Bates Motel (2013– )

A modern re-imagining and prequel to the movie Psycho. This story begins with the earlier years of a teenage Norman Bates and his mother Norma who live in an old house overlooking the ... See full summary »

Creator:

Anthony Cipriano

Stars:

Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore, Max Thieriot

Cast

Series cast summary:
Vera Farmiga	...	Norma Louise Bates (11 episodes, 2013-2014)
Freddie Highmore	...	Norman Bates (11 episodes, 2013-2014)
Max Thieriot	...	Dylan Massett (11 episodes, 2013-2014)
Olivia Cooke	...	Emma Decody (10 episodes, 2013-2014)
Nicola Peltz	...	Bradley Martin (10 episodes, 2013-2014)
Nestor Carbonell	...	Sheriff Alex Romero (8 episodes, 2013)
Mike Vogel	...	Deputy Zack Shelby (7 episodes, 2013)
Keegan Connor Tracy	...	Miss Watson (6 episodes, 2013)
Brittney Wilson	...	Lissa (6 episodes, 2013)
Jenna Romanin	...	Jenna (5 episodes, 2013)

Storyline

A modern re-imagining and prequel to the movie Psycho. This story begins with the earlier years of a teenage Norman Bates and his mother Norma who live in an old house overlooking the adjoining motel which they are renovating. The house and hotel both come with secrets of their own as does the new town which the Bates' now call home.

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Plot Keywords:

motel | prequel | cop having sex with suspect | horror movie prequel | sexual initiation | 

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Taglines:

A boy's best friend is his mother.

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Also Known As:

Batesi motell

Filming Locations:

Steveston, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Television, Wolper Organization, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Series Writer 'Bill Balas' actually has Cystic Fibrosis, and was the inspiration for the Emma Decody character being afflicted with the disease.

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Quotes

Norma Louise Bates: Why do crazy people keep gravitating towards me?

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Connections

References Psycho (1960)

User Reviews

If 'Psycho IV" had been made into a TV series...

An avid fan of Hitchcock, I thought this pilot was well done. Though, it was interesting to see an iPhone ring in Mother's house, being this is set in the modern day. Olivia Hussey left some big shoes to fill after her portrayal of Norma Bates, but I think (given this pilot) Vera Farmiga was well cast by the producers.

"Bates Motel" was well shot, written, acted and executed... all while being appropriately disturbing already. In order to fully appreciate it, you should watch the 1960 original, and the made-for-TV prequel. That's where "Motel" will take the torch and continue the pre-story of how Norma basically created who AFI lists as their #2 Top Villain of all Time.

I also enjoyed watching Freddie Highmore continue where Henry Thomas left off. I believed Thomas as a younger Perkins, and I believe Highmore as a younger Thomas. I appreciated the opening scene too, as it touched on an area where previous Psycho-related movies skipped.

I have high hopes for "Bates Motel" and will continue watching it. But, I must admit my bias, as "Psycho" is in my Top 5 favorite movies of all time list.

"Well, a boy's best friend is his mother."