Norman+Bates

Dylan Burton
Norman Bates, the iconic star of the book and movie Psycho, is a psychotic murderer with an agenda against women. The reason for this agenda is the preaching by his mother, Norma, that sex is evil and all women are whores except for herself. After his father died, his mother took another lover that made Norman insanely jealous. He ended up killing both of them with strychnine and preserved his mother's corpse. Because of the guilt of murdering his own mother, he developed an identity disorder where he literally takes on the identity and personality of his deceased mother. He inherited both his mother's home and the family motel, which is where he meets Mary Crane, who is one of the two victims in Psycho. The other victim is Milton Arbogast, a private investigator sent to look for the missing Mary Crane. Norman Bates is soon caught and declared insane, then he is sent to an institution, where the personality of his "mother" completely takes hold of him. In essence, he is his mother.

"A boy's best friend is his mother." - Norman Bates



Norman; looking like his normal, everyday self; shows very little of his murderous side. The only distinct feature is his wicked smile and quite piercing glare. He looks, pun intended, like a psycho.

It was quite impossible to display all the characteristics with just one photo, as Norman suffers from a psychological disease that causes him to dress like his mother. This image is one of the most iconic from the motion picture and shows a silhouette of Norman, dressed as his mother Norma. This alone shows the insanity he suffers and adds to the villainous appearance. The murder weapon, a kitchen knife, is also a distinct sign of a chaotic and deadly nature commonly found in villains of today. Finally, it is obvious that he has hidden his nature until he had a moment to strike, as Mary is showering in this scene. Backstabbing is quite a villainous ploy; Psycho merely defined that quality of a villain.

Why Norman Bates Wouldn't Hurt A Fly: The clip is of the end of the movie, where the "mother" alter ego is fully set in.

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