Movies Psycho II, Psycho III | ||
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Similar Lila Crane, Milton Arbogast, Marion Crane, Norma Bates, Samuel Loomis | ||
Psycho ii 1983 emma spool mother bates costume
Emma Spool is a fictional character created by director Tom Holland for the 1983 film Psycho II. She serves as the primary antagonist, and is portrayed by Claudia Bryar. More attention is given to her character in Psycho III, although she only appears as a corpse and a voice.
Contents
Psycho II
Emma Spool, the cook at a diner in Fairvale, California urges owner Ralph Statler to make Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) — newly released from the mental institution he was institutionalized in during the original film — the cook’s helper. Statler accepts and Norman meets with Mrs. Spool. At about this time, a series of brutal murders occur that bear a similarity to the ones Norman committed years before.
In the film's final scene, Mrs. Spool comes to visit Norman and reveals to him that she is his real mother. She tells him that she had him when she was very young and out of wedlock. She was put away by the state and her sister, Norma Bates, took Norman in her care, raising him as her son. Mrs. Spool, while telling him this, is unaware she is actually sipping tea which Norman has poisoned. The poison takes effect and Mrs. Spool begins to cough. Norman picks up a nearby shovel and hits her on the head, killing her.
Norman takes his new “Mother” upstairs, and begins talking to himself in Spool's voice, recreating his murderous "Mother" persona.
Psycho III
Mrs. Spool’s murder remains undiscovered and she is thought missing. By now, Norman has begun his murder spree anew, keeping and communicating with Mrs. Spool's preserved corpse in the same way he had with Mrs. Bates. A reporter named Tracy Venable (Roberta Maxwell) comes to Fairvale to investigate the murders, and quickly suspects Norman.
Eventually, an itinerant musician named Duane Duke (Jeff Fahey) discovers the truth about Mrs. Spool. Norman kills Duane when he tries to use Norman's secret to extort money from him. Tracy eventually discovers the truth behind Mrs. Spool’s disappearance, as well as her true identity: Spool was in fact Norman's aunt, and killed Norman's father in a jealous rage after he left her for her sister. Spool then kidnapped the infant Norman, having convinced herself that he was her child. She was arrested and institutionalized, and Norman was returned to Mrs. Bates.
Tracy confronts Norman, who is now assuming the "Mother" personality, and tells him the truth about Spool and his mother. At last knowing the truth, Norman rebels against "Mother" and attacks Spool's preserved corpse.
Continuity
The 1990 prequel Psycho IV: The Beginning effectively retcons the character of Emma Spool; in this film, Norman's father is stung to death by bees, and Norma has no sister.