Sam Loomis is the secondary antagonist of the 1959 Robert Bloch novel Psycho, and its 1960 adaptation by Alfred Hitchcock, in which he was portrayed by John Gavin. He is the boyfriend of Marion Crane, who then looks into her disappearance following her stay at the Bates Motel, which puts him into conflict with the psychotic and mentally disturbed owner Norman Bates.
Sam also appeared in the 1982 sequel novel by Bloch, Psycho II. In the 1998 remake of the first film he was played by Viggo Mortensen. Sam appeared in the fifth and final season of Bates Motel played by Austin Nichols, although appeared in the role of the antagonist opposed to his heroic film counterpart.
Film series[]
Sam Loomis is the boyfriend of Marion Crane. She wished to get married to him, although Sam wasn't up for it as he was bankrupt and living in his hardware store. This led to Marion stealing money from her bosses in order to go on the run and start a life with Sam. She ended up staying at the Bates Motel, which led her to being stabbed to death by the unhinged Norman Bates, who was taken over by his split personality "Mother". Sam and Marion's sister Lila looked into her disappearance, and later on arrived at the Bates Motel. When Lila went to investigate the Bates house, Sam attempted to distract Norman in his office but this led to a confrontation, resulting in Sam being knocked out. Sam came to and stopped Norman (under his "Mother" persona) killing Lila in the cellar of the house, after Lila discovered the corpse of the real Mrs. Bates. Norman was taken into custody, and a psychiatrist explained to Sam, Lila and the police department about Norman's unstable mind.
Sam is absent in the 1983 sequel movie Psycho II, which picks up 23 years following the events of the original film. It is revealed that Sam and Lila married following the events of the first film, and had a daughter together named Mary. Sam passed away at some point afterwards. Norman was released from hospital after being declared sane, which led to a bitter Lila to try and send Norman over the edge to get him locked up again, and making Mary take part in her scheme. This resulted in Lila being killed by a new killer and Mary being shot dead by the police, who believed that she was committing the new murders to set Norman up.
TV Series[]
Sam appears in the fifth and final season of the television adaptation Bates Motel, which loosely adapts the events of the original Psycho film. In this he appears as the supporting antagonist. He is a real estate developer and shown to be married to Madeleine Loomis, who owns a hardware shop in White Pine Bay, a town located next to the Bates Motel. He cheats on her with Marion Crane, with both women being unaware of his deceit. He brings Marion to the Bates Motel to have sex, and is hostile with its owner Norman Bates. When Norman befriends Madeleine following meeting her in the town, Sam threatens Norman with violence if he reveals his infidelity, and claims that he is a "nice guy".
Marion hopes to marry Sam, but he dismisses her and claims he is bankrupt, failing to mention he is already married. This causes Marion to steal from her bosses and head towards White Pine Bay to see Sam. At this point Madeleine discovered Sam's deceit from Norman and was preparing to throw him out of the house. When Marion arrives she discovers about Sam's lying, and goes to his house to smash up his car. She arrives back at the Bates Motel and finds comfort with Norman, although he fears his "Mother" persona will kill her, so sends Marion away and tells her to start a new life. Having been kicked out by his wife, a depressed Sam moves into Marion's room and begins to shower. A vengeful Norman, coaxed by his "Mother" personality, enters into the bathroom with a kitchen knife and stabs Sam to death, referencing to the famous "Shower" scene from the original. Norman and "Mother" later dispose of the body.
Sam's body is later discovered following Norman handing himself into the police.
Trivia[]
- The protagonist of Halloween Samuel Loomis took his name from the character.
- John Gavin didn't return as Sam Loomis for Psycho II, as at the time he was serving as the United States Ambassador to Mexico. As a result, Sam was killed off-screen.