Thursday, October 12, 2017

The Curse of 31 Days of Toy Terror: Norman Bates #466 from Psycho from POP! Movies by Funko

 Norman Bates is pretty much the original film slasher. He's been a part of 31 Days of Toy Terror in the past (the first year, 2013) and now makes his return in the form of a POP! vinyl figure. Outside of the Star Wars POP! figures that come with the Smuggler's Bounty crate, I haven't picked up any POP! figures since the Resident Evil series back in January. I was actually looking for a Jack Torrance from The Shining at Books-A-Million a week or two ago and happened to stumble upon this very cool Norman Bates. Considering it's October and I'm a fan of the horror themed POP! vinyls, I figured I couldn't go wrong. Let's take a closer look at this spooky fine vinyl after the break...



 The Facts:

Height: 4 inches

Articulation: Swivel head.

Accessories: None

Non-Scalper Price: $10 dollars
 The Positives:

* Norman Bates is a pretty plain looking guy so toy companies depicting him have always gone with his dress and wig wearing appearance to add something unique to the figure. Despite being a POP!, the eyes and eyebrows definitely convey an appropriate level of menace while Norman's dark hair is visible peaking out from underneath the grey wig he wears.

* While Psycho is in black & white, this POP! is in full color and thus you get a knife dripping red blood (something you won't see in the film). The presence of the knife is a vital detail and really helps to seal the deal on this being a solid piece in a horror collection.


* The print and texture on Norman's mother's dress is impressive. It really has a great pattern to it and looks rather detailed yet old-fashioned.


* The pose is pretty cool. It's definitely a bit more dynamic than many POP! poses. Little details like the bent knee and the open, grasping left hand definitely add to the feeling that this figure is ready to make a "housekeeping visit that you won't appreciate.
 The Negatives:

* Norman has an errant bit of blue paint slop on his thumb. I tried to scratch it off but didn't have any luck.
   While he's an excellent character and is incredibly terrifying in the context of the film, the biggest problem with Norman Bates as a horror icon is that visually, at the end of the day, he's just an average guy or an average guy in a dress. There's nothing incredibly spooky about him at first glance or an iconic design feature  so, unlike characters like Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, Freddy Krueger, Chucky, Michael Myers, Hannibal Lecter wearing his leather bite mask, or even the yellow raincoat wearing antagonist of something like Alice, Sweet Alice, he's tough to pick out of a lineup. Maybe that's what makes the character more frightening, though, but less interesting for merchandising purposes. This is a Good and a 1/2 POP! and will certainly have an audience, but I imagine some folks won't recognize it if it's not in the package.

If you need some more Psycho, check out the Movie Maniacs Norman Bates from McFarlane Toys.

If you're looking for more POP! Movies figures, check out the following:
Michael Myers from Halloween
Pennywise from It
Sam from Trick 'r Treat 

Click here, if you dare, for more 31 Days of Toy Terror!

2 comments:

  1. If mentally disturbed can look cute, this is it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That feels like a line written for Harley Quinn, but I guess it applies here too.

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