Bates Motel (TV 1987)

A mentally disturbed man, who roomed with the late Norman Bates at the state lunatic asylum, inherits the legendary Bates Motel after the death of Norman and tries to fix it up to make it a respectable business.

Director:

Richard Rothstein

Writer:

Richard Rothstein

Stars:

Bud Cort, Lori Petty, Moses Gunn

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bud Cort	...	Alex West
Lori Petty	...	Willie
Moses Gunn	...	Henry Watson
Gregg Henry	...	Tom Fuller
Khrystyne Haje	...	Sally
Jason Bateman	...	Tony Scotti
Kerrie Keane	...	Barbara Peters
Robert Picardo	...	Dr. Goodman
Andy Albin	...	Mr. Yokes
Dolores Albin	...	Mrs. Fisher
Kelly Ames	...	Beth
Robert Axelrod	...	Sheepskin Salesman
Gary Ballard	...	Pastor
Nat Bernstein	...	Salesman
Peter Dobson	...	Billy Parks

Storyline

This film is based on, but not in sequence with, the Psycho films. After the death of Norman Bates, a man who befriended him in the institution inherits the motel. In keeping with Norman's wishes, he tries to fix up the place and make it a respectable motel.

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Plot Keywords:

motel | ghost | based on ed gein | tv series pilot | talking to self in mirror | 

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Taglines:

You can check in but you can't check out of The Bates Motel!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Horror

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 July 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Il motel della paura

Filming Locations:

Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Black and White Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Anthony Perkins actively boycotted this film in interviews and television appearances in the months leading up to its release. He thought the film was an exploitative cash-in on Psycho III, which he had directed less than a year earlier. Perkins felt that the continuity of the "Psycho" franchise had been ruined by the Bates Motel storyline, which started off with the Norman Bates character having died in the mental institution.

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Quotes

Henry Watson: Look, if you don't mind me asking. What's a fella like you doing with a postcard from the old Bates Motel?

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Connections

Spun-off from Psycho (1960)

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Soundtracks

"Where or When"
Written by Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart
Performed by Dion DiMucci (as Dion) & The Belmonts

User Reviews

What in the name of Sanity!?

I cannot believe some of these other posts, which do a fairly shaky job of damaging this movie's credentials and storyline itself. If anyone would be spinning in their grave, it would be Alfred Hitchcock, in seeing the amount of negative views and opinions about one of his greatest ever masterpieces.

The plot involves a man whom was befriended by Norman Bates shortly after being admitted to a mental institution, and 27 years later when Norman dies, he leaves the entire Bates Motel estate to him in his will... requesting that he have a second chance in life. Soon enough strange and chilling things begin to take form, and he starts to see a ghostly image of Norman's dead mother in the window of the old house.

I feel this movie has been attacked because of one simple fact. It lacks any gore or violence, and come to think of it - nobody is killed either. People expect to much dumb shock-horror type story lines these-days, without paying attention to other area's of the plot. If you cannot sit down and watch a movie without feeling the compulsion someone has to have their head blown off or their gut's ripped out I pity them.

An excellent, well esteemed effort, which was unfortunately prevented from going any further by a bunch of selfish fools.

Hitchcock would be proud.