Bates Motel

If you're thinking about 'blind-buying' this and are not sure what it is, I suggest you don't.First of all, this is not the current TV series 'Bates Motel'. It's a 1987 pilot of a TV show that attempted to spin off the Psycho Movies. I assume it was released because of the interest generated from the current TV series of the same name and the recent Scream Factory releases of Psycho II and III on Blu-Ray.I used to work in a VHS video rental store and watched this once back in the day, and thought I would revisit it here.The Bates Motel Pilot is more of a 'haunting ghost story' rather than a slasher storyline.Bud Cort plays Alex West, a psychiatric patient who inherited the Bates Hotel from Norman Bates after he passes away in a mental institution. Add an annoying offsider by the way of Lori Petty that hangs around like a bad smell and the producers thought they'd have a good TV show.Had the pilot been picked up, it seemed to be a 'Twilight Zone' show of sorts. I also assume it was supposed to follow the 'guest of the week' formula of storytelling as per the pilot: a guest stays at the Bates Hotel, they would face their demons and there would be some supernatural resolution by the time they checked out. Continuity isn't one of the shows strong points - the show doesn't fit into the Psycho continuity as by the time Psycho IV is released, it clearly ignores the events of this pilot as Norman Bates is alive and well in that movie.As for the product itself, a MOD DVD-R, the video and sound is pretty good. I guess anything from the official source is better than the many bootlegs floating around out there. My only regret is the cover design that they chose for the DVD - some people will of course get confused with the current TV series and the original painted VHS cover of Bud Cort holding a hotel check-in book with 'UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT' stamped across it was pretty good.Still, for Psycho completists like me, I'm just happy to own this one on DVD.

Bates Motel has a lot of mixed reviews for sure. This is a 1987 TV movie that was supposed to be the pilot for a new series that didn't happen. It stars Bud Cort as Alex West, a young man who befriends Norman Bates in a psychiatric hospital. After Norman dies, he wills his old hotel to Alex who eventually fixes it up to be up and running again. Lori Petty plays a woman who is 'helping' Alex get the hotel in shape but she is simply annoying and a terrible idea to have people have to put up with each week had this gone on to be a series. Alex also finds obstacles along the way of making the hotel become a good business investment such as dead and buried bodies that keep showing up. And, of course, there is the question if Norman's mother is "really" around as a ghost or not. Anyway, it's really not a bad TV movie. It kept my interest. The only time I was getting bored with it was when the hotel finally had its first guest who was suicidal but another young woman is able to stop her before it's too late. But once I learned the real reason for this young woman's visit, it no longer seemed boring anymore. I realized that this was the 'haunting' part of the series. It also had a kind of 'twist' ending as well. It certainly isn't a scary film but it was entertaining. However, I don't think it would be particularly entertaining for people who don't have an interest in psycho films. I bought it mostly because I am a 'completion' collector and it completes my 'psycho' movie and TV collection. So, yes, it's not the best movie out there but it is certainly not the worst, either. It's worth watching if you can get it relatively cheap and you do like the Psycho movies and TV shows as well.

AT LAST ON DVD, THIS 1987 TV MOVIE IS A GREAT FOLLOW ON FROM THE 1960 PSYCHO MOVIE, ITS 27 YEAR,S LATER AND FOR GETTING PSYCHO 2/3 AND 4, NORMEN BATES LEAVES THE MOTEL AFTER HIS DEATH, IN HIS WILL TO A YOUNG MAN BY THE NAME OF ALEX WEST .BUD CORT. AFTER SPENDING TIME IN A SANITARIUM WITH NORMEN, THE YOUNG MAN DECIDES TO GO AND FIX UP, AND REOPEN THE BATES MOTEL WITH THE HELP OF A YOUNG WOMEN .LORI PETTY. BUT ITS NOT LONG BEFORE STRANGE GOWING,S ON START TO HAPPEN AROUND THE BIG SPOOKY OLD HOUSE AND THE MOTEL IN THE SHAPE OF MRS BATES, THIS REALLY IS A HIDDON GEM FROM THE 80,S WITH A GOOD STORY AND TOP CAST INCLUDING A YOUNG JASON BATEMAN, THERE,S ALSO A GOOD SENSE OF HUMOR TO THE FILM WITH A GHOSTLEY ENDING THAT YOU WILL NOT FOR GET IN A HURRY, ITS HALLOWEEN AT THE BATES MOTEL?

A nice little lost gem. Very interesting to see a different story involving the bates motel. I was finally able to complete my psycho movie collection now that this one is finally on DVD.

Collection of the Norman bates series

Not bad but not at all what I expected a little dissapointed

great film they need to do a few more films with this cast

Doesn't have much to do with Norman and his motel.

Finally Managed To Obtain This,"Made For Tv" Chiller after Seeing The Trailer Years agoOn Now,"Long Deleted" VHS,Originally Intended as a,"Pilot" For a Proposed Tv Series "That Didnt Quite Make It","Check On Amazon.Com For a More Detailed PerspectiveOn What The Premise POSSIBLY May Have Been",It Makes More Sense If You ViewThis Movie as ,"Follow On" To The Events In,"Psycho IV,The Beginning",DespiteThe Fact It Was Made,"Before" That So Intended,"Final Installment".Bud Cort Gives a Creditable Performance and,"As a Whole" The Director Managesa Nice Level Of,"Creepiness",and Even Mrs Bates Makes an Appearance.Nice To See Univeral Releasing These,"Harder" To Find Titles,Though There areStill Several That You Cant Get,"A Man Called Gannon" and The,"Original" 73 Min"TV Version" Of,"Duel" "Only The Theatrical 90 Min Version Is Available".Then add"The Young Warriors","James Drury" and "Death Race" "Doug Mclure/Lloyd Bridges"So There Are Still Several In Universals,"Vaults" Gathering Dust.Do Remember However These Dscs Are Region 1 Only So YouWill Need a "Multi-Regional" Player To Play These Discs. Barry J Kent/"UK"

My husband and I really do like this made for TV 1987 film that does go and forget about psycho 2 3 and 4, as it follow-on from the original psycho film after Norman Bates as been arrest and put in an asylum where he meets a young boy and befriends him, and later leaves the psycho house and the bates motel to him in his will after Norman's death, and them thing's get gowing,, psycho 2 was a Great sequel but this one's for fun and ghostly goings on at the bates place, as for the DVD it's self the cover artwork is wonderful and the picture quality on the disc is ok and it's UK speech friendly and with out the forced subtitles to, you also get the trailer to the film as well, so complete your psycho collection with this wonderful DVD.

Great 👍 movie 🎥No issuesCame on time👍

Well done to complete the series!!

Impeccable