Norman mentions that Marion had spoken with his mother, but he refuses to let Arbogast see her. Marion's employer hires private investigator Milton Arbogast ( Martin Balsam) to find her, and he goes to the motel and questions Norman. When Norman regains consciousness, he disposes of Marion's corpse in a nearby swamp, covering up what he believes to be his mother's crime.
After Marion retires to her room, Norman becomes "Mother" and kills Marion in the shower. He angrily rejects the suggestion, however, and insists that his mother is perfectly sane. He defies her and has dinner with Marion, who takes pity on him and gently suggests that he put his mother in a mental institution. This arouses "Mother"'s ire, and she threatens to kill Marion if Norman lets her into the house. When she checks into the motel, Norman ( Anthony Perkins) is smitten, and invites her to have dinner with him in his office.
One of "Mother"'s victims is Marion Crane ( Janet Leigh), who flees to the Bates Motel after stealing money from her employer. Norma Bates as a corpse in Psycho (1960). When Norman regains consciousness, he discovers the crime he is convinced his mother has committed, and destroys the evidence. The "Mother" personality is as possessive and cruel as Norma had been in life "Mother" dominates and belittles him, forbids him to have friends, and kills any woman whom he feels attracted to. He also speaks to himself in her voice and frequently dresses in her clothes in his own mind, he becomes his mother in order to escape the awareness of her death and the guilt of having murdered her. Unable to bear the loss of his mother, Norman steals Norma's corpse and mummifies it in the fruit cellar, and speaks to it as if his mother were still alive. He then stages it like murder-suicide, making it look as if Norma had killed Considine and then herself. Norman grows insanely jealous, believing that Norma has abandoned him for her fiancé, and murders them with strychnine. Considine convinces Norma to open a motel. When Norman is a teenager, his mother meets Joe Considine (Chet Rudolph in Psycho IV: The Beginning) and plans to marry. The novel also suggests that their relationship may have been incestuous.įor many years, Norma and Norman live together in the (fictional) small town of Fairvale, California "as if there is no one else in the world". The 1959 novel, its 1960 film adaptation and the 1990 film prequel explain that after the death of her husband, Norma (whose maiden name is never revealed in the novels) raises her son Norman with cruelty: she forbids him to have a life away from her, and teaches him that sexual intercourse is sinful and that all women (except herself) are whores.
Vera Farmiga later portrayed Norma in the television series Bates Motel (2013–2017). She is not depicted as a living character until Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990), portrayed by Olivia Hussey.
She is the deceased mother and victim of serial killer Norman Bates, who had developed a murderous split personality based on her.Īlthough an important character to the Psycho story, Norma only appears as a corpse in the films. Bates) is a fictional character created by American author Robert Bloch in his 1959 thriller novel Psycho. Norma Bates ( née Spool or Calhoun, also known simply as Mrs. Constance "Connie" Forbes-Bates (daughter-in-law film canon only)Įmma Decody (daughter-in-law Bates Motel only) Norman Bates (son, deceased in Bates Motel)ĭylan Massett (son/nephew Bates Motel only)ĭr. John Massett (ex-husband Bates Motel only)Īlex Romero (deceased third husband Bates Motel only) Kate Massett (granddaughter/grandniece Bates Motel only) Ray Calhoun (deceased father Bates Motel only)įrancine Calhoun (deceased mother Bates Motel only)Įmma Spool (deceased sister film canon only)Ĭaleb Calhoun (deceased brother Bates Motel only) Norma Louise Calhoun Bates ( Bates Motel) Sarah Grey, Madyson Parsons, Mira Eden ( Bates Motel, flashbacks) John Kassir ( Oatmeal Crisp commercial (1990)) Olivia Hussey, Alice Hirson ( Psycho IV: The Beginning) Virginia Gregg, Jeanette Nolan, Paul Jasmin ( Psycho (1960)) Vera Farmiga as Norma Bates in Bates Motel