History Characters / Psycho

* ADateWithRosiePalms: Subtly implied in the original, and flat out shown in the remake.

* TheAlcoholic: The book offers a simpler explanation for his transformations into Norma: He drinks a lot.

* PlayingAgainstType: Creator/RobertLoggia is known for playing sleazy underworld figures and tough guys. Here he plays a mild-mannered and kind psychiatrist.

* AttemptedRape: He tries to rape Maureen while

* ADayInTheLimelight: ''Psycho IV'' is the film that focuses on her relationship with Norman the most.

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:She was an abusive monster who caused all the hell in Norman's life. Nobody feels bad when we learned that she was killed and preserved as a corpse by Norman]].

* KickTheDog: Her constant treatment towards Norman ranges from berating him to constantly [[MoralEventHorizon abusing since childhood]]. It's ''really'' saying something when the smallest insult Norman remembers is when she told him that she should have had ''an abortion to prevent him from ruining her life''.

* {{Sadist}}: ''Psycho IV'' shows that she loved torturing her son all his life. [[spoiler:You don't feel sad when [[AssholeVictim she gets what's coming to her.]]]]

* NotSoDifferent:
** Seeing as how [[spoiler:Lila treats her daughter in ''Psycho II'', she has more than a few similarities to the mother that drove Norman Bates insane, though for Lila's case, it could be AngerBornOfWorry of losing her daughter to Norman after losing her sister to him before, since Lila is fulfilling the HeroAntagonist role]].
** And, of course, there's the fact that [[spoiler:she sets everything up to make Norman go insane again. Sure, she has a reason for not liking him because he killed her sister and several other people, but to attempt to send him back to the asylum and possibly kill again is just ''wrong'']].

* NotSoDifferent: She and Norman are both abused and used as tools by their mothers.

* NotSoDifferent:
** Another girl exactly like Norman. Both are [[BrokenBird emotionally hurt]] people who are nice to everyone they meet, but hide their inner pain from others.
** Also one to Marion Crane. She's an emotionally troubled girl who hides out at the Bates Motel after committing a crime she regretted. Norman even notices that they have the same initials and a similar, uncanny appearance.

* NotSoDifferent: From her sister [[spoiler:Norma. Both are murderous monsters desiring control over Norman's life].

* VocalEvolution: In the second and third films, Norma's voice actor and original portrayer Virginia Gregg's voice was notably more gruffer and raspier then in the original film, which makes her sound more creepier then before.

* PlayingAgainstType: Creator/RobertLoggia is known for playing sleazy underworld figures and tough guys. Here he plays a mild-mannered and kind psychiatrist.

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: In the novel, Norman is an overweight, balding, alcoholic slob. In the film, he's a shy nice guy who looks cute and innocent.
** Vince Vaughn, who plays Norman in the 1998 remake, is slightly closer to his book counterpart.
* AdaptationalBadass: In the novels, Norman continued his descent into insanity and was completely dominated by the memory of his mother. In the film series, [[spoiler: he slowly overcomes his split personality's control over him and finally breaks free in the fourth and final film.]]

* StalkerWithoutACrush: [[spoiler:In her newfound role as a {{vigilante}}, she's monitoring Norman's entire life in order to get him recommitted to the insane asylum out of vengeance for all the wrongs he's done to her.]]

* SympatheticInspectorAntagonist: In the original film only, in the sequel she conversely became a somewhat unsympathetic InspectorJavert {{vigilante}}.

The owner and proprietor of Bates Motel, a failing motel outside the town of Fairvale, Norman Bates whole world revolves around his abusive mother Norma.

* StupidEvil: She kills psople who are ruining Norman's life to protect him without attempting any alternatives first. She doesn't seem to realize thwa her actions would immediately make Norman a murder suspect.

* SelfServingMemory: We only have Norman's memories and interpretations of Norma to go on throughout the film series. This got played with in adaptations like ''BatesMotel'' where "Mother" was a {{Flanderized}} manifestation in Norman's unhinged mind; the real life Norma was a much more well meaning, if still morally dubious parent.

* {{Expy}}: He's basically book Norman, a fat, lecherous alcoholic.

* HateSink: He seems to exist for the sole purpose of giving the audience someone to hate in ''Psycho II''. While Lila has [[JerkassHasAPoint several good points]], Norman isn't the killer this time and has truly reformed, and [[spoiler:Mrs. Spool]] is genuinely AffablyEvil, Toomey is just a vile scumbag with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

* {{Slimeball}}: Pretty much everything he does just oozes slime. He seems drugs to kids, runs a prostitution ring out of the Bates Motel, sexually harasses Mary, and shows up at Norman's place of work just to harass him.

* DiesDifferentlyInTheAdaptation: Is seemingly murdered by Norman in Bloch's ''Psycho II'' as well [[spoiler: but the actual killer is revealed to have been Dr. Clairborne]].

* DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: In Robert Bloch's version of ''Psycho II'', both Sam and Lila are murdered by Norman. In the film version, Sam is already dead from unknown circumstances. (While an overstatement, some like to believe that Lila killed him over her opinion of Norman being restored to normal.)

* JerkassHasAPoint: In ''Psycho II'', although she does not give Norman a chance, in the opening courtroom scene, she was correct that usually the justice system would not give criminals convicted of first degree murder a light sentence of being released back into society to reintegrate, and is entirely right in questioning Norman's sanity to the point where even on-lookers at the court expresses she has a point.

* MindRape: A downplayed, realistic example. Her constant abuse eventually broke her own son's mental health. [[spoiler:Now her personality lives on within him because of her cruel presence in his life.]]

* NiceGuy: When the Mother personality doesn't take over, Norman's a pretty polite and sweet guy.

** Vince Vaughin, who plays Norman in the 1998 remake, is slightly closer to his book counterpart.

* {{Slimeball}}: He's an absolute sleaze-bag.

* ReluctantPsycho: In ''Psycho II'', ''Psycho III'', and ''Psycho IV'', he's well aware of his mental issues, and does his best not to slip back into killing.