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VIDEO: The end of the Bates Motel in Langley

Crew demolishes standing set for television prequel to Hitchcock film
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After five years of peering down on Langley's 272 Street


 

On Monday, a small crew was taking the Bates mansion apart, piece by piece.

The ominous looking duplicate of the iconic house from the 1960 Hitchcock classic film Psycho has been on a small slope overlooking 272 Street near the Langley waste transfer station for the last five years.

The house, and the yellow motel below it, were built for the A&E Television series "Bates Motel" that tells the story of Norman Bates and his mother leading up to the events of the film, which featured the famous murder-in-the-shower scene with Janet Leigh.

During the first season, the house had no roof. One was supplied by digital effects.

By the second season, a real version of the high-pitched roof with the well-known circular gunsight window was installed.

The well-reviewed series stars Freddie Highmore as Norman, the part that Anthony Perkins made famous, and Vera Farmiga as his mother Norma.

The show is now in its fifth and final season, and with filming completed, there is no need for the sets.

The mansion and motel were built on Township land, and the producers offered to leave the motel standing for the Township to use, possibly for storage, but the proposal was declined.

The motel got some tongue-in-cheek reviews when it appeared on Google maps, with people posting complaints about attempts to stab them while they were taking a shower and other frightening encounters.

“I’m locked in my room and I hear creepy footsteps approaching," one wrote, adding "I’m starting to think I picked a bad place to crash for the weekend."

 

 

 



Dan Ferguson

About the Author: Dan Ferguson

Best recognized for my resemblance to St. Nick, I’m the guy you’ll often see out at community events and happenings around town.
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