History Film / PsychoIVTheBeginning

* KickTheSonOfABitch: Norma and her lover Chet treat her son Norman horribly, so it's only fitting that they both meet a slow painful death via poisoning.

* ArtisticLicenseMedicine: The poison in the tea. Norman uses strychnine to poison his mother and her lover. The lethal dose of strychnine is around 10mg and Norman's bottle reads 1.5mg/oz. He puts a maximum of 4oz into the ice-tea. Even if his mother and her lover drank the whole pitcher, it would have hardly killed them. Furthermore, strychnine is one of the most bitter substances known to man, it's highly unlikely to be swallowed by accident, even in very small doses. Strychnine also takes ten to twenty minutes to take effect, and two to three hours before death, yet in the film both Norman's mother and her boyfriend die within minutes.

* BroadStrokes: The events of ''Film/PsychoII'' and ''Film/PsychoIII'' are never directly referenced, and neither is the character of Emma Spool. However, the film never outright contradicts the events of these films, therefore it could be considered this trope.
* CanonDiscontinuity: How the film seems to treat the ending of ''Film/PsychoIII'', [[spoiler:which suggested he won't be released again. Arguably justified as Norman had been released in the second movie and deemed sane, but was driven insane again rather quickly and went back to committing murders, making the chances of another release very unlikely indeed]]. It also (seemingly) ignores [[spoiler:the revelation that Norman's aunt Emma Spool killed his father and tried to steal him from his mother]], though this plot point is never explicitly contradicted or retconned.
* ChickMagnet: Norman claimed to be this as a teenager. One girl literally ran into his house, and the other was a woman ''twice'' his age. You can guess how it ended though...

* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler:After the immense crap that happens throughout the Psycho series (mainly the first one), Norman finally is allowed to forget his dark past and focus on Connie and his soon to be born child.]]
* TheEndOrIsIt: Subverted. [[spoiler:Norman says he is finally free, but then we hear Norma's voice screaming from what's left of the cellar. However, this demand goes completely ignored, showing that Norman is indeed free of his demons.]]
* FanDisservice: The movie features several scenes of intimacy. But considering one of them depicts an abusive incestous relationship, and two of them involve the murder of two innocent women, one gets a feeling of nausea rather than arousal.

* GoodBadGirl: Holly (Norman's first victim) is definitely [[ImpliedTrope implied to be this.]] While she makes the first moves on Norman, and is rather horny in general, she's also a [[NiceGirl rather sweet and friendly girl,]] at least from [[WeHardlyKnewYe what little we see of her.]]
* GrandFinale: The film was made into this at Anthony Perkins' request, since he knew he was suffering from AIDS and would likely not have lived long enough to make a fifth film.

* {{Hypocrite}}: In a childhood flashback during his father's funeral, Norma tickles a young Norman causing him to burst out in laughter. Norma then slaps him across the face and chastises him for laughing despite her being the direct inappropriate cause for his laughter. Which gets worst as he grows up and the hypocrisy continues through sexual abuse.

** She also believes all women to being whores, except herself.

* MommasBoy: Norma's years of sexually abusing her son has left Norman with an exaggerated fixation on her. Norman still puts up with his mother's abuse because he desires her and sees her lover Chet as a rival.

* TheSociopath: Norma seems to meet the criteria: a grandiose belief in her own superiority above other women, aggression and violence, manipulation and bullying of her own sun, unhealthy sexual promiscuity...

* WhamLine: [[spoiler:"She let herself get '''''pregnant!"''''']]

* OedipusComplex: Norma's years of sexually abusing her son has left Norman with an exaggerated oedipal complex. Norman still puts up with his mother's abuse because he desires her and sees her lover Chet as a rival.

* AmbiguousDisorder: Norma's mental state and frequent mood-swings and outbursts are similar to BPD, Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder.

* GoodBadGirl: Holly (Norman's first victim) is definitely [[{{ImpliedTrope implied to be this.]] While she makes the first moves on Norman, and is rather horny in general, she's also a [[NiceGirl rather sweet and friendly girl,]] at least from [[WeHardlyKnewYe what little we see of her.]]

* AmbiguousDisorder: Norma's mental state and frequent mood-swings and outbursts are similar to Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder.

* AdultFear: The reason Norman initially calls in is over worry that his future child might have the same affliction he had.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: After the immense crap that happens throughout the Psycho series (mainly the first one..), Norman finally is allowed to forget his dark past and focus on Connie and his soon to be born child.]]

* BeeAfraid: The flashbacks show that Norman's father died as a result of being stung by numerous bees.

* InsaneTrollLogic: Norma gives one to Norman. When she hits him with a newspaper, Norman asks her why she's hitting him, leading Norma to respond "Who else can I hit!?". Given that though they're the only two people living closely together, it doesn't give her any appropriate reason to vent her anger at her son.

-->'''Norma:''' They're closing down the highway and building a new one. They couldn't build it closer to the motel because then the world could still see us! Oh, what am I going to do?! How am I going to live?! You! Just like my father, never a drop a sympathy!

-->'''Norma:''' Sorry for what!? What the hell good are you if you can't show an little drop of sympathy?!

* BabiesEverAfter: Zigzagged and Discussed. Norman and his wife Connie are expecting their first child, but Norman fears that the child will become mentally deranged like him and seeks to prevent that by contemplating killing Connie and the unborn child. Luckily, he has a change of heart and get and Connie move on together with their new life prepared for their unborn child.

* CanonDiscontinuity: How the film seems to treat the ending of ''Film/PsychoIII''; [[spoiler:which suggested he won't be released again. Arguably justified as Norman had been released in the second movie and deemed sane, but was driven insane again rather quickly and went back to committing murders, making the chances of another release very unlikely indeed]]. It also (seemingly) ignores [[spoiler:the revelation that Norman's aunt Emma Spool killed his father and tried to steal him from his mother]], though this plot point is never explicitly contradicted or retconned.

-->'''Norma:''' I was fine until I gave birth to you. You caused a lot of damage. I should have gotten rid of you the day I found out I was gonna have you. Not one thing you've ever said or done has made all I've gone through with you worthwhile! Not one blessed thing! I should have killed you in my womb! You sure as hell tried to kill me getting out of it!!

* AllWomenAreLustful: Norma lusts after her son and punishes him when reacts, then she chastises him for keeping pornographic magazines and reminds him that all women are whores excluding herself. Also, the two women Norman dates and later murders, throw themselves at him.

* ArtisticLicenseMedicine: The poison in the tea. Norman uses strychnine to poison his mother and her lover. The lethal dose of strychnine is around 10mg and Norman's bottle reads 1.5mg/oz. He puts a maximum of 4oz into the ice-tea. Even if his mother and her lover drank the whole pitcher, it would have hardly killed them. Furthermore, strychnine is one of the most bitter substances known to man, it's highly unlikely to be swallowed by accident, even in very small doses.
** Strychnine takes ten to twenty minutes to take effect, and two to three hours before death, yet in the film both Norman's mother and her boyfriend die within minutes.

-->'''Adult Norman:''' ''(narrating)'' Lying in that bed by my mother, well, I guess you could say I got a little too big for my britches.

* AllWomenAreLustful: Norma lusts after her son and punishes him when reacts, then she chastises him for keeping phonographic magazines and reminds him that all women are shores excluding herself. Also, the two women Norman dates and later murders throw themselves at him.

-->'''Norma:''' Sorry for what!? What the hell good for you if you can't show an once of sympathy?!

-->'''Norma:''' It's because of you, that I can't hold my water, that's why I'm always running to the toilet, did you know that?!

-->'''Norma:''' I regret the day that I ever had you! Not one thing you've ever said or done has been worth all this! Not one blasted thing! I should have killed you in my womb! You sure as hell tried to kill me getting out of it!!

* IfICantHaveYou: Feeling betrayed by his mother, Norman poisons them both with their tea.

* MethodActing: When filming the first murder scene, Henry Thomas (Teenage Norman) got so involved in the stabbing that part of the knife went into his hand which caused some nerve damage. To this day, he still has a scar.
** The scene where Norman rips the apple in half was improvised by Anthony Perkins. In the script, Norman was originally supposed to take a butcher knife and slam it into the apple but Perkins felt that was too corny.