182) Bates Motel (1987) - The Psycho Series Continued

"I think with a little luck, we're gonna do okay here. I think Norman would have liked that."

Director
Richard Rothstein

Cast
Bud Cort - Alex West
Lori Petty - Willie
Moses Gunn - Henry Watson
Gregg Henry - Tom Fuller
Khrystyne Haje - Sally
Jason Bateman - Tony Scotti
Kerrie Keane - Barbara Peters
Robert Picardo - Dr. Goodman
Lee de Broux - Sheriff
Kurt Paul - Norman Bates

As I watched the made-for-TV movie "Bates Motel," which is an offshoot of Hitchcock's "Psycho," I sat waiting for something to happen. Spoiler - nothing happens! So, it's a completely unnecessary installment in the Psycho series. And, really, that's all anyone needs to know about this movie. But if readers want to see what else I have to say, please continue reading. Otherwise, I won't be upset if anyone stops here.

If 1980s Hallmark got a hold of the franchise rights and made a Psycho movie, this would be it. 

It's a direct sequel to Hitchcock's "Psycho." So, it ignores everything that happens in "Psycho II" and "Psycho III." The worst part about it is that it doesn't even center on Norman Bates at all. Bates, played very briefly by Kurt Paul, only appears in the beginning of the movie. 

The film starts with Bates leaving the courthouse and heading off to the asylum after the Marion Crane murder from the first movie. There, he befriends a young boy named Alex West (Bud Cort) who's mentally disturbed and was admitted into the asylum for killing his abusive stepfather.

Bates acts a sort of father figure for West. 

About twenty-years later, Bates dies and leaves West his motel. 

When he's released from the asylum, West heads to Fairville (which was called Fairvale in the original "Psycho") to live at the motel. 

Once he makes it to Fairville, he meets handyman Henry Watson (Moses Gunn) who drives him to the motel and tells him it's haunted. 

Inside Norman's old house overlooking the property, West runs into Willie (Lori Petty), a teenage runaway who is squatting inside the house. 

As the motel is rundown, West manages to obtain a bank loan from the bank loan agent Tom Fuller (Gregg Henry) for renovations. He then convinces Watson to get a work crew together.

The process is hindered by weird accidents and chatter about alleged hauntings. 

The remains of Norman's mother are discovered, as well as his father. 

Interestingly enough, when Mrs. Bates's bones are found, the sheriff (Lee de Broux) says that her remains

Lori Petty and Bud Cort in "Bates Motel."

 had never been found until now. The writers must have missed the plot point in "Psycho" where Mrs. Bates's remains were hidden in the basement and found when Norman was arrested. 

Also, during the renovation process, West keeps seeing Mrs. Bates's shadow in her bedroom window. 

When looking out of the bedroom window, he sees the dead body of Mr. Bates with a knife in his chest, laying underneath the motel sign. 

Finally, the motel renovations are finished. The rooms are new and improved, and West has a small restaurant built on the property. 

On opening day of the new Bates Motel, guests just aren't pouring in. In fact, no one shows up. 

West tells Willie that his first loan payment of $10,000 is due the next day. 

Just then, a guest finally pulls in. Barbara Peters (Kerrie Keane) books a room for the night. 

Unbeknownst to West, she's planning on committing suicide because she's middle aged and hasn't yet found love. 

This is when the movie takes a turn away from all that's going on. The story shifts focus onto Barbara. 

A large group of teenagers, who are dressed like it's the 1950s, arrive at the motel after their prom. The movie doesn't address their dated appearance. But it stands out as the movie takes place in current time. 

While Barbara is sitting in the bathtub contemplating suicide, one of the teens named Sally (Khrystyne Haje) accidentally enters her room thinking it's her own room. 

She invites Barbara to a party the kids are holding at the motel. Even West is there handing out punch for everyone. 

Barbara goes, and Sally introduces her to another teen named Tony (Jason Bateman who's shy and lonely. 

Despite the age difference, Tony asks her to dance. While dancing, he tells her how pretty she is and then the two almost kiss. 

Barbara catches herself and tells Tony that he's just a kid and getting romantic with him isn't right. 

When she goes back to her room, Sally comes in and knows Barbara wants to kill herself. 

It turns out Barbara's real name is also Sally, and the young Sally actually killed herself 25 years ago. So, Sally is a ghost as are all the other kids she came with. They all committed suicide. 

Sally and the rest of the kids tell her that the afterlife for suicides is awful, and life is worth living. Then Sally and the rest of the teenage ghosts drive off. 

Barbara leaves the next day, a lot more chipper than when she arrived. 

Meanwhile, it turns out that Tom the loan officer is behind the alleged hauntings and unreasonable terms of repayment in an attempt to hinder West's plans in order to gain access to the prime real estate that the motel sits on. 

And spoiler. That's the end!

The story builds up to nothing as the Bates Motel is remodeled. And it's not even the slightest bit terrifying. It's not even adorably spooky. I've seen scarier haunted attractions at neighborhood carnivals. 

Norman is the only terrifying aspect of the whole franchise. If he's gone, what's left? According to this movie, there isn't anything left except some urban ghost stories surrounding the motel darkened by the Bates murders. 

West fixes it up, and it all ends on a promising note. I missed the point of the movie, unless the promising future of the Bates Motel was the point. 

As if the movie finally catches on that there's nothing happening, the story's final act focuses completely off West and onto Barbara with an out-of-place ghost story and suicide prevention message, starring a young Jason Bateman. I don't know if this is supposed to correct the evil wrongs that occurred at the motel. Seeing as how Barbara stays in room 12 rather than room one as Marion did in the original, I doubt it. And these dead teenagers aren't victims of Norman Bates. Rather. they killed themselves. They have nothing to do with the motel nor the original plot. Plus, West can see them, and hands out punch at their party. So, did they all arrive to help Barbara? Or, did they show up and happen to find Barbara about to make the same mistake they did, and decide to help? Who knows?

All throughout the movie, Bud Cort keeps a look on his face like he's a wide-eyed innocent young kid witnessing reality for the first time. He carries no other emotion except bewilderment throughout the whole movie. 

This is a completely underwhelming and totally unnecessary film. It's almost amazing how underwhelming this movie is. They couldn't call it "Psycho" because the actual psycho - Norman Bates - is dead. So, the movie has to be about the actual motel instead. So, what about the motel? Is it haunted? If it is, who's doing the haunting? Well, the motel gets a renovation which adds some new life to it. And then some random lady is saved from suicide by some random ghosts. Neither of them have anything to do with the motel. Is the motel now a conduit for the paranormal? I don't know. Who even cares? 

Hardly anything worth watching actually happens, and it all concludes with a couple characters in rubber Halloween masks, only to reveal themselves like the resolution of a Scooby-Doo cartoon. 

After Barbara's unrelated story is resolved, Alex West boyishly stares into the camera, breaking the fourth wall, and tells the television audience, "We're gonna do okay here. I think Norman would have liked that."

Thankfully, the next movie, "Psycho IV: The Beginning" will do the only thing anyone can do - completely ignore "Bates Motel."