Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho did for showers what Jaws did for the beach. Which would probably explain why so many people old enough to have seen it originally have body odour problems. But now the twisted world of Norman Bates is going to be introduced to a whole new generation (You know, again) as A&E launches a brand new prequel drama series that looks at just how Norman Bates became such a momma’s boy.

We’ve previously just seen individual shots of Freddie Highmore as the teenage Norman,Vera Farmigia as his famed mother and Nicola Peltz as Bradley, Norman’s teen love, but THR has landed a spread of 16 new pics that gives a look at the entire principal cast and setting.

Lost‘s Carlton Cuse, who will be exec producing this series, told THR that “We think our take on the Bates family will both be surprising and subvert expectations. We can’t wait for people to check in.”

Well he certainly got the “surprising and subvert expectations” part correct. Even with my rather prodigious knowledge of wibbly wobbly timey-wimey stuff thanks to Doctor Who, I still fail to see how this can be a prequel to a movie set in the 60′s, but clearly – judging by the iPods and Audi’s – be set in modern times. Even if they were to do a prequel to Gus Van Sant’s 1998 pointless remake it still doesn’t make sense. Would it really have been that much of a chore to set the prequel in the same era as the original?

Bates Motel is currently filming and will be opening its doors in early 2013.