We all know about Alfred Hitchcock's classic horror movie, "Psycho" (1960). Norman Bates and his twisted motel of horrors are embedded in popular culture - visitors to Universal Studios Hollywood even have the treat of seeing the eerie motel on the studio tour. "Psycho" is definitely a gem in the horror film genre, for it is a rare find to watch a good horror movie - after all, ridiculous premises and awkward build?ups of tension frequently mire even the most promising flics.
Surely, though, some audiences have wondered what happened before "Psycho" began. What caused Norman Bates to be the way he was in "Psycho"? A&E decided to answer this question through its new drama series, "Bates Motel." Set in the contemporary world, "Bates Motel" follows the life of Norma Bates and a teenage Norman as they move to a new town and start running a new motel, long before the events that took place in Hitchcock's film.
Safe to say, Hitchcock and horror movie fans have been intrigued to learn how the show would turn out, especially with cast members like Freddie Highmore and Vera Farmiga playing the mother?son duo. No wonder it drew in an audience of over three million viewers from a wide variety of ages - everyone wanted to know what really made Norman dress up like his mother and kill motel guests in the shower. And the show is definitely looking promising so far.
After two episodes, while the path Anthony Cipriano plans on taking is unclear, the show has demonstrated its potential. With dangerous half?brothers, bizarre townies and the tantalizing threat of an Oedipus complex, this new A&E show definitely has potential to be great, but it also has the possibility to fail.
It could follow the "American Horror Story" route - that is, it could have a great first few episodes before getting too complicated to be logical or comprehensible - or it could forge its own path and become a great television show, with a strong beginning, middle and hopefully well?timed ending. In these first two episodes, Cipriano has laid out the groundwork for a thrilling season, establishing aspects like Norma's husband's strange death, her inclination to murder and Norman's equally strange, yet not criminal, tendencies.
The two actors who portray this duo have so far done a great job in their performances. Vera Farmiga is not new to the horror entertainment genre, as she played the mother in the ever?so creepy yet strangely good film "Orphan" (2009). She definitely plays the role of the mother very well, especially in her role as an over?protective caretaker with almost malevolent actions.
For Highmore, on the other hand, this is new territory. He's most well known for his role as Charlie in Tim Burton's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (2005), but he's also acted in other family movies like "The Golden Compass" (2007) and "The Spiderwick Chronicles" (2008). The role of a teenage 'psycho' is definitely not in his comfort zone.
Nevertheless, he seems to be doing quite a fine job so far; his awkward personality and features, as well as his English?American accent, all work well in the oddball character of Norman Bates. "Bates Motel" is thrilling and suspenseful, and the actors help make it so. The chemistry between all the characters on the show builds a strange fog, in which the tension in the small Oregon town is nothing but palpable.
New shows like "Bates Motel" and NBC's "Hannibal," which is set to premiere this Thursday, are taking older movies and creating modern prequels to them. So far with "Bates Motel," it's working. For horror movie fans and drama fans alike, "Bates Motel" is a must?watch. Hopefully, the route it decides to take will bring it to somewhere good, and somewhere psycho.
