Jump to content

Norman Bates

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Pyrotics (talk | contribs) at 21:23, 4 September 2008 (Untrue, see discussion.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For the bassist, see Norman Bates (musician).
Psycho character
File:Normanbates.jpg
Norman Bates
Aliases "Norma" Bates, "Normal" Bates
Gender Male
Born (1932-10-16)October 16, 1932
Died December 21, 2003(2003-12-21) (aged 71)
Race European American
Relationships Mrs. Norma Bates (mother)
Mrs. Emma Spool (aunt)
John Bates (father)
Dr. Constance "Connie" Forbes-Bates(wife)
Enemies Women
M.O. Stabbing victims to death whilst wearing his mother's clothing.
Weapon of Choice: Kitchen knife
Portrayed by: Anthony Perkins (Psycho - Psycho IV: The Beginning)
Oz Perkins (Psycho II, reflection)
Kurt Paul (Bates Motel)
Henry Thomas (Psycho IV: The Beginning, flashbacks)
Ryan Finnigan (Psycho IV: The Beginning, flashbacks)
Vince Vaughn (Psycho: 1998 remake)

Norman Bates is a fictional character created by writer Robert Bloch as the central character in his novel Psycho. The character is based on real-life serial killer Ed Gein. [1] [2] [3]

Fictional character biography

Both the novel and Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film adaptation explain that Bates suffered severe emotional abuse as a child at the hands of his mother, Norma, who preached to him that women and sex were evil. The two of them lived alone together in an unhealthy state of emotional dependence after the death of Bates's father. When Bates was a teenager, however, his mother took a lover, thereby making him insanely jealous. Bates then murders both of them with strychnine and then preserved his mother's corpse. Bates develops dissociative identity disorder, assuming his mother's personality, repressing her death as a way to escape the guilt of murdering her. He inherited his mother's house, where he kept her corpse, and the family motel in Fairvale, California.

Bloch sums up Bates' multiple personalities in his stylistic form of puns: As "Norman" Bates, the little boy, he is dominated by his mother, and has to do whatever she tells him. As "Norma" Bates, he dresses in her clothes, mimics her voice, and kills anyone who threatens to come between her and her "Norman," especially attractive young women. As "Normal" Bates, he is a (barely) functioning adult who runs the business of the motel and keeps peace between the other two personalities.

Norman is finally arrested after he murders a young woman named Mary Crane (called Marion Crane in the film) and Milton Arbogast, a private investigator sent to look for her. Bates is declared insane and sent to an institution, where the "mother" personality completely takes hold; he completely becomes his mother.

Bates dies in Bloch's 1982 sequel to his novel. [4]

Film sequels

In the sequel to the original film, Bates is released from the institution 22 years later, seemingly cured. However, a series of mysterious murders occur, as well as strange appearances and messages from "Mother", and Norman slowly loses his grip on sanity. The mysterious appearances and messages turn out to be a plot by relatives of one of Norman's (or Mother's) victims to drive "Norman" Bates insane again; the murders turn out to be caused by Norman's real mother — Norma's sister, Emma Spool — who, of course, shares the family's history of mental illness. In the end, Norman kills Spool and embalms her body while assuming the "Mother" personality once again. [5]

In the third film, Norman continues to struggle, unsuccessfully, against "Mother"'s dominion, but in the end attacks her corpse violently, attempting to break free of her control, and is again institutionalized. During the last few minutes of the movie, a reporter tells Norman that Emma Spool was his aunt, not his mother, and had killed his father. Apparently, she had fallen for Norman's father and, when Norma Bates had given birth to Norman, kidnapped the child, believing he was her son. [6]

In the final sequel, however, the revelations of Psycho III are effectively retconned. (Bates' father is explained as having been stung to death by bees). In this film, Bates had been released from the institution, and is married to one of the hospital's nurses. When his wife becomes pregnant, however, he lures her to his mother's house and tries to kill her; He wants to prevent another of his "cursed" line from being born into the world. (The film implies that Bates' mother suffered from schizophrenia and passed the illness onto him). He relents at the last minute, however, when his wife professes her love for him. He then burns the house down in an attempt to free himself of his past. During the attempt, he is tormented by hallucinations of "Mother" and several of his (or her) victims; He almost dies in the flames before willing himself to get out, apparently defeating his illness at long last. [7]

In the pilot episode of the failed TV series Bates Motel, Bates is never released from the institution after his first incarceration. He befriends Alex Kelly, a fellow inmate who had murdered his stepfather, and wills ownership of the titular motel to him before dying of old age. Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). In the novel, Norman becomes Mother after getting drunk and passing out; in the movie, he consumes no alcohol before switching personalities.

Portrayals

Bates was portrayed by Anthony Perkins in Hitchcock's seminal 1960 film adaptation of Bloch's novel and its three sequels. He also portrayed Norman Bates, albeit more lightheartedly, in a 1990 oatmeal commercial [8]. Vince Vaughn portrayed Bates in Gus Van Sant's 1998 remake, and by Kurt Paul in Bates Motel. Henry Thomas played a younger version of the character in Psycho IV: The Beginning.

Comic books

Norman appears in the 1992 three issue comic book adaptation of the first Psycho film released by Innovation Publishing. Despite being an adaptation of the Alfred Hitchcock film, the version of Norman present in the comics resembles the one from Robert Bloch's original novel: an older, overweight, balding man. Comic artist Felipe Echevarria has explained that this was due to Anthony Perkins's refusal to allow his likeness to be replicated for the books, wanting to disassociate himself with Norman Bates. [9]

Reception

Norman is ranked as the second greatest villain on the American Film Institute's list of the top one-hundred film heroes and villains. [10] His line "A boy's best friend is his mother" also ranks as number fifty-six on the institute's list of the one-hundred greatest movie quotes. [11]

References

  1. ^ Entertainment Weekly. The 100 Greatest Movies of All Time. New York: Entertainment Weekly Books, 1999.
  2. ^ CourtTV's Crime Library
  3. ^ "Behind the Bates Motel" by Paula Guran
  4. ^ Bloch, Robert (1982). Psycho II. Whisper Press. ISBN 0-918372-08-9. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ Richard Franklin (Director) (1983-06-03). Psycho II (DVD). United States: Universal Pictures.
  6. ^ Anthony Perkins (Director) (1986-07-02). Psycho III (DVD). United States: Universal Pictures.
  7. ^ Mick Garris (Director) (1990-11-10). Psycho IV: The Beginning (DVD). United States: Universal Television.
  8. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=705jPpxq1JQ
  9. ^ Movie Maniac Comic Books
  10. ^ AFI's 100 YEARS...100 HEROES & VILLAINS
  11. ^ AFI's 100 YEARS...100 MOVIE QUOTES
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Norman_Bates&oldid=236319455"