![Whatever Happened to the Real Bates Motel in Idaho? [MUST-SEE PICS!]](http://townsquare.media/site/659/files/2023/03/attachment-Couer-dAlene.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Whatever Happened to the Real Bates Motel in Idaho? [MUST-SEE PICS!]
Rumor Has It
Coeur d'Alene's Bates Motel is rumored to have inspired the setting for Robert Bloch's 1959 horror novel, "Psycho." The novel, loosely based on the murders of notorious serial killer, Ed Gein, from Plainfield, Wisconsin, made its silver screen debut just one year later.
Directed by the legendary "master of suspense," Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" tells the story of Norman Bates, a murderous motel owner with an Oedipus complex. The film shocked audiences with its infamous 45-second shower scene, and remains one of the most iconic horror films ever made.
"Psycho" (1960) // YouTube Excerpt Credit: Screen Themes
The Bates Motel Before & After "Psycho"
According to Coeur d'Alene's Lewiston Tribune, the motel performed the patriotic duty of housing Uncle Sam's soldiers stationed at Farragut Naval Training Center during World War II.
After the war ended in 1945, the barracks was converted into a 12-room motel known then as the Rodeway Inn. Years later, a man by the name of Randy Bates assumed ownership of the establishment, renaming it the Bates Motel.
Paranormal Activity
During its lifetime, numerous guests of the Bates Motel had reported paranormal activity during their stay. According to Haunted Rooms America, guests in rooms one and three and nine-through-11 claimed to have experienced the following:
- ghostly apparitions and feelings of being watched;
- flickering lights and hearing odd noises;
- witnessing the mysterious movement of objects;
- inexplicable and sudden freezing sensations;
- and feelings of unnerving anxiety.
The Bates Motel closed its doors in 2015, but remains an iconic, quirky piece of Idaho history.
Scroll on for a gallery featuring real photos from the real Bates Motel!
Pictures of the Real Bates Mates Motel in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Gallery Credit: Ryan Valenzuela
Do You Have What it Takes to Visit Boise's Most Haunted Places?
Gallery Credit: Stephanie Gull
Creepy Haunted Nevada Mine Video Will Keep You Up At Night
Gallery Credit: Chris Cardenas
![Mix 106 logo](https://townsquare.media/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/KCIXFM.png?w=100)
More From Mix 106
![Are Idaho’s Public Schools Really That Bad?](http://townsquare.media/site/659/files/2024/07/attachment-national-cancer-institute-N_aihp118p8-unsplash.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![The Strangest Attraction In The World Is Hours From Boise](http://townsquare.media/site/659/files/2024/07/attachment-VS-YouTube-VinnyVisits-OregonVortexHouseofMysteryGoldHill-AllAcrossOregonMinisode-2%2525E2%252580%25259937%2525E2%252580%25259D.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Pioneering Comedian George Lopez Announces Hilarious Boise Stand-Up Date](http://townsquare.media/site/659/files/2024/04/attachment-Untitled-design-7.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Boise Music Festival Celebrates 13th Year With Exciting Lineup](http://townsquare.media/site/659/files/2024/02/attachment-GettyImages-1242925918.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![World-Famous Brad Pitt Wants To Spend Valentine’s Day With You In Idaho](http://townsquare.media/site/659/files/2024/02/attachment-Brad-Pitt-In-Idaho.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Idaho’s Most Bizarre Food Law Will Shock You](http://townsquare.media/site/659/files/2024/01/attachment-pablo-merchan-montes-Orz90t6o0e4-unsplash.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![16 Bumper Stickers That Could Put Idahoans in Serious Danger](http://townsquare.media/site/659/files/2024/01/attachment-Bumper-sticker-featured-image.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![7 Beautiful Frozen Lakes You Can Ice Skate On in Idaho](http://townsquare.media/site/659/files/2024/01/attachment-Untitled-design-95.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![7 Idaho Road Rules Boise Drivers Ignore the Most](http://townsquare.media/site/659/files/2024/01/attachment-jan-kronies-mpSeLIXMnpc-unsplash.jpg?w=980&q=75)