Psycho is an American horror-thriller media franchise consisting of six films loosely based on the Psycho novels by Robert Bloch, namely Psycho, Psycho II, Psycho III, Bates Motel, Psycho IV: The Beginning, the 1998 remake of the original film, and additional merchandise spanning various media. The first film, Psycho, was directed by filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock. Subsequently, another film related to the series was made: an Alfred Hitchcock biopic. Also, an independent documentary called The Psycho Legacy was released on October 19, 2010. It mostly focused on Psycho II, Psycho III and Psycho IV: The Beginning, but did cover the impact and legacy of the original film. A TV series, Bates Motel, premiered on A&E on March 18, 2013, being a prequel to the first film but in a modern-day setting. It stars Freddie Highmore as a teenaged Norman Bates and Vera Farmiga as his mother Norma Bates.