Psycho Quotes

Context

This line is spoken by Norman Bates, played by Anthony Perkins, in the film Pyscho, directed by Alfred Hitchcock (1960).

In Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 masterpiece of terror, Psycho, a woman named Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) with $40,000 in stolen cash (which is over 300,000 smackeroos today) stops running from the law for a night at a quaint little motel. The Bates Motel. 

Bad choice, Marion.

She sits down for a bite to eat with the gentle innkeeper, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). He's a good boy, managing the motel for his mother. Sure, mother seems bit overbearing (Marion heard her screaming earlier), but Norman loves her. When Marion asks Norman if he ever goes out with friends, he says, "A boy's best friend is his mother."

Isn't that sweetest?

Not exactly. This isn't a phrase that belongs on any Mother's Day cards. What Marion doesn't know is that Norman's mother is dead. He's keeping her skeleton in his house, he's dressing up like her, and he'll later stab her to death in the shower in one of the scariest scenes involving chocolate syrup ever on the silver screen.

Where you've heard it

You've heard it and seen it in ads for the A&E show Bates Motel, which explores what might have happened before Norman (Freddy Highmore) started dressing up like his mother (Vera Farmiga).

Also, if anyone seems a little too close to a female parental unit for comfort, you might have heard someone utter this phrase.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

This quote isn't pretentious...but it's definitely a dealbreaker. If a guy's OKCupid profile says his best friend is his mother, run in the other direction. 

And for the love of Shmoop, wait until you're in another zip code before you take a shower.