A&E’s series, Bates Motel, was a fascinating look at the events that led up to Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film, Psycho, but the ending of the series changed the movies that came after - and the franchise - for good.
Hitchcock’s film was based on the novel of the same name by Robert Bloch, and is one of the most iconic and well-known horror films of all time, though many audiences try to elevate it with the classification of ’thriller’. While Psycho did get an almost shot-for-shot remake in 1998 from director Gus Van Sant, it was not well-received, and earned largely negative reviews from critics. That, plus Hitchcock’s vision and aesthetic makes Psycho arguably one of the hardest films to remake. In many ways, doing Bates Motel as a prequel focused on Norman’s teenage years that worked in tandem with his mother/son relationship was the smartest take.
Even though Bates Motel very cleverly invigorated the Psycho original movie and franchise, a few areas of artistic license ultimately forced the series to cut away from its roots. The premise of the show seemed like it was timeless enough to seamlessly transition into the movie-verse, but these little alterations ultimately made all the difference.
How Bates Motel Changed The Psycho Franchise Forever
Bates Motel was intended as a prequel, but also operated under a modern timeline. Given the fact that Psycho was set in the 1960s, Norman would have likely been in his 20s or even 30s during the film. This means that he would have been born in the 1930s or 1940s. Hitchcock’s original, while somewhat dated, could be switched into a more modern timeline to adjust, but the prequel’s choice to include cell phones, the internet, and other modern issues like the creation of a bypass for truck routes and the characters’ use of smart phones would lead for more than a little suspension of disbelief.
Another way Bates Motel changed the Psycho movies was by its creation of background characters. For example, Norman has a half-brother, Dylan. In Psycho, Norman was depicted as a lone wolf with no connections, save his mother. This, given the twist’s shocking ending where Norman is revealed to have Mother as an alternate personality, means that he was always completely alone, and likely had been for a while. There are also side characters that have been created, as long as side plots that include Sheriff Romero, who was romantically entangled with Norman’s mother, and even married her. While Romero did get murdered by Norman in the final season, his death left some loose ends that made things more difficult for Norman than Psycho made it seem.
Finally - and most importantly - Norman died at the end of Bates Motel. In the Psycho movie franchise, he goes on to live beyond the events of the first movie. In fact, he lives through the third movie, though it’s implied he’ll never be able to escape a mental institution to see the light of day again. The ending of the horror TV series was bittersweet, with Norman getting to reunite with his mother again in death, but it left a lot of holes that made the two timelines too different to connect cohesively. Also, Marion Crane survived, which is another huge timeline hole.
Next: Bates Motel: What Was Wrong With Norman?
