MaXXXine’s Bates Motel reference explained

The MaXXXine trailer features a reference to the Bates Motel. Here’s the horror movie homage explained.

We’re looking forward to seeing what MaXXXine does with the Night Stalker, its glitzy Hollywood setting, and unusual final girl.

The finale of Ti West’s trilogy of horror movies is primed for homages, thanks to its LA location (think Scream 3 on steroids) and fame-chasing story.

There’s more than one reference to a classic slasher film in the trailer. So, here’s what you need to know if you want to dig further.

What is the MaXXXine Bates Motel?

The Bates Motel in MaXXXine references the classic Alfred Hitchcock horror movie, Psycho.

Arguably the genre’s most influential film, the 1950s slasher takes place at the Bates Motel. Run by the off-putting Norman Bates, it’s one of the most recognized movie sets ever.

The TV series Bates Motel, a prequel to Psycho, further expanded on the location.

Why is Bates Motel in MaXXXine?

MaXXXine is a slasher movie set in LA that pays homage to the genre, so it makes sense to show an iconic horror location.

The horror genre leans on meta a lot; given MaXXXine is a whodunit about an actress trying to make it as a movie star, the stars aligned for Ti West to reference classics and have fun with Easter eggs.

There is another Psycho reference, too: we see a shot of the Psycho house. In the 1960 movie, it’s a short distance from the Bates Motel.

You can see the shots of the motel and house in the MaXXXine trailer below (timestamped 1 minute and 11 seconds).

It’s not a terrible view… but it will be your last.

We’re curious to see what other iconography made it into MaXXXine, but there are also other 2024 horror movies to get excited about.

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