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      Bates Motel

      1987 1 hr. 40 min. Mystery & Thriller List
      Reviews 35% 250+ Ratings Audience Score A misfit (Bud Cort) rejoins society as the manager of a haunted motel inherited from killer Norman Bates. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      DanTheMan 2 Not to be confused with the far more recent TV series of the same name, this Bates Motel is an extended television pilot for a series that was never picked up. Ignoring the events of Psycho II and III, it forms its own separate continuity in order to start afresh, while on paper Bates Motel is a good idea, it's executed in the worst way possible. The only directorial effort by writer Richard Rothstein, there's no real flair to the visuals and plays like your standard TV episode but bloated full of unfunny moments and horror on par with Scooby-Doo. Norman in this timeline has recently died and left in his will to someone he met while locked away in the asylum, Alex. Bud Cort plays Alex and while this is decent casting, his character isn't enough to sustain the film's runtime. Nor is a young Jason Bateman in a small role which is more fun in hindsight knowing his status now. Lori Petty is at least pretty entertaining as teenage runaway Willie and provides a few laughs. The only other thing worthy of note is the music by J. Peter Robinson who has some decent pieces, but is so few and far between you'd forget this even had a musical score. All in all, Bates Motel feels like a few stitched-together episodes of the series more than something that would actively kick it off. It's an interesting oddity and footnote in Psycho's history but really not worth watching in any capacity unless you are really curious. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 04/15/23 Full Review Steve D Bud Cort is perfect for this kind of thing but the supernatural stuff does not work and it is Psycho in name only (or not since it doesn't use the name). Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/02/23 Full Review Audience Member It was a made for TV Movie so, my expectations were left at the door before I began to watch it. It's what I call a PINO Film or "Psycho in Name Only" Film. A lot of the script seemed OVERLY Retooled and out of place. If you're a "Psycho" Completionist, This Goes after "Psycho II". If you just want some noise to play in the background while typing something or while doing chores, this'll do it for you. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Audience Member It's not whole-heartedly inspired and the sub-plot comes off as genuinely awkward but it does have it's creepy moments. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

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      Nick Rogers Midwest Film Journal Clearly intended as a pilot for an otherwise unrelated anthology series tangentially attached to popular IP, a la what "Friday the 13th: The Series" or "Freddy’s Nightmares" would become, it's instead the most misbegotten undertaking in franchise history. Rated: 1/5 Oct 13, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A misfit (Bud Cort) rejoins society as the manager of a haunted motel inherited from killer Norman Bates.
      Director
      Richard David Rothstein
      Genre
      Mystery & Thriller
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Nov 30, 2016