My Review of Bates Motel (1987)

 

Written And Directed by Richard Rothstein

Alex (to the audience): "If you ever need a room, come on by. I can't say for sure what you'll find, but that is what makes the world go around".

First of all, not to be confused with the fantastic prequel series we'd get in the 2010s and secondly, this was more of a spin-off and the first time this world got sent to TV. I have to admit, I didn't know this even existed until a week ago.

If you're expecting Anthony Perkins to emerge at any point in this television movie, you're in for a world of disappointment. This movie not only doesn't feature Perkins but for the limited screen time that Norman Bates did have, the character was played by Kurt Paul.

I also say limited because for once Norman isn't the main focus. In fact he's quickly killed off in this movie and the emphasis instead fell on to a fellow inmate named Alex West (Bud Cort) whom Norman had befriended and guided in the asylum prior to his death.

Anyways, Alex got released from the asylum and inherited the Bates Motel and needless to say, that came with plenty of complications in itself. Notably the fact that teenage runaway Willie (Lori Petty) was squatting in the abandoned motel and wasn't keen on the idea of potentially having to move elsewhere.

Saying that, there's a delightful friendship between Alex and Willie that anchored a lot of the movie and along with retiring handyman Henry Watson (Moses Gunn), the trio managed to get the Bates Motel up and running. Surely, that's where the horror was going to happen, right?

Actually things went a bit more Scooby Doo than Psycho to be fair. When the film didn't have bank manager Tom Fuller (Gregg Henry) playing ghost to scare Alex out of business, there were actual ghosts of teenagers and a woman who came to ending it all before changing her mind. Not the sort of thing you'd expect in the particular franchise.

- Anthony Perkins didn't boycott the movie but he did say it was terrible at a convention.

- This TV movie was actually a pilot for a TV series that didn't happen due to low ratings.

- Kurt Paul who played Norman Bates actually was Anthony Perkins stunt double for both Psycho II and Psycho II.

- Chronology: Over twenty years since the events of Psycho.

Bates Motel wasn't that bad to watch but it definitely felt like something that would've worked better as it's own thing than being attached to this franchise. Saying that, it's weirdly watchable.

Rating: 6 out of 10