Norman Bates

 

Norman Bates is the primary villain in the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock horror film Psycho. He is based on the serial killer Ed Gein.

He was ranked 2nd on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains and Wizard Magazine rated him the 93rd greatest villain of all time. He is the narrator of the book Psycho.

Norman killed his overbearing mother and became psychologically unhinged as a result, developing a split-personality in which he struggled between his "normal" self and his imagined alter-ego - who he had based around his deceased mother.

Unlike many slasher villains Bates is often seen as a tragic villain who can be sympathised with by the audience, this doesn't excuse his violent behavior however - yet it is shown that Bates is not in full control of his emotions or sanity: making him a somewhat refreshing change from the usual stereotype of a knife-welding fiend found in other slasher-films (though in truth Psycho was more of a psychological thriller than a slasher).