SeriesTV-MAPsychological Gothic Slasher

Bates Motel2013

Name: Bates Motel
Genre: Psychological, Gothic, Slasher
Released: 2013-03-18
Rating: 8.1

“Together until the end.”

Created by Carlton Cuse, Kerry Ehrin

8.1

Crypt Score

Blended from 2 sources

IMDb 8.1TMDB 8.1

✍ Review

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Year

2013

Seasons

Network

A&E

Status

Ended

Box Office

🏆 Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys. 6 wins & 67 nominations total

The premise

A "contemporary prequel" to the 1960 film Psycho, depicting the life of Norman Bates and his mother Norma prior to the events portrayed in Hitchcock's film, albeit in a different fictional town and in a modern setting. The series begins after the death of Norma's husband, when she purchases a motel located in a coastal Oregon town so she and Norman can start a new life.

Horror Vault's take

Long before the Bates Motel became infamous, a mother and her teenage son arrived in a quiet Oregon coastal town looking for a fresh start — and found anything but. This contemporary reimagining traces the psychological unraveling of young Norman Bates, peeling back the layers of a deeply complicated bond between mother and child that edges ever closer to something dangerous. Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore deliver riveting performances that anchor the show's slow-burn dread in genuine human feeling. Fans of Hitchcock's Psycho will find rich, unsettling context here — while newcomers will discover a compulsively watchable character study in its own right.

Content: Violence, Sexual Content, Depictions Of Trauma, Drug Use, Disturbing Psychological Themes

Episode Guide

🏆 Best Episode Overall

S4.E9 · Forever

9.1

⭐ Highest Rated This Season

S1.E6 · The Truth

8.1

★ 7.5 avg· 7h 20m total· Mar 2013 → May 2013

S1.E1 · First You Dream, Then You DiePremiere
7.4
Mar 18, 2013 · 49 min · Dir: Tucker Gates
Widow Norma Bates and her shy teenage son, Norman, seek a fresh start in a coastal town filled with secrets. The arrival of an unexpected guest turns the Bates' lives upside down.
S1.E2 · Nice Town You Picked, Norma...
7.1
Mar 25, 2013 · 43 min · Dir: Tucker Gates
Dylan wastes no time causing trouble at home and all the while, the Bates family is inexorably drawn into the dark underbelly of White Pine Bay.
S1.E3 · What's Wrong with Norman
7.7
Apr 1, 2013 · 43 min · Dir: Paul A. Edwards
Dylan starts his new job and learns that there is more to it than he thought. Meanwhile, Norman and Emma make a shocking discovery.
S1.E4 · Trust Me
7.7
Apr 8, 2013 · 44 min · Dir: Johan Renck
Norma's suspicions about people in town are raised, but other distractions continue to surface.
S1.E5 · Ocean View
7.7
Apr 15, 2013 · 43 min · Dir: David Straiton
Norman desperately seeks his mother's return home as Norma gets some much needed help. Norman and Emma find more clues that lead to a big discovery, while Norman continues to pursue Bradley.