Psycho Page #7

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MARY:

I thought I'd gotten off the main...

NORMAN:

I knew you must have. No one stops

here anymore unless they do.

He is behind the counter now, pushing forward the registration

book.

NORMAN:

But it's no good dwelling on our

losses, is it. We go right ahead

lighting signs and following the

formalities... Would you sign,

please.

Mary has placed her handbag on the counter. She takes the

registration book, picks up the pen, is suddenly struck with

the realization that she'd better use an alias. She writes

the name Marie Samuels.

NORMAN:

Your home address. Oh, just the town

will do.

MARY:

(glancing at newspaper

sticking out of her

handbag)

Los Angeles.

She realizes he didn't ask her to tell him, merely to write

it down. She smiles, writes Los Angeles beside the false

name. Norman smiles, stops smiling out of embarrassment.

NORMAN:

Cabin One. It's closer in case you

want anything... right next to the

office.

CLOSEUP - NORMAN

He removes a key for Cabin One. We see that there is a

remaining key on the board.

TWO SHOT - MARY AND NORMAN

MARY:

I want sleep more than anything.

Except maybe, food.

NORMAN:

There's a big diner about ten miles

on up... just outside Fairvale.

MARY:

Am I that close to Fairvale?

NORMAN:

Fifteen miles. I'll get your bags.

He goes to door, opens it. The rain has slowed down

considerably. He smiles at this fact, as if to communicate

some pleasure he finds in it. Mary follows him to the door,

goes out on the porch, waits and watches as Norman runs to

her car, gets in, drives it to the parking space in front of

Cabin One. Mary walks along the porch, waits before the door

of Cabin One.

Norman gets out of car, with suitcase, runs to the door,

opens it, pushes the door open, puts his hand in and switches

on a light. Mary goes into the cabin. Norman follows her.

INT. CABIN ONE - (NIGHT)

Norman places suitcase on bed, goes to the window, opens it.

NORMAN:

Stuffy in here.

(turns to her)

Well... the mattress is soft and

there're hangers in the closet and...

stationary with "Bates' Motel" printed

on it in case you want to make your

friends back home envious... and...

the... over there....

(he points to the

bathroom, fairly

blushes)

MARY:

The bathroom.

NORMAN:

(quickly, starting to

leave)

I'll be in the office if you want

anything... just tap on the wall.

MARY:

Thank you, Mr. Bates.

NORMAN:

Norman Bates.

He pauses at the door, gazes at her. She smiles.

NORMAN:

You have something most girls never

have.

MARY:

I have?

NORMAN:

There's no name for it... But it's

something that, that puts a person

at ease.

MARY:

Thank you. Again.

NORMAN:

(not really a question)

You're not going to go out again and

drive up to that diner, are you?

MARY:

No.

NORMAN:

Then will you do me a favor?

(without waiting for

her response)

Will you have supper here? I was

just about to, myself... nothing

more than some sandwiches and a lot

of milk, but I'd like it if you'd

come up to the house and... I don't

set a fancy table but... the kitchen's

awful homey.

MARY:

I'd like to.

NORMAN:

All right, you get your dresses

hanging out and... change those wet

shoes, and I'll come for you soon as

it's ready...

(starts out)

...with my trusty umbrella.

(he laughs a small

laugh, runs off)

Mary closes the door, goes to suitcase, opens it, starts to

take out a dress. Her handbag is next to the suitcase. She

glances down into it, pauses, drops the dress, reaches into

the handbag, takes out the money-filled envelope, stares at

it, almost with regret, filled contemplates hiding it, decides

to, starts looking for a reasonable hiding place. She looks

about, at the closet, the drawers etc., realizes all such

places are obvious. Catching sight of the newspaper in her

bag, she hits on a solution. She opens the newspaper, places

the envelope within it, lock-folds the paper again and then

places it on the bedside table as if it were there for later

reading. She considers this for a moment, accepts it, goes

to her suitcase to start unpacking.

Suddenly the quiet is shattered by the shrill, ugly sound of

a woman's voice, raised in anger.

WOMAN'S VOICE

No! I tell you no!

Mary walks slowly to the window, realizing that the terrible

voice is coming from the house behind the cabins. CAMERA

FOLLOWS her to window and once there we see the light is

still on in the upstairs bedroom and the voice is coming

from that room. The rain has stopped and the moon is out.

WOMAN'S VOICE

I won't have you bringing strange

young girls in for supper...

(an ugly, sneering

note creeps into the

voice)

...by candlelight, I suppose, in the

cheap erotic fashion of young men

with cheap, erotic minds!

NORMAN'S VOICE

Mother, please...

WOMAN'S VOICE

And then what? After supper, music?

Whispers?

NORMAN'S VOICE

Mother, she's just a stranger...

hungry, and the weather's bad...

WOMAN'S VOICE

(mimicking cruelly)

Mother, she's just a stranger!

(hard, cruel again)

As if men don't desire strangers, as

if... oh, I refuse to speak of

disgusting things because they disgust

me! You understand, Boy?

WOMAN'S VOICE

(pause)

Go on, go tell her she'll not be

appeasing her ugly appetite with my

food... or my son! Or do I have to

tell her, cause you don't have the

guts? Huh, boy? You have the guts,

boy?

NORMAN'S VOICE

(blurted cut fury and

shame)

Shut up! Shut up!

There is the SOUND of a door closing in that room up there.

Mary has stood by the window, listening with mounting distress

and concern and sympathy. She turns her face away now, gazes

sadly at the little empty room.

In a moment there is the SOUND of the house's front door

slamming shut. Mary turns, looks out the window.

FROM MARY'S VIEWPOINT - (NIGHT)

We see Norman coming down the path, carrying a napkin-covered

tray.

INT. CABIN ONE - (NIGHT)

Mary looks at him for a moment, then turns quickly, goes to

the door, opens it and goes out onto the porch.

EXT. THE MOTEL PORCH - (NIGHT)

Mary pauses outside the door, is about to start forward when

Norman comes round the building and walks along the porch,

past the office, stopping only when he is close to her. He

stares with painful embarrassment at the knowing look in her

eye.

MARY:

I've caused you some trouble.

NORMAN:

Mother...

(a hollow little laugh,

an attempt at sardonic

humor)

...what is the phrase... "she isn't

herself today"... I think that's it.

MARY:

(looking at the tray)

You shouldn't have bothered. I really

don't have that much of an appetite.

Norman flinches, realizing she has heard his mother's

reference to Mary's appetite.

NORMAN:

I'm sorry. I wish... people could

apologize for other people.

MARY:

Don't worry about it.

(a warm smile)

But as long as you've made us supper,

we may as well eat it. Huh?

She begins to back into her room. Norman starts to follow,

hesitates as he sees the total picture of an attractive young

woman and a motel room. Bringing down the tray of food, in

defiance of his mother's orders, is about the limit of his

defiance for one day. He cannot go into Mary's room.

NORMAN:

It might be nicer... warmer in the

office.

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