The one in which a classic collides with the future!
Alfred Hitchcock brought to us numerous masterpieces during his career, but perhaps his most iconic was Psycho with the unforgettable character that was Norman Bates. Considered one of the most famous horror movies of all time, it’s no surprise that, recently, it inspired a TV show following that same character, diving deep into the story and psychology of this psycho. Being a modern version of the movie, Bates Motel was released in 2013 and counts with 5 seasons that will keep you glued to your seat. Today, we’re taking a look at this incredible show and how it elevates a Hitchcock classic.
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The Original
Psycho, a classic suspense and horror movie released in 1960, tells the tale of the murder of a young woman that takes place in the vacant Bates Motel. When the woman first checks in, Norman the owner instantly gives off a dark and mysterious vibe. Norman Bates lives in the run down and extremely creepy house next to the motel with his mother, and her name never seems to be mentioned. Being a horror film, the movie goes on to take the audience through suspenseful twists and turns that are impossible not to love.
For a low-budget, stark black and white film, Psycho is nothing short of a masterpiece of suspense and horror, inspiring film directors and scriptwriters during all these years. Brilliantly-edited, it skillfully manipulates and guides the audience into the murder mystery and the mind of a psycho.
The Future
Not only is the television show based on the owner of the motel, Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore), and his mother, but also follows him as a high school student. In the movie Psycho, you don’t get to meet Norman Bates, originally played by Anthony Perkins, until well into the movie. Many years later, Bates Motel focuses the story around how the motel started and how the murder began, opposed to Psycho‘s depiction of a specific victim of Norman Bates and how the murders came to be. It’s a refreshing and new vision on Norman Bates, his mother and his growth as a person and as a murderer.
The complexity of this TV show doesn’t just fall on the story itself, the locations, the actors or even the script. It also falls on the duality of concepts and style of Bates Motel. On one hand, you find yourself in a retro world, filled with elements from the 50’s and 60’s, much like the car Norma (Norman’s mother) drives, the vintage television, even the clothes. On the other hand, some of the other characters have smartphones and listen to artists from nowadays. This duality of time is rather interesting in the composition of Bates Motel, a modern TV show inspired by a 60’s movie.
Another aspect to point out is that although Psycho focuses on the murder of a young woman by Norman Bates in the Bates Motel, the TV show focuses on the reasons why Norman Bates became a psychopath in the first place, all the way from the troubles as a child, his temperamental personality, the loss of his father and even the complex relationship with his mother. Considering Bates Motel to be a prequel of Psycho makes it easier to watch it and feel the compassion of a sweet and kind boy that lives with tension, evil and issues inside him, later growing to be the character we see in Psycho.
Although Psycho is classified as a “horror” film, Bates Motel is even more horrifying. In the movie, the murder scenes are more unrealistic and unbelievable, considering the movie had came out in 1960. Years later, Bates Motel has the opportunity to give the audience more suspense, a deeper plot, richer back-story and more graphic and realistic murder scenes that make this a suspense and horror TV show that has anyone that watches hanging off the edge of their seats.
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