Psycho (film Series) - Novels

Novels

In 1959, the novel Psycho was published. The novel was loosely based on the Wisconsin serial killer and cannibal Ed Gein. Author Robert Bloch lived 40 miles away from Gein's farmhouse and liked the idea of somebody being able to kill people in a small community and get away with it for years without being caught. The character of Norman Bates was very different in the novel than in the film version. In the novel, Bates is overweight, in his early 40's and drinks heavily. When Joseph Stefano adapted the novel into the screenplay, he made the character of Norman young, attractive and vulnerable. In 1982, Bloch wrote a sequel novel called Psycho II which had nothing to do with the 1983 film version. In the novel, Norman Bates escapes the mental institution and goes to Hollywood to stop the production of a film based on his life. Many critics and fans described the novel as being silly and weird and couldn't have possibly been made into a film. In 1990, due to the pressure from his publishing company Bloch wrote a third novel called Psycho House. However according to horror writer David J. Schow, when writing it Bloch originally called it Psycho 13. In the novel, the Bates mansion and motel are bought as tourist attractions and a series of murders begin to take place.