Horror Icons: Norman Bates

Norman Bates, the infamous character from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, is a deeply troubled motel owner with a dark, split personality. Living under the control of his domineering mother, Norma, Norman struggles with severe mental illness, manifesting in a "mother" persona that drives him to commit murders. After unaliving his mother in a jealous rage, Norman keeps her alive in his mind, dressing as her to carry out his violent impulses. His polite, quiet demeanor masks a disturbed psyche, torn between guilt and madness. As one of horror's most iconic killers, Norman Bates represents the terrifying consequences of psychological trauma.