By Psycho never really seemed like franchise material. Alfred Hitchcock’s original was such a perfectly self-contained movie that the idea of sequels, prequels, remakes, and TV shows probably would have sounded a little crazy at the time. And yet, Norman Bates kept coming back. Over the years, the franchise expanded in some surprisingly good directions and at least one that makes you wonder what the f*** they were thinking. So, with Mother watching closely, let’s check into the Bates Motel and see where the entire Psycho franchise lands when ranked from worst to best.
7. Bates Motel (1987)
Many forget that this piece of the Psycho franchise even exists, and I can’t say I blame them. The TV movie stars Bud Cort as Alex West, a mentally disturbed young man who befriends Norman Bates while confined to a mental institution. Norman is barely in the movie, dying early on and leaving the Bates Motel to Alex.
The project was intended as a pilot for a weekly TV series, with different guests checking into the motel and encountering strange happenings, but NBC declined to pick it up. Instead, Bates Motel aired as a movie of the week and was pretty much forgotten.
Today, it’s fascinating mostly as a “what the hell were they thinking?” footnote in the franchise. It’s also easy to understand why the concept went nowhere. It ignored the continuity of the Psycho sequels, killed off Norman Bates almost immediately, and attempted to turn the franchise into something closer to a supernatural anthology series. At least the cast was interesting. In addition to Cort, Bates Motel featured Lori Petty, Moses Gunn, Gregg Henry, and even a young Jason Bateman.
6. Psycho (1998)
Gus Van Sant’s Psycho takes the word “remake” about as literally as possible. The film is a nearly shot-for-shot recreation of Hitchcock’s iconic original, this time in full colour and with an entirely new cast. As an experiment, it’s fascinating. As a movie, it feels almost completely unnecessary.
There are some differences. Certain moments are more explicit, Van Sant throws in a few strange stylistic flourishes of his own, and the performances naturally give familiar scenes a different flavour. But the movie even uses Joseph Stefano’s original screenplay, which means you’re just watching Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Julianne Moore, Viggo Mortensen, and William H. Macy deliver the same dialogue that another cast did nearly forty years earlier.
That does make the remake interesting in an academic sense, particularly when you compare the different ways the actors approach the material. But it also constantly reminds you that Hitchcock already made this exact movie—and it was so much better.
“You can’t copy a film,” Van Sant told The New York Times in 2005. “If I hold a camera, it’s different than if Irving Penn holds it. Even if it’s in the same place, it will magically take on his character. Which was part of the experiment. Our Psycho showed that you can’t really appropriate. Or you can appropriate, but it’s not going to be the same thing.”
No, it is not.
5. Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990)
The fourth and final installment of the original Psycho franchise finds Anthony Perkins returning to his iconic role one last time. He would die just two years later.
The film functions as both a sequel and a prequel, flashing back to depict the deeply troubled relationship between a young Norman Bates (Henry Thomas) and his domineering mother, Norma (Olivia Hussey).
After hearing so much about Norma throughout the previous three movies, it’s striking to finally see her brought to life. She’s even more openly abusive and terrifying than we might have expected, and the flashbacks do a convincing job of showing how Norman became the man we know.
The framing story, which has the older Norman calling into a late-night radio show, is a little gimmicky, but there’s some genuinely strong material here. Now married and expecting a child, Norman becomes terrified that his mental illness could be inherited, leading him to consider extraordinary measures to make sure that never happens.
Psycho IV: The Beginning is certainly the weakest of the original four films, but it’s still well worth watching. Perkins remains compelling to the end, and the movie gives his version of Norman Bates a surprisingly fitting final chapter.
4. Psycho III (1986)
Directed by Anthony Perkins himself, Psycho III embraces a darker, sleazier 1980s slasher vibe, with a healthy dose of black comedy thrown in for good measure.
Picking up where Psycho II left off, Norman Bates is once again running the Bates Motel while struggling with the lingering influence of Mother. His fragile stability is disrupted by the arrival of Maureen (Diana Scarwid), a troubled young woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Marion Crane, along with an opportunistic drifter (Jeff Fahey), and a journalist (Roberta Maxwell) determined to uncover the truth about Norman’s past.
It’s much more obviously influenced by the slasher boom that Psycho itself helped inspire, with bloodier kills, more nudity, and a generally seedier atmosphere than the previous films. But Perkins clearly understands the strange appeal of Norman Bates, and he gives the movie enough dark humour and personality to keep it from feeling like just another ’80s slasher sequel.
It may not have the elegance of the original or the surprisingly strong character work of Psycho II, but watching Perkins do his thing is always a pleasure. Give it a watch.
3. Bates Motel (2013-2017)
Unlike the TV movie of the same name that kicked off this article, the Bates Motel TV series was a genuine success. Over the course of five seasons, Freddie Highmore was able to dive into the mind of Norman Bates in a way no other actor ever had the opportunity to, even Anthony Perkins. He’s fantastic in the role, wisely making Norman his own rather than simply doing a Perkins impersonation, but Vera Farmiga is arguably the show’s secret weapon.
Her Norma Bates becomes a real human being rather than the monstrous figure we had imagined in the movies. Her relationship with Norman is loving and supportive, but also toxic, tragic, and deeply uncomfortable. Farmiga gives Norma enough warmth so you understand why Norman loves her so fiercely, even as their bond becomes increasingly destructive.
I’ll admit that the idea of a Psycho prequel series rubbed me the wrong way when it was first announced, but Bates Motel quickly won me over. More importantly, it gradually becomes far more interesting than a straightforward prequel, evolving into an alternate version of the Psycho story.
By the fifth and final season, the series is actively remixing the events of Hitchcock’s movie, allowing familiar characters and moments to unfold in surprising new ways.
2. Psycho II (1983)
For the penultimate entry, I went back and forth over whether Psycho II or Bates Motel was more deserving of this spot. I completely understand why someone might put Bates Motel ahead of it, but for me, I had to go with the first sequel.
As someone who absolutely loves Hitchcock’s Psycho, the idea of sequels being produced after his death always seemed wrong to me, so for years, I avoided them entirely. That was stupid. When I finally gave the sequels a chance, I was shocked by how much I enjoyed them, particularly Psycho II.
Twenty-two years after being committed to a mental institution, Norman Bates is declared sane and released. He returns home and attempts to rebuild his life while reopening the Bates Motel, but Marion Crane’s sister, Lila Loomis, once again played by Vera Miles, remains convinced that it’s only a matter of time before Norman kills again.
Bringing Norman Bates back after more than two decades could have been incredibly cheap, but Psycho II makes you question whether Norman might actually deserve our sympathy. Anthony Perkins is terrific because you’re constantly wondering whether Norman has genuinely been rehabilitated or whether he’s slowly losing his mind all over again.
And that ending. So good.
1. Psycho (1960)
Alfred Hitchcock’s original is still untouchable. It works as a thriller, a horror movie, and a character study. Anthony Perkins’ Norman Bates is frightening precisely because he’s so likable, awkward, and vulnerable. The iconic shower scene may get most of the attention, but it’s the movie’s quieter moments—Norman talking to Marion in the parlour, Detective Arbogast climbing the stairs, Norman’s final stare—that really stick with you.
It’s one of those movies whose influence is so enormous that you almost have to remind yourself just how groundbreaking and new it must have felt in 1960. Its content may seem relatively tame by today’s standards, but Psycho pushed the limits of violence, sexuality, and what mainstream audiences were accustomed to seeing onscreen. Not to mention, it was the first major American movie to show a flushing toilet. Audiences must have been doing some serious pearl clutching.
More than sixty years later, Psycho hasn’t lost its power. The performances, Bernard Herrmann’s score, Hitchcock’s direction, the editing—It’s a masterclass in practically every regard, and there was never really any question that it would take the top spot.
Your Turn
And that’s how I’d rank the Psycho franchise. There are definitely a few placements here that could be debated, particularly regarding the sequels and Bates Motel, so I’m curious to see how your list compares. How would you rank the Psycho movies and TV projects? Let us know in the comments below.
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