Trivia / Bates Motel (1987)

• The Other Darrin: Anthony Perkins didn't want to come back for this film, so Kurt Paul, Perkins' stunt double in Psycho II and Psycho III, played him here.
• Recycled Script: The film recycles the plot point of a suicidal female guest coming to stay at the Bates Motel with the intention of cutting their wrists in the bath, only for their life to be saved, from the previous year's Psycho III. Though granted, Psycho III didn't feature a gang of teenage ghosts in its suicide subplot, so... there's that, at least.
• Stock Footage: The opening and closing shots of the Bates House are taken from the opening sequence of Psycho II.
• What Could Have Been: The film was intended to lead into an anthology series, with Bud Cort contracted to continue appearing as Alex West (Lori Petty and Moses Gunn apparently weren't given such contracts, on the other hand, but their characters would likely have appeared in any actual series), but poor viewing figures and audience responses killed any chance of that.

---