The character Norman Bates in the movie and novel Psycho is loosely based on the real-life Wisconsin murderer Ed Gein. Author Robert Bloch wrote the 1959 novel Psycho inspired by the circumstances and crimes of Ed Gein, who had a twisted, obsessive attachment to his mother and committed grave robbing and murder. Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film adaptation further popularized this character, highlighting the dark psychological aspects inspired by Gein's life. While Norman Bates was fictionalized and altered to be more sympathetic in the film, the core horror element of a disturbed man with a mother fixation draws heavily from Ed Gein's story.
