A TRIP TO BATES MOTEL
(WITH NEW UPDATED PHOTOS AT BOTTOM!)

Earlier this year, I got a nice little tour round Universal Studios, and got to wander off the beaten path and get up closer to things that the tour tram is a lot further away from. I was thrilled and creeped out to see The Bates Motel up close, and actually wander up to Norman's office door.  Here's the original sign that's still there after all these years. It looks extra creepy and white trashy now in the sunlight.

Here's Norman's office door. I'd have snapped inside the window shots but there was nothing in there of note. Once you get up on the walkway here, it's pretty treacherous. It's falling apart, and the whole building is just rotten.

If you look to your right, you'll see the doors to all the rooms. I wish I could remember which one Marion Crane stayed in.

Here's a shot from further away. As you can see, the studio folk have just let it go to shit and just throw random dead trees and such in the front of it.

Up the hill is the main house. A closer look to the left and you can see it's being used as a trashy dumping ground right now, too.

I'm kicking myself because after I got home, I didn't get a better close-up picture of the lower left window.  You can just make out a mannequin of Mother Bates behind the glass.

Meanwhile over in Studio City, an even more famous eerie house is on history.  It's still in great shape.

Unfortunately I only got a front shot of the house.  I was really hoping to get a picture of their swell backyard of astro-turf.

-Robert Berry
rberry@retrocrush.com

SPECIAL UPDATE!

I was thrilled to get this email from Casey Dodd, who has been able to get some more up close pictures of The Bates Motel.  It looks like it was only in a temporary state of disarray while they were filming War of The Worlds on the same lot.  These new pictures show Norman's place is as good looking as it ever was.

Hey There-

Just caught your site- AWESOME stuff, L-O-V-E-D the Worst Costumes page!!! Saw your photo tour of the Psycho set- I & my buddy were former Tour Guides there in the 80's & 90's. He now works as senior show writer there, making our backlot journeys more frequent than ever. Here's the SAME set you explored about 2 weeks ago) - now re-sprinkled with movie magic to give it that classic feel.

Enjoy!

-C

PS: From the looks of the rubble in your photos, it looks like they were setting up the "plane crash" site for "War of the Worlds" which was set up right behind the Psycho house.