THE MOTHER

Introduction
◦ Mrs. Bates in the film
◦ Death mother
◦ Norma Bates and Norma Desmond
◦ The Influence of ‘Mother’
◦ Friday the 13th
◦ The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The Mother/Mrs. Bates in film
She is the deceased mother and victim of serial killer Norman Bates,
who had developed a murderous split personality based on her.
Although she is an important character and driving the plot, Mrs. Bates
only appears as an corpse in the film. It is suggested through the film
and other media that she raised Norman with cruelty after the death of
her husband, forbidding him from having a life away from her and that
sexual intercourse is sinful and that all women, except for herself are
whores. She can be seen as a third macguffin as she always becomes
the apical of the plot as each character wants to talk to her like
After murdering his mother and her lover, Norman is so distressed he Figure 1: The Mother
takes her body and mummifies it and develops this new persona of ‘They are probably looking at
‘mother’. me...let them. Let them see
When Norman is faced with his greatest fear, the ‘mother’ persona what kind of person I am I never
takes full control of his mind in an attempt to shield Norman from the hurt a fly, I hope they're
watching, they'll see.. They'll see
horrors of the “mad house.” Even after being discovered, “Norma”
and they'll know "Because she
attempts to manipulate the situation, by portraying herself as a couldn't hurt a fly“’ – Mother
harmless individual who couldn’t hurt a fly. (Psycho 1960)
Death Mother
At the end of the film, it is suggested through
surrealism film techniques, that Norman has now
become possessed by ‘the mother’, when the
mother’s skull-face appears over his face and
then dissolves into the end scene where they pull
Crane’s car out of the swamp. This technique
gives the effect that we have entered the world
of death, one that is tinted with and indissociable
from the images and associations with the
mother, which inverts the mother as someone
who brings forth death and not life.
Figure 2: Norman being possessed by Mother
This concept emerges from the diegetic world of the film. She emerges from a fusion of narrative
concerns. As we never see The mother/Mrs. Bates, her character is based on her distance in the film
as she remains mysterious and unseen till the end of the film but we do hear about her from
Norman, and later the chief of police, meaning all her characteristics are based on what we are
told. These characteristics then get muddled as well, because these two characters each tell us
different things about her and later finding out that Norman killed her also does this.
Norma Bates and Norma Desmond
Psycho is expands on similar themes of an overpowering female
presence in the musical version of Sunset Boulevard. In Sunset
Boulevard follows a fictional movie star, Norma Desmond and
explores her relationship with Joe Gillis, who she hires to polish up
her comeback Screenplay. Norma, in fierce make-up and a dress
that exaggerate her femininity alternately seduces and repels Joe.
What links Sunset Boulevard to Psycho are the associations of
Norma and death and the level of aesthetic they achieved by the
end of the film.
Psycho and Sunset Boulevard both reveal that a particular
relationship exists between works that seek to thematize the terrors
Figure 3: Norma Desmond
of gendered identity and sexual desire, specifically the relationship
to the mother’s body and female sexuality, while also seeking an
especially calibrated, considered appealing effect.
The death-mother may suggest a great deal about the dread of
the mother in culture and the prejudice dimensions of this dread.
The Influence of the ’Mother’
◦ The ominous mother motif in Psycho has become a trend in contemporary horror films
and it started with Psycho.
◦ Many famous horror icons have motivation for doing the psychopathic deeds they
commit due to the connection to the mother or family, in turn causing them to murder.
Just like Normans connection and cause for killing being his mother.

“The maternal figure may be considered as the monstrous feminine. As Creed argues,
when a woman is constructed as monstrous, it is almost always in reference to her
capacity to reproduce and to mother.”
(Quilis 2010)
The Influence of the ’Mother: Friday the 13th
◦ A variation of the theme of the ‘Mother’ has had
influence in the Friday the 13th series.
◦ Jason Voorhees main motivation for killing is due to the
influence of his mother who drives him to seek revenge for
her death.
◦ In the film in the franchise the influence from Psycho is
more apparent with Pamela Voorhees, the mother, being Figure 4: Jason
Voorhees
the main killer, with the son, that we thing is dead
encouraging her to kill.
◦ In fact Jason has the remains of his mother as seen in part Figure 5: Norma’s Corpse
2 as a shrine similar to Norman bates.
◦ ”Friday the 13th and Psycho were similar in quite a bit of
ways. The main way being the relationship and obsession
Jason Voorhees had with his mother Pamela Voorhees. It
may not be quite the same obsession Norman Bates had
with his mother, but it had a very big influence on
the Friday the 13th saga.” (Macabre 2016) Figure 6: Pamela’s
Corpse
 The Influence of the ’Mother’:
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
◦ Both Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre were both loosely inspired
by Ed Gein the Butcher of Plainfield so there is no surprise they have some
themes in common.
◦ In The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, there is a very prevalent theme of family
and the mother. Leatherface in several scenes is dressed as his mother,
and a cut scene where he applies make up to his mask.
◦ The Sawyer family also keep the decomposing bodies of their loved ones
similar to Norman and his Mother and bring them to diner as if they are still
alive just like Bates talks to and perceives his mother as still alive. Figure 7: Leatherface

“The abjection or interstitially of Leatherface (in relation to gender) is directly

related to that of Norman Bates in Psycho.”
(Quilis 2010)
In conclusion, the death mother has bought about the concept that the mother
character doesn’t just have to bring life, it can also bring death. And that the mother has
gone on to influence other similar horror films.
Illustration Bibliography
Figure 1: The Mother (1960). [Image] Available at:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/42/22/09/422209c4ddc3be8e8fe88e5b9bce809d.jpg [Accessed
24 Jan. 2019].
Figure 2: Norman being possessed by mother. (2019). [image] Available at: https://cdn-
images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*50HyYyepLl4XRl8QVROP0w.png [Accessed 24 Jan. 2019].
Figure 3: Norma Desmond. (2019). [image] Available at:
https://www.weekendnotes.co.uk/im/005/06/sunset-boulevard-andrew-lloyd-webber-
musicals-in-s.jpg [Accessed 24 Jan. 2019].
Figure 4:: Jason Voorhees. (2019). [image] Available at:
http://spaceamigos.com/?qa=image&qa_blobid=15171893308661524375&qa_size=400
[Accessed 24 Jan. 2019]
Figure 5: Norma’s Corpse (1960). [Image] Available at:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/42/22/09/422209c4ddc3be8e8fe88e5b9bce809d.jpg [Accessed
24 Jan. 2019]
Figure 6: Pamela's Corpse. (2019). [image] Available at:
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ODAgUY4ugMo/maxresdefault.jpg [Accessed 24 Jan. 2019].
Figure 7: Leatherface. (2019). [image] Available at:
https://medias.spotern.com/spots/w640/165415-1539375174.jpg [Accessed 24 Jan. 2019].
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