10 Horror Movie Villains Who Were Recruited For Evil
6. Norman Bates - Psycho (1960)
Out of the horror movie villains featured on this list, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) is perhaps the most tragic case because he both did and didn’t decide to be recruited for evil. You see, “Mother” decided for him.
Norman and his mother Norma used to have what Norman perceived as "a very happy childhood", although they lived like hermits at their motel and adjoining house near Fairvale, California. Sadly, however, Mother was such a domineering force that the mild-mannered Norman never really had a chance against her.
Even when he perceived her as throwing him over for a romantic interest, Norman wouldn’t allow her to abandon him, so he poisoned both Norma and her lover, stole Norma’s corpse and began to talk, dress and behave as if he were his mother at times. He gave her half of his life to perpetuate the existence that he had always had with her.
Of course, whereas Norman had been jealous of Norma’s happiness, the Mother side of his personality was just as jealous of him, but far more controlling. Therefore, whenever Norman showed even the slightest interest in a member of the opposite sex, well, it never ended well...
Although Norman’s story is essayed perfectly in Sir Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960), the film was followed by three sequels, a 1987 television film and a television series featuring Freddie Highmore as Norman and Vera Farmiga as Norma.