Bates Motel

Robert Bloche, the movie proved to be a huge success upon its release. The movie initially follows Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) as she flees town with money she stole from her employer, which inadvertently leads her to the Bates Motel. Here she encounters the infamous Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), and ultimately her death at the hands of “mother”. From there, the story slowly unravels as other characters attempt to locate Marion, and end up revealed Norman’s true nature in the process. The movie…

Universal Monsters of the earlier decades to a more serious threat. The film follows Marion Crane, a secretary who runs away from her home town after stealing a large sum of money from her workplace. While on her way to see her boyfriend she stops at a motel run by a shy young man and his overbearing mother. In this paper, I would like to argue that through subtle hints in the mise-en-scene Hitchcock is able to both foreshadow…

The sequence begins from Marion’s point of view. As she is pulling into the Bates Motel, she is looking around and we are aligned with her search/journey by identifying with her “looking around”. Marion finally walks inside to check in and she meets Norman Bates. He comes off as polite and hospitable and Marion think’s nothing of it. Marion then gets settled into her room and overhears Norman and his mother yelling from…

Psycho Psycho is a film that captures your attention and keeps you on your toes from beginning to end. Unlike the gory horror films of today, Psycho, as the name suggests, plays to the psychology of the crimes and events. The main character, Norman Bates, is based off of the murderer Ed Gein. Norman is an odd young man from the start and has a strange attachment to his his mother just like Gein. One of the quotes that stays in my mind from this movie is when Norman tells Marian "After all, a…

A Horror- thriller written by Joseph Stefano, directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock. It is shot entirely in black and white, set in Phoenix. It follows a theme of a passion driven crimes. Hitchcock uses the character of Marion Crane, Norman Bates and Sam Loomis to drive this narrative. The Sam and Marion Characters are shown in the establishing shot, inside a hotel room where they appear to be having a heated discussion about their dodgy relationship and a potential future. Marion’s inner…

Psycho is a classic among the entire horror movie genre with many memorable iconic scenes by the only Alfred Hitchcock in the history of Cinema. Tense, horrific and a superb lesson in filmmaking, it offers complex characters and revealing dialogue with a huge regard for details. Psycho also features glorious use of mise-en-scene, a fancy French term for all of the visual elements in the frame used to infer meaning. Hitchcock famously uses this concept in the parlor scene, where Marion and Norman…

Norman Bates describes life as a trap, or more accurately, our own private traps that we cannot get out of – no matter how hard we try. While this is true for many characters in the film Psycho directed by Alfred Hitchcock, it is most true about Norman himself. The surprising information we learn about Norman throughout the movie proves this point more and more. Norman suffers from a multiple personality disorder brought on by his desires. Norman lives as both himself and his deceased mother. By…

In the Alfred Hitchcock Film “Psycho”, Norman Bates, a motel desk receptionist, is living with his “mother” in a giant house close to his family’s motel. The lovely Marion Crane, who is very disturbed and looks as if she has a dirty secret, greets him one stormy night. In the “parlor scene”, Norman and Marion are talking and eating dinner late at night. This scene shows the first clues of how crazy Norman actually is by showing a glimpse of his anger. Marion comments on his mother saying he…

She meets a man, Norman Bates, who acts as her mentor. Together, they discuss the trials and struggles of life. After this brief profound council, Mary Crane decides to return the money. However, before she has the chance to redeem herself she is brutally murdered in the memorable…

Psycho: Why Does Norman Bates Have a Chilling Effect on Audiences? The movie Psycho, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, was a landmark movie in the history of film. Made during a time when The Production Code was still at large and society had still not seen or heard such disturbing actions on the big screen. Audiences were and are still drawn in with the thrilling story of what happens inside Bates Motel, and the mystery behind, specifically revolving around Norman Bates and his mother. Audiences…