We all go a little mad sometimes! These words from Norman Bates can apply to any one of us, though we’re not suggesting you have the inclination to dress up as your mother and murder any unfortunate who happens to get in your way!
Gus Van Sant went a little mad when he dared to remake Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, a shot-for-shot copy of that classic movie that should never have been remade. The 1998 movie doesn’t hold a candle to the 1960 original which was loosely based on the Psycho novels by Robert Bloch.
Reviled by some critics at the time of its release (even more so than Sant’s film) due to its violent and sexual nature, Hitchcock’s movie is now rightfully regarded as one of the best horror pictures of all time.
Several sequels followed, as well as a spin-off made-for-TV movie, but none of them failed to capture the power of the original. More impressive was the Bates Motel television series with Freddie Highmore in the role of Norman Bates and Vera Farmiga as his mother. We haven’t included that here as it is a TV show and not a movie but it’s well worth a watch if you get the opportunity.
In this article, we list every Psycho movie in release date order. Which of these is your favourite? Let us know in the comments section below.
Psycho
US Release Date: June 16, 1960
Worldwide Box Office: $50 million
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Metascore: 97
Main Cast:
Anthony Perkins (Norman Bates), Janet Leigh (Marion Crane), Vera Miles (Lila Crane), John Gavin (Sam Loomis), Martin Balsam (Milton Arbogast)
Synopsis (from IMDB):
A Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer’s client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.
Norman Quote:
Let them see what kind of a person I am. I’m not even going to swat that fly. I hope they are watching… they’ll see. They’ll see and they’ll know, and they’ll say, “Why, she wouldn’t even harm a fly…”
Psycho II
US Release Date: June 3, 1983
Worldwide Box Office: $34.7 million
Director: Richard Franklin
Metascore: 54
Main Cast:
Anthony Perkins (Norman Bates), Vera Miles (Lila), Meg Tilly (Mary), Robert Loggia (Dr. Raymond), Dennis Franz (Toomey)
Synopsis (from IMDB):
After twenty-two years of psychiatric care, Norman Bates attempts to return to a life of solitude, but the spectres of his crimes – and his mother – continue to haunt him.
Norman Quote:
I don’t kill people anymore.
Psycho III
US Release Date: July 2, 1986
Worldwide Box Office: $14.4 million
Director: Anthony Perkins
Metascore: 58
Main Cast:
Anthony Perkins (Norman Bates), Diana Scarwid (Maureen), Jeff Fahey (Duane), Roberta Maxwell (Tracy), Hugh Gillin (Sheriff Hunt)
Synopsis (from IMDB):
Norman Bates falls in love with a fallen nun who stays at the Bates Motel alongside a drifter and a curious reporter. Meanwhile, “Mother” is still watching.
Norman Quote:
Don’t laugh at me, Mother! Don’t laugh at me!
Bates Motel
US Release Date: July 5, 1987
Worldwide Box Office: N/A
Director: Richard Rothstein
Metascore: N/A
Main Cast:
Bud Cort (Alex West), Lori Petty (Willie), Moses Gunn (Henry Watson), Gregg Henry (Tom Fuller), Jason Bateman (Tony Scotti)
Synopsis (from IMDB):
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.
Alex Quote:
Nobody ever said life was easy. Then nothing ever worth it ever is. But you know, I think with a little luck, we’re gonna do okay here. I think Norman would have liked that. Oh, by the way, if you ever need a room, come on by. Can’t say for sure what you’ll find, but that is what makes the world go round.
Psycho IV: The Beginning
US Release Date: November 10, 1990
Worldwide Box Office: N/A
Director: Mick Garris
Metascore: N/A
Main Cast:
Anthony Perkins (Norman Bates), CCH Pounder (Fran Ambrose), Henry Thomas (Young Norman), Olivia Hussey (Norma Bates), Donna Mitchell (Connie Bates)
Synopsis (from IMDB):
Norman Bates recalls his childhood with his abusive mother while fearing his unborn child will inherit his split personality disorder.
Norman Quote:
Oh, I’ve killed before, and now I’m gonna have to do it again.
Psycho
US Release Date: December 4, 1998
Worldwide Box Office: $37.2 million
Director: Gus Van Sant
Metascore: 47
Main Cast:
Vince Vaughn (Norman Bates), Anne Heche (Marion Crane), Julianne Moore (Lila Crane), Viggo Mortensen (Sam Loomis), William H. Macy (Milton Arbogast), Philip Baker Hall (Sheriff Chambers)
Synopsis (from IMDB):
A young female embezzler arrives at the Bates Motel, which has terrible secrets of its own.
Norman Quote:
A boy’s best friend is his mother.
Which is your favourite movie in the Psycho franchise? Let us know in the comments below.