Let’s hope the folks behind the upcoming A&E series “Bates Motel” have watched the recent “Halloween” reboot and “Hannibal Rising.”

Those clunkers showed precisely how NOT to illustrate the birth of a movie monster.

A&E’s push to expand their reality show lineup with scripted fare may hinge on how dutifully they can reproduce Anthony Perkins’ iconic screen role. the twitchy, murderous Norman Bates from “Psycho.” Here’s the channel’s description of the program in question:

“Bates Motel” serves as a prequel to the most famous fright film of all-time, “Psycho.”  A&E is currently in script development. “Bates Motel” will give viewers an intimate understanding of how Norman Bates’ psyche developed from his childhood through his teen years. Fans will have access to the dark, twisted backstory and learn first hand how his mother, Norma, and her lover damaged Norman, helping forge the most well-known serial killing motel owner in history.

The aforementioned “Halloween” and “Hannibal Rising” features tried to extend successful franchises by plumbing the depths of the characters’ early days. But audiences didn’t care if Michael Myers was an abused child who finally struck back against society, or that Hannibal Lecter was once young, charming and didn’t crave human flesh.

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#3: Psycho (1960)

Director Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” isn’t just The Great Slasher/Haunted House film of all time, it’s also one of the greatest films period. And what’s most remarkable is that though the story of Marion and Norman and Mother is now a full half-century old, there is no movie-lover walking around today too “sophisticated” to be knocked over by it. No matter how many films, horror or otherwise, you might have seen over the course of your post-modern lifetime, if you walk into “Psycho” cold — unaware of Hitchcock’s treasure trove of groundbreaking surprises — your jaw will still hit the floor at the precise moments the then-60 year-old director wanted it to.

And that’s the other thing that’s so impressive and unique, “Psycho” doesn’t look, feel, or perform like a story told by a middle-aged director at the top of his creative game. The films immediately surrounding it, “North By Northwest” “Vertigo” and “The Birds” most certainly do (which isn’t a criticism), but tucked in the middle of those polished, elegant accomplishments is this gritty, low-budget ($807,000), black and white grinder that’s positively bursting with the kind of energy, fresh ideas, and healthy contempt for the rules that you only ever see in audaciously arrogant and talented young directors looking to stake their claim. “Psycho” is the “Reservoir Dogs,” the “Easy Rider,” the “Night of the Living Dead” of its era, but those were all films birthed by first-time directors. Prior to 1960, Hitchcock had helmed over fifty features!   

From the opening Saul Bass titles set to Bernard Hermann’s iconic and immortal score, Hitchcock starts things off with the promise of a high-level energy experience he never breaks, thanks mainly to the fact that what the mischievous master has planned for his unsuspecting audience is one the greatest cinematic mind fucks of all time. (more…)

3pm PST - Trial, The (1963) – In this adaptation of Kafka’s classic, a man in a nameless country stands trial for an unnamed crime. Cast: Anthony Perkins, Jeanne Moreau, Romy Schneider, Elsa Martinelli Dir: Orson Welles BW-120 mins, TV-14

You can decide if you want to see it again, but everyone should see Welles impressive adaptation of Franz Kafka’s classic nightmare at least once, if only for the film’s stunning look and atmosphere. “The Trial” is a challenging film. There’s no real story, a whole lot of slow spots and an overall pace with little respect for the audience. But it is a wonder to look at and fans of the novel are likely to appreciate how close Welles came to filming what was widely believed to be un-filmable (or they might stand by that opinion). (more…)