Bates Motel: The 93% RT Horror Prequel That Outshines IT: Welcome to Derry

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The 2025 horror series, IT: Welcome to Derry, quickly became a streaming hit for HBO Max, ranking among its top three debuts. While the show, based on Stephen King’s novel, did well overall, it also received mixed reactions. Some viewers found the plot confusing and the special effects uneven. Despite being renewed for a second season, the show could benefit from learning lessons from the most successful horror prequel series.

Running from 2013 to 2017 on A&E, Bates Motel was a reimagining of the classic 1960 Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho, which itself was based on a novel. The show tells the story of Norman and Norma Bates, starting with how they came to own a motel in Oregon, and details their slow decline into mental instability. Bates Motel received three Primetime Emmy nominations and has been critically acclaimed, earning a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with its fourth and fifth seasons both receiving perfect 100% scores.

An Exploration of Characters Is What Made Bates Motel So Great

The TV series Bates Motel brilliantly expands on the characters we know from the original movie and book. While the show’s timeline differs, it adds depth by giving us more backstory, particularly for Norma Bates. We learn about the traumatic experiences in Norma’s past and the abusive relationship she had with her husband, which helps explain the psychological issues she and Norman both struggle with.

What really struck me about this film was how it showed us why Norman became the person he did – how his split personality developed, and the fact that it felt like things could have gone differently. That vulnerability actually made me feel sorry for him, and honestly, building a character with that kind of depth is just really smart storytelling. It’s not just about the horror; it’s about understanding the tragedy behind it.

The show Bates Motel cleverly concluded its story by seamlessly leading into the beginning of Psycho, with some events overlapping. In contrast, IT: Welcome to Derry made a misstep by saving the reveals of how new characters connected to existing ones until the very end. If those connections had been established earlier in the series, viewers probably would have been more invested in the characters and their fates.

Bates Motel Doesn’t Rely on Surface-Level Storytelling

One of the things that makes Bates Motel work so well is its original writing. The show cleverly integrated key events into the unfolding story, instead of having to work around pre-existing plot points like IT: Welcome to Derry did over its three seasons. While those events don’t need to be the main focus in future seasons, the series could really excel by prioritizing character development – a hallmark of Stephen King’s writing – instead of relying too much on jump scares or over-the-top moments with Pennywise.

Most viewers of Bates Motel already knew the character of Norman Bates and his history of violence at the motel. However, the show focused much more on Norman’s complex relationship with his mother and the connections he made with others, rather than on the details of the original Psycho movie or the motel itself. These earlier events were secondary to understanding Norman’s personal life before the events of the film.

Beyond focusing solely on the central characters, Bates Motel dedicates significant time to its supporting cast. This allows viewers to become more invested in the world of the show and provides compelling reasons to keep watching. Although the story always returns to the Bates family, broadening the scope to show that others are also struggling adds depth and intrigue.

The show’s success is due to its complex and well-crafted stories, combined with outstanding acting – particularly from Freddie Highmore – and strong supporting performances from Max Thieriot, Nestor Carbonell, Ryan Hurst, and Olivia Cooke (known for House of the Dragon).

Bates Motel is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

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2026-05-23 14:38