The Bates Haunting (2012) User Reviews

Some things are indeed best left alone...

[paul_haakonsen · 3/10 · 7 August 2013]

Right, already at the opening of the movie, when Bam Margera appeared, I was ready to turn off the movie. I just knew right there and then that this was going to be bad. And then you see Ryan Dunn (who can't act even if his life depended on it) is listed to be in the movie, and it seems it would go from bad to worse.

Right, well "The Bates Haunting" is a slasher movie, but ultimately not in the higher end of the scale. The movie wasn't particularly interesting, and the story was just so-so. And the fact that the acting throughout most of the movie was amateurish and staggering, really didn't help elevate the movie out of the gutter of mediocrity.

The story is about Agnes Rickover (played by Jean Louise O'Sullivan) who sees her friend burnt to death at a local haunting attraction. And she ends up working at the very same attraction later on as all of her job possibilities are bled dry (no pun intended here). But things are escalating at the attraction and the make-believe deaths of various people to scare people turns out to be real killings. Someone or something is after Agnes, and wants her blood.

Alright, well fairly average slasher storyline here, but it was just badly acted, badly scripted and executed on the screen. The movie was anything but scary and there weren't any shocks throughout the movie.

The movie's poster/DVD cover makes the movie seem far better than it actually is, and also insinuates a much higher level of production value. Guess you can't judge a movie by its cover, eh?

If you are looking for some slasher entertainment, I would recommend that you get your kicks elsewhere. This movie was not really worth spending about an hour and a half on.

Good idea, bad...everything else.

[hernan_xanax · 2/10 · 23 August 2013]

I don't know if is the bad acting that reminded me of those cheap 90's straight to video movies. Or the bad directing and stiff actors that also reminded me of the old video era of porn. Unfortunately was a bad combination for a good plot. I also thought of how nice would have been to buy the book in an airport to read during a long flight. Using my imagination to follow the narrative could have being a better idea than watching the movie to the end. It didn't seem low budget, so i guess it was a bad choice in acting and directing. One particular shot that is repeated over an over will get on your nerves very soon into the movie. Don't be fooled by the title either, it has nothing to do with Bates motel.

Generic horror movie that mocks the original in haunted attraction form

[joeman32 · 5/10 · 8 August 2013]

This movie has nothing to do with the actual Bates Motel used in the original "Psycho". It's about the haunted attraction which is located in Pennsylvania. Furthermore, we have a movie mocking the original in a haunted attraction form.

Acting was bad. Story wasn't anything special, but only kind of fun. Not scary at all. While it was entertaining enough to make it to the end, that's not saying much. I'd say only watch if your a die hard for anything Bates and interested in the attraction located in Pennsylvania. Almost seems like a movie made to gain recognition for the haunted attraction and also cashing in on the success of the recent "Bates Motel" show.

So Bad, It's Bad

[BessieBiberman · 1/10 · 18 September 2013]

Anyone who gave this movie positive reviews clearly is somehow a part of the movie, or was paid to leave a positive review.

The first thing that jumps out to anyone who watches this is just how bad the acting is. The fake reviewers say we need to just get past the actors being no-names. But them being no- names is not the issue here. It's just that most of them can't act. It's blatantly obvious to everyone and you don't have to be "in the business" or a movie critic to realize it. I wonder just how little some of these actors were paid, because they clearly took anyone and everyone willing to work for cheap without actual talent factoring in.

In fact, I'm sure everybody can agree that there are some great movies with all no-names. But this is not one of them.

There's also the issue of special effects. I don't think the intent with this movie was the "so bad, it's good" effect. I really think they tried. Unfortunately, they failed. The scene with the tractor was atrocious. First, they didn't even hear the tractor as it got closer? They only heard it when it was far away?

The girl hit by the tractor first had a few drops of blood on her, as she's starring blankly into the distance, then, seconds later, she's covered with blood all over. But not drips of blood. Someone just took fake blood and lathered it onto her entire body. It looked like red body paint.

I wasn't able to make it much further past that part — I'm sure this was the case for most viewers.

Also, the addition of Bam Margera and his deceased cohort was shameless, unnecessary and outright annoying. Just because you're able to give a former reality star a cameo doesn't mean you should actually do it.

Overall, two thumbs down. No stars. Rotten to the core. Don't make the mistake of thinking this is one of those "so bad, it's good" movies. "So bad, it's bad" does, indeed, exist. Bates Haunting is undeniable proof.

In response...

[lyssadawn91 · 5/10 · 23 June 2014]

"The movie actually, HAS NOTHING TO DO with the Bates family from the movie Psycho or the recently made TV show. When you see the film cover and read the synopsis, you think there's a ghost haunting the Bates motel or something. WRONG!

They are just using the Bates' name to attract a wider audience. I repeat, the movie HAS NOTHING to do with Norman Bates or a haunting, ever. Now how deceitful is that?? This is just a movie about a stupid hayride show and the family's name is Bates. That's it. There's not even a motel."

In response to this... 1. They never said they were gonna be about Psycho, Bates Motel, or Norman. 2. The set they based this in was THE REAL BATES MOTEL & THE HAUNTED HAYRIDE. So no, they weren't, in anyway, trying to be related to Bates Motel/Psycho. They were making a movie for a REAL thing. The movie is about a REAL HAUNTED HAYRIDE & THE BATES MOTEL. So, your review is based basically on you wanting to be an ass.

Welcome to Amateur Hour

[bowmanblue · 4/10 · 22 May 2014]

Actually... it's more like 'Welcome to amateur hour (and twenty minutes).' This, incidentally, is about an hour and twenty minutes more than you'll probably feel is worth spending with this film.

'The Haunting of Bates Hotel' has no actors that you've probably heard of. Yes, I know, many a great film has been made without stars. Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt alone doesn't guarantee a film's success. However, this one doesn't just not have stars; it also doesn't have actors. Seriously... these people's LACK of acting talent is almost amazing. I know it's a horror movie and so I wasn't expecting Oscar-worthy performances, but this is going to extremes. I really can't let the bad acting lie... it was like they just let anyone on set and allowed them to say the lines how they liked.

The film is about a *supposedly* haunted house on some farmland in small-town America. Only it's not haunted and everyone knows that. The owners just put on some horror-themed events to bring in the money. However, a year after some girl gets horribly burned to death by 'accident,' more killings start to emerge.

It's not all bad (most, but not all). The setting itself is quite a nice place for a slasher movie, i.e. a place where there are already *deliberately* plenty of gory props to confuse and startle the hapless victims. And there are some nice homages to existing horror icons, i.e. Freddy Krueger's jumper etc.

But, the odd brief glimpse of Jason Vorhees' head-sack isn't enough to save this catastrophe of a film. It tries to be really funny. It fails. It falls flat on every attempt at humour and just comes across as cringe-worthy. Plus the gore isn't that good (yes, I know it's a cheap film, but I've seen student zombie films with better effects than this one) and, despite trying to be really post modern and self-knowing, it falls into every horror cliché going, i.e. 'have sex and die.' One word: avoid. If you've ever seen a horror film then it was better than this one. If, by some miracle you haven't ever seen a horror movie... then don't start with this one. If fact, just make your own horror flick with the video camera ap on your smartphone – guaranteed it'll be better than this!

Everyone who used the word, "bad"

[capie4 · 2/10 · 19 January 2016]

...has already spoken for me. BUT I do have to note that the director didn't shake the camera to death and that allows the audience to absorb the set, acting and plot--something that is missing in modern movie director's education. Hitchcock shook the set when it was called for, not the camera. The audience looks the actors in their eyes just like in real life. It's hard to do when the camera won't stop being so orgasmic. This is a high compliment for such a bad production. Better luck with experience. Would someone tell me how many lines past "ten" will the guideline finally consider allowing this post to proceed? So, moving on. The (hotty) newscaster was the best actress of the lot. She should have starred.

Not near as bad as some say it is--

[jswindter01 · 6/10 · 25 July 2014]

Maybe its due to my seeing this movie immediately AFTER having the misfortune of watching "After Darks Film:The Haunting of Whaley House", but I did not find this movie to be near as crappy as some have opined it to be. In fact after having watched what is a very real crap-fest "The Haunting of Whaley House", I actually rather enjoyed "The Bates Haunting". Don't get me wrong this is indeed a very much B-grade horror flick, but its definitely one that has enough redeeming qualities to hold my attention throughout, as well as the movie as a whole made complete sense. The actors did a fine job of playing each of their respective roles, the gore scenes are done very professionally and would rank right up there with the quality special effects of some of the grade A-horror movies. It had a beginning, middle, climax, and an end that left me feeling satisfied with the overall movie.

Maybe the fact that I had just watched the REALLY-pathetic-in-EVERY- SINGLE-WAY-movie, "The Haunting of Whaley House", that had me going into "The Bates Haunting" with very little expectations, but whatever the reason I can tell you that this film was miles apart from that pathetic garbage, and offered more than enough entertainment that left me totally satisfied at the conclusion of the film. I even took the time to REwatch "The Bates Haunting" the next day to see if my opinion of it changed and/or if it would even be tolerable for a complete repeat viewing...and I can tell you that Yes, it did hold up, I watched the entire movie again,and had no change of heart as to how I felt about the film going into without having had the horrible misfortune of viewing "Whaley House" immediately before hand.

To me, that says an awful lot due to the fact that there are quite a few "good" horror movies that just don't hold up in repeat viewings, whereas "Bates" absolutely did!

A disjointed wreck of a story

[thomasgpierce · 1/10 · 12 October 2020]

Kathy Lee wrote a story to show off her legs and strip down for bath tub scenes while celebrating who late husband Fred with a handsome much younger Scottish man. This film was an epic fail and it had all the pieces to be a great rom com. Kathy Lee needs to surround herself with honest and candid critics to offer a hand. It takes a village.

Somehow it works

[jennmyers76 · 4/10 · 10 October 2022]

To call this low-budget would be generous as it has the production value of a high school film project. The writing is awful and the acting is worse, but sometimes it's just so silly that you can't help but laugh. It definitely doesn't take itself too seriously, so that's a plus. Apparently the name comes from an actual haunted house attraction, not anything to do with the Bates Motel franchise, and that's an interesting location for a horror movie, because no one suspects the murders are real when all the blood is supposed to be fake. It's for sure not the worst horror movie I've seen, and some of those were so bad I didn't make it past the first 15 minutes.

An Ersatz addition the Psycho series?

[jackbherman · 4/10 · 4 July 2021]

Just like the apparently real-life attraction from which it gets its name, The Bates Haunting squats upon the name Norman Bates, the iconic horror figure from Robert Bloch's story and Alfred Hitchcock's film. This film is no better or worse than your average xerox copy "mock-buster" or Asylum knock off.

Normally I would say a film like this should not exist as it is only destined to eventually take up space in a landfill. But The existence of The Bates Haunting is justified because, sadly, it is probably now the closest we will ever get to an actual film adaptation of Bloch's own Psycho House.

Fun Indie Horror at the real-life Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride

[JGReviews · 8/10 · 8 August 2019]

The Bates Haunting is an indie horror film with a fun premise: in a small town haunted theme park, some of the fake "kills" are not all part of the show -- they are actually real. It's an interesting setup since you would have a hard time deciphering what's real and what's pretend in this kind of an environment.

I've seen a lot of other reviewers here that seem upset that this isn't related to the Bates family from the Psycho franchise -- but Bates is actually referring to the real-life Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride in Pennsylvania, which I've been to! This Bates Motel has been ranked as one of the best haunts in the country and the Bates name actually comes from its owner, Randy Bates, who appears in the film. The park itself even references the Bates family/Psycho franchise at some of the attractions. Does that clear everything up? Anyway, the place is a lot of fun and I was excited to see it on screen since I had been there myself. I'd recommend going there if you ever get the chance.

Okay, back to the film. The Bates Haunting is a low budget indie horror film and I tend to look at these films a little differently. I'm a big fan of the genre and I'm not going in expecting multi-million dollar production value, rather I'm looking for creativity and originality that you might not see in repetitive Hollywood films. That said, The Bates Haunting has impressive cinematography, flashy editing, and unique locations that you're not used to seeing in most films (does every other movie have to be filmed in Los Angeles??). It's tough to get quality acting across the board in indie films, but I think Zachary Fletcher (Junior Bates) and Jean Louise O'Sullivan (Agnes Rickover) were standouts in the film and probably have promising futures ahead of them. If you're a fan of the tv show Jackass, you'll also notice Bam Margera and Ryan Dunn make some brief cameos, which is pretty fun.

The film mixes gore with some comedy, both straight forward and tongue-in-cheek, and I appreciate that the film doesn't have to take itself too seriously for the entirety of the movie like many horror movies do. I think The Bates Haunting is a fun watch, particularly around Halloween, for those who can appreciate interesting low budget horror flicks. So check it out if that sounds like your cup of tea! The Bates Haunting is currently available on Tubi, Vudu, iTunes, and on dvd/Blu-ray via Netflix.

Moderately entertaining straight-to-video fare

[VinnieRattolle · 7/10 · 20 February 2014]

A year after her best friend Lilly was roasted in a freak accident at The Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride, Agnes reluctantly takes a job at the yearly Halloween attraction's concession stand. But before the park even opens, the bodies begin to pile up, so Agnes seeks to find a connection to Lilly's death and the new string of murders.

I went into "The Bates Haunting" knowing virtually nothing about it, expecting the absolute worst... and was pleasantly surprised by it. Don't get me wrong, this is unquestionably direct-to-video fare (bad acting and shoestring effects galore) but there's a slick look, a few decent performances (leading lady O'Sullivan ain't bad and Fletcher devours the scenery as semi-retarded redneck Junior Bates), lots of funny moments and one-liners, a little T&A, some gore (though there's an annoyingly high ratio of old-school cutaways in lieu of practical/CGI effects) and a nice twist (not unpredictable but unexpected). Casual moviegoers will doubtlessly hate it, but the film's quirky enough that it could develop a small cult following.

If you're seeking a big connection to the Universal-owned Norman Bates "Psycho" franchise (as the cover suggests), you'll be utterly disappointed... though there's more than a couple references to Norman/Mother and the basic plot is the same as Robert Bloch's novel "Psycho House" (murders occur at the opening of a Bates Motel theme park attraction). It's really a shame that they didn't utilize that book's story - it would've made a much better movie. "Jackass" fans will also be disappointed by the blink-and-you-missed-it appearance of Bam Margera (in a real commercial for the park?) and a mildly amusing but only slightly longer scene with the late Ryan Dunn as an annoyed customer in an empty pizza place.

In the end, "The Bates Haunting" is a thinly-veiled commercial for the Pennsylvania tourist attraction (presumably starring local actors) which features shockingly little of the park, but if you're in a frame of mind to enjoy an innocuous low-budget horror-comedy, there are certainly much worse ways to waste 75 minutes of your life.

A must see

[kimberlyforaker2 · 10/10 · 17 August 2019]

Yes its not as good as the most popular horror films. But its a great movie to watch. We have think some of those actors are new and we cant bash them they start some where. Just like every star out there they started like this and gotten better at it... have an open mind

A must see great job to those where in it yes its not their best acting but you did your best ... best of luck ... great story line!!

Add To Watchlist

[applejax_702 · 6/10 · 16 August 2013]

An awesome movie and must add to the Halloween night horror flick list. Get past the lack of big name actors and enjoy the awesome cinematography, epic one liners and plenty of horror movie twists and turns that The Bates Haunting has to offer. The movie takes place at a haunted hayride where murders start happening and the movie does a nice job of not giving away the killer(s) until the very end to keep you guessing. It has no relation to the Psycho franchise so don't get your hopes up about any shower scenes. The main characters do their fair share of blood curdling screams and late night sleuthing. There are even cameos from a couple JackAss alum. What the movie lacks in expensive over the top graphics and high priced actors, it makes up for in fantastic scene shooting and is definitely worth watching.

Murder or accident?

[unbrokenmetal · 7/10 · 2 July 2023]

Agnes sees her best friend Lily burned to death in a stage show effect that goes wrong. One year later Agnes gets a job offer from the same company. Because she needs the money, she returns to the place of horror which is called 'Bates Motel', coincidentally. Soon further deadly accidents happen, and Agnes begins to investigate...

A good mixture of imaginary horror and true crime. For a low budget flick, it's well filmed and scripted, even with a good sense of humour. The actors are naturally on different quality levels, some almost professional and some very amateurish. Altogether I enjoyed watching it.