screen performance, and consequently, we don’t think he’s the beloved anti-hero that matches the conception of him in popular consciousness. In Bloch’s pages, Norman Bates is a fat, middle-aged drunk.

Alfred Hitchcock and his screenwriter Joseph Stefano agreed that their Norman Bates should hit the big screen rather differently. What’s so shocking about Hitchcock’s masterpiece (well, one of his greats at any rate) is that a deranged and savage killer is presented in the form of a gentle, stammering, handsome young man: the ultimate all-American boy next door. Hitchcock’s Psycho was like a punch to the celiac plexus of the comfortable 1950s and ushered in the vastly more radical Sixties. Enter Anthony Perkins, allegedly Hitchcock’s first choice for the role of Norman Bates. Prior to Psycho, Perkins had been groomed for stardom, at one time mooted as a replacement for the late James Dean. He was good-looking, but also tall and gangly. As a personality, he was introverted and intellectual, and he floundered in the role of the romantic lead in which he was so often miscast. Take him home to meet your mother? The adorable Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates.

For all that his Psycho image later hampered Perkins’ career, since audiences found it impossible to separate him from the part of Norman Bates, it’s more than likely that without the lead in one of the greatest films ever made he would be largely forgotten now. There weren’t many leading parts in Hollywood for awkward, nervous and gay actors, and the reason audiences mixed fantasy and reality when it came to Perkins/Bates was that he was wholly convincing. After all, Perkins brought a lot of himself to Norman. There’s an unnerving crossover in their respective backstories: Perkins’ own mother was overbearing and frequently a malign influence on his life. His father died when he was five. He spent decades of his life in therapy… Norman Bates was the part Anthony Perkins was born to play. When we see Norman dutifully cover up the murder of Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) – an audaciously lengthy passage of film with zero dialogue – we’re rooting for Norman and anxious that he might be discovered when the headlights of a car flare past on the lonely road. Hitchcock’s genius is that he invites us to side with the killer – something we can’t help but do even when we know who really killed Marion Crane.

Is there any other screen killer we empathise with in that way? It’s part of what makes big screen Norman such a fascinating and memorable character. After all, we’ve had plenty of warnings Norman is a lunatic. Would we trust a loner whose hobby is taxidermy and who cites their vicious mother as their best friend? The classic film Psycho appeared to all intents and purposes to represent the final word on Norman Bates, who would forever be the chilling young cross-dresser who dragged cinema audiences into the modern era. His mother would seemingly always be a frail old woman, or on closer inspection, a corpse – voiced as shrill, deranged and abusive by Virginia Gregg. The words “shower scene”, Bernard Hermann’s screeching string score, and the Gothic house on the hill would accompany Anthony Perkins’ face as the ingredients needed to rustle up a Psycho. Mummy’s boy. Anthony Perkins in Psycho, 1960. Yet we would see Norman Bates again, and even be properly introduced to his mother. Perhaps it came about because after Psycho Anthony Perkins’ career never again hit such heights, despite working with the likes of Orson Welles and becoming hugely popular in Europe.

With his career in the doldrums by the early 1980s, Perkins took little persuading to reprise his most famous role. Psycho II, released in 1983, saw Norman Bates released from the asylum and returning to his motel, attempting to rehabilitate himself into society. He had been found not guilty of murder for reason of insanity. By the 1980s, cinema had changed, and an entire new genre of stalk and slash horror flicks had followed in the wake of Psycho, the film that redefined acceptable levels of cinematic violence. There were by then other popular cinema serial killers to compare and contrast Norman with. Two decades in a mental institution has taken its toll, and the anti-hero of the first sequel forces us to reappraise Norman Bates. Ultimately, he’s even more sympathetic than he was the last time we saw him.

Vera Miles, who had played Marion Crane’s sassy sister in the original (the one who discovers Mrs Bates in the fruit cellar… cue swinging lightbulb…) came out of semi-retirement to essentially play the villain of the piece, since the manipulative and vengeful Lila Crane uses her daughter Mary (Meg Tilly) to try to drive Norman crazy again. She makes such a great antagonist that we’re delighted when she has the familiar kitchen knife stuffed down her throat. But hang on – is Norman killing again? If not, then who is? And if so – why do we like him? Norman Bates as interpreted by Anthony Perkins is no ghoul like the serial killers of other slasher movie franchises, hiding hideously deformed faces behind masks and appearing indestructible, using supernatural powers to keep returning from the dead for film after film. The very presence of most movie serial killers elicits our horror and revulsion. Not so Norman. He’s uniquely a decent guy, trying to do the right thing, except he’s suffering from serious mental health issues – something worthy of our sympathy and willingness to help, not censure. Such characteristics make Norman Bates the most intriguing, human and empathetic serial killer in cinema history.

What sets him off is generally overt sexuality. In Psycho II, he’s alarmed to discover that the new owner has turned his former business into “an adult motel”. Norman Bates resonates as a character because the dangers of sexual repression are all too obvious and believable. One only has to look to religions to see the malign influence obsessive prurience has upon otherwise decent people. Janet Leigh as Marion Crane in Psycho. Meanwhile Robert Bloch’s novel, Psycho II, which appeared around the same time, told a completely different story, using his original conception of Norman Bates and following him as he escaped from the asylum. (Bloch’s screenplay had been rejected by Universal in favour of Tom Holland’s highly original script. Holland would later go on to write and direct Fright Night and be behind the camera for Child’s Play.) The movie and literary versions of Norman Bates diverged for good, with the former’s depiction of the character winning the battle to present the definitive Norman in the eyes of the public. The tagline for Psycho III (1986) was, “Norman Bates is back to normal.

But Mother’s off her rocker…” Such macabre humour saturates the film, which Perkins made on the proviso he could direct it himself. Perkins maintained that Hitchcock (infamous for his pitch black and perverted sense of humour) had viewed Psycho as a comedy, but Perkins’ directorial is the first instalment of the franchise to make the humour explicit. This time Perkins is twitching like crazy. It’s Norman at his most gruesome, and consequently least human, with only his touchingly-played (if unlikely) romance with suicidal nun Maureen (the brilliant Diana Scarwid) returning Norman to the level of rehabilitated psychopath he’d played in the second. The third movie is also the first time we see Norman speaking as his mother. The old crone’s voice, familiar from the original (and voiced for the final time by Virginia Gregg, who died in 1986), had stood for Norma Bates – at least as conceptualised in Norman’s mind – and became what we expected his mother to be.

Perkins had completed his metamorphosis into Norman Bates as far as audiences were concerned, and whilst it has its problems, Psycho III is much better lit and moodier than the first sequel, and proves that if anyone had a right to claim to be Norman Bates, it was Perkins. It wouldn’t be until Psycho IV (1990) that audiences saw Norma Bates on screen embodied by an actor. The beautiful Olivia Hussey, who had played Shakespeare’s Juliet for Zeffirelli, was chosen to play Norman’s mother. The production, now downsized to the status of TV movie with no theatrical release in the US, would also introduce the second screen incarnation of Norman Bates. What promised to be a fine addition to the franchise (it was, after all, written by Joseph Stefano, Hitchcock’s screenwriter) turns out to be dull, worthy and ludicrous. Perkins is by this time cadaverous and clearly ill (he would die from AIDS-related pneumonia two years later). It’s not Perkins’ (or anyone else’s) finest hour – but the man synonymous with Norman Bates does at least manage moments of intensity, and at other times saturates his performance with pathos.

One of the (few) good things to emerge from Psycho IV is Henry Thomas’ turn as the young Norman Bates. It’s inspired casting, since he even looks a lot like Perkins from the early days of his career and he manages to exude a quiet menace. Olivia Hussey fares less well, perhaps because she’s not what we’ve been led to expect from Norma Bates. Hussey plays Norma as crazy and unpredictable, but perhaps it’s just that it’s better left to our imaginations as to exactly what went on between mother and son in the eerie house on top of the hill, than to have it depicted in a cheap TV movie? It would be some time before a rounded and worthwhile characterisation of Norma Bates hit our screens. A short-lived experiment called Bates Motel appeared on television screens in 1987. It was another attempt to reinvent the Psycho mythology, with Norman Bates (played in brief cameo by Anthony Perkins’ stand-in Kurt Paul) having died during his incarceration in a mental asylum. Thankfully only the pilot was made. Oh dear. Vince Vaughn as Norman Bates in the atrocious remake.

In September 1992, Anthony Perkins died, and with him, seemingly, any chance of seeing Norman Bates on the screen again. Six years later, cinema audiences would wish that were true when director Gus Van Sant remade Hitchcock’s movie frame for frame. Despite the presence of some great actors, it was predictably awful, not to mention badly designed. Of all the manifold problems in a film that ought to have been aborted in pre-production, the largest is the casting of Norman Bates. The part went to Vince Vaughn, an actor who excels in comedy, but who proves hopelessly lightweight as a schizophrenic killer. In many respects, Vaughn is the polar opposite of Perkins. The latter would always struggle with levity. Vaughn, straying away from romantic comedy, was as hopelessly miscast as Perkins always had been playing romantic comedy. Vaughn is unlikely to top any chart for the definitive Norman Bates. The psychotic motel owner mercifully disappeared from screens and print (Robert Bloch died in 1994), after the debacle of Psycho IV, Bates Motel and the Psycho remake.

It seemed as if the franchise had run its course, and with the original writer and star now deceased, it was perhaps finally time to grant mother’s wish and leave that poor boy alone. Except good ideas don’t die that easily. Since 2012, in an example of creative convergence, Norman Bates has returned to our screens not once but twice. The movie Hitchcock saw Anthony Hopkins playing the late director and featured James D’Arcy playing Anthony Perkins playing Norman Bates… James D’Arcy playing Anthony Perkins playing Norman Bates… If James D’Arcy’s interpretation of Norman had merely aided a film about Alfred Hitchcock, the A&E series Bates Motel at long last had something new to bring to the Psycho mythology, and consequently we saw Norman Bates from a different angle. Bates Motel is an enjoyable mixture of the familiar and the new, following an adolescent Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) displaced to the Twenty-First Century. It succeeds where Psycho IV fails, giving us a strong and credible depiction of Norma Bates.

This time stepping into the part of the world’s worst mother is Vera Farmiga, who wisely avoids the pitfall Olivia Hussey had walked into, and she plays Norma as highly-strung but on the whole likeable. Turning Norma into the comic grotesque that lives in Norman’s mind would always be a mistake, and Farmiga’s sympathetic portrayal is of an over-bearing single mother doing her best to raise a mentally unbalanced son who isn’t quite like all the other kids. That we know her future, as a corpse in a rocking chair in the fruit cellar of her home only makes how her journey there unfolds all the more intriguing. Freddie Highmore as Norman with Vera Farmiga as Norma in Bates Motel. In turn, Freddie Highmore retains likability for Norman, but finds the edge to suggest a dangerous anger lurking beneath. His lack of empathy for others is evidenced by his almost cruel rejection of his friend Emma’s amorous advances (a lovely performance by Olivia Cooke). It signals his emotional dissociation. The series is stronger than many anticipated thanks to its willingness to take risks and honour the original mythology whilst adding something new.

Norman now has a half-brother, played by the dishy Max Thieriot; and there’s yet another explanation as to how Norman’s father died. Was it a heart attack, bee stings, or did Norman have something to do with it..? A cheeky bit of casting in Bates Motel is former Lost-star Nestor Carbonell as Sheriff Romero. Carbonell looks remarkably like Anthony Perkins circa Psycho II. The first series of Bates Motel received mostly glowing reviews, and Freddie Highmore has seen himself nominated for the 2014 People’s Choice Award in the category favourite TV anti-hero. But as to our original question: who are Norman Bates and Norma Bates? There will only ever be one Norman Bates, and that is the brilliant Anthony Perkins whose career was defined by the role. Yet Vera Fermiga has made the part of Norma Bates her own, and her characterisation in Bates Motel is as outstanding as it is intriguing. It’s only a shame Perkins is no longer with us for the definitive Norman and Norma to be paired together on screen. Now that would be truly worth seeing.

Bates Motel is released on Blu-ray and DVD on 3rd February 2014 through Universal Pictures UK.

Question: Who played the part of Norman Bates in the 1998 version of the film,'Psycho'?
Answer: VINCE VAUGHAN