Absolutely Ghoulish…I’ve spent many a night in this normally pitch dark area of the backlot. Full moons rising above this house are priceless…What you may not know is this home sat in three different locations. Follow me to each…

Compare to color picture…

My first ever Psycho House picture on my first camera sneak in. A dead match with this old B&W. Another historic movie set conquered. Little did I know I would get a full access pass for decades to come when I took this photo.

Everyone’s favorite Haunted House.

The Grand Master at his most famous set.

As a kid I built a model of this house. I love Haunted Houses. I visited The Munsters house that same day I visited Hitchcock’s.

Denver Street is located in proximity to this isolated but already iconic Hitchcock set. Original location just above Singapore Lake. Notice how decrepit and aged the interior of this famous house is, it required a lot of rebuilding to handle all the shuffling it would encounter.

Location number two for the Psycho House. Few remember this location. Distant, left hand side of picture. Foreground is the future and final parcel of land this house will find itself at.

A side angle of location two. The Ice Tunnel is just below the change in elevation. This was a “picture stop” on a paved road on tram route before proceeding into the spinning tunnel of ice. These are very special pictures no one else has, and I was trespassing at this time. Few remember this temporary one year location.

This picture would turn into Universal Studios. Taken from the Hollywood Hills, archives presented me this grand picture. No Freeway, no Barham off ramp, before the famous Hollywoodland sign. Just pastures and lots of farming. Today, this is one of the busiest intersections in the world. Today, the 101 Freeway, Barham Blvd, Cahuenga Blvd intersect the Southwest corner of Universal Studios.

A modernized for today’s tourists– CityWalk towers in background. Log Cabin used in “Shooter” starring Mark Wahlberg… On a deserted “dead end” road” nearby where I I took this picture from, I encountered a “Bob Cat” while I was running power from a shooting station panel.” I Saw him as he saw me-we both did double takes” as he came down from the hillside. He then kept moving down into the lot. Had I been attacked in this area, no one would find me right away. Film companies sometimes use this desolate dirt road area.

Location two, third and final photo. The Hollywood Hills dominate the background. The 101 Freeway winds through the Cahuenga Pass in-between this house and those hills. Universal looks down on the freeway. This is the backend of the studio, going forward a long ways, Crystal Skull, Indiana Jones built the Ant Hill set way back in this area. Our hero had his hands full being chased by soldiers amongst these massive dirt mounds created by ants you could not step on. Brand new Super Trams in foreground, replacing the Pink and White Glamour Trams. 21 new 747 Jumbo size trams would transform the tour. 1981 or 82, time of these pictures. I was an “Uninvited Guest” at that time.

Third and final location, as it sits today. Bates Motel, foreground. The War of the Worlds 747 Crash now sits behind this iconic set. All get used in the world famous “Halloween Haunts” in the month of October.

I have a feeling we’re being watched…

Let’s go inside, shall we? Front door-both sides.

Inside, some of this house still remains, but much need repairs replaced old, rotted wood. The original location had the backside exposed to weather. It aged gracefully, never expecting to move. Welcome to Hollywood, move it did. She still remains today as Universal’s defining set. It was cross braced for the move up the hill, then rebuilt when it arrived in the final location. Since trams would drive under it, it had to be fortified. It now has four walls, a roof, and a locked front door.

Look what’s behind the curtain…A more recent Mother. The last one was kidnapped! Mother is attached to a motor to rock her chair, back and forth.

I was right, Mother had her eyes on us… I had to twist my daughter Christy’s arm to get this photo upstairs where few go.

A low budget film that features this iconic house…

This set majestically reawakens in each location it is set down upon. Like a cat with nine lives, it will no doubt remain to send a chill down the spine of generations to come. I’ve spent many a full moon with this set. Coyotes roam free up here and howl in the moonlight.

Under a full moon, we begin…

No set in Hollywood History presents itself quite as haunted as this. Perhaps, because it sat isolated for most of its history, on a hilltop, surrounded by steep canyons and covered, thick brush hillsides. At night, it sits off the beaten trail. All angles look upward, making it more imposing. A large pack of coyotes roam this area from dusk till dawn. Many tram guests have spotted these predators, who attempt to capture the deer that live here. A herd that survives all things Universal can throw at them as they graze the grasslands that surround the nearby stream and Falls Lake.

This is Topanga Canyon studio style, on maps it’s known as The Wilderness Area. A Hitchcock inspired backdrop haunts the landscape in all directions, summoning a keyed up feeling from within. A fight or flight instinct lays in wait. I have been told stories of studio visitors becoming stranded up here, getting stuck on dangerous dead end roads, while Mother keeps tabs from her chair.

Sound effects include;

Universal is 24/7 and the pre dawn hours are hunting hours. Moonlight is the only light up here. Owls “hoot’ in satisfied tones. Ancestors of generations worth of these silent, feathered predators. Bullfrogs have deep loud Jug -o-rum calls. Like a cow mooing, that’s why it has a “Bull” prefix. They provide the deep base sounds for this wilderness band that performs in the nearby ponds and streams.

Crickets dominate the sound effects as if they were The Bee Gees, providing their own Night Fever soundtrack for the creatures living in this wilderness. Bats thrive here, once your eyes acclimate to the darkness, a strange Moondance takes place around this home, with little bat whines hardly decipherable to the human ear. Coyotes howl like a chorus line when involved in a hunt, they live here, we just work here. This area takes on a identity that gets erased as the sun comes up.

Only to reappear at night, like a Las Vegas show. Speaking of bunny rabbits, they are everywhere-by the hundreds, before the sun wakes up this extensive canyon for human occupation. Then the sounds of equipment, particularly trams, restart the industrial revolution. But that’s not allowed until 7am, so not to wake the neighbors who live above all this craziness.

Sometimes security does set watch up here. All night, sit in a chair, exposed to the elements, just you and…them. When I spot a new guard, I know I have a captive audience. I tell them what to expect up here, besides sometimes brutally cold weather. I start, “Didn’t the Watch Commander tell you the dangers up here?” I continue to the stunned patrol person, “It’s the most haunted area on the backlot, just something to think about!” -“You could become – the hunted.“ I stop there, not wanting them to quit.

I give them a powerful work light or two, show them the whereabouts of a rolling phone…just in case, then wish them good luck on their new job.

The fun never stops up here, it only rests a bit…

Written and Lived by…Donnie Norden

Inside the Psycho House: A Nighttime Adventure

Venturing into the iconic Psycho House under the enchanting glow of the full moon is an experience like no other. As the studio and its surrounding wildlife come alive, a sense of trepidation and excitement intertwine, capturing the essence of a Hitchcock-inspired adventure.

The imposing silhouette of the Psycho House looms against the moonlit sky, exuding an aura of mystery and intrigue. Stepping over the threshold, the atmosphere is thick with history and untold stories, amplified by the nocturnal symphony of the surrounding wildlife.

As we traverse the interior, the moonlight dances through the drapes and windows, casting eerie shadows that seem to come alive. The presence of Mother is palpable, her rocking chair creaking in the stillness of the night. Despite the need for repairs to replace old, rotted wood, the house retains its haunting allure, a testament to its enduring legacy in Hollywood.

Outside, the sounds of the wilderness intertwine with the studio’s bustling energy, creating a dichotomy that is both exhilarating and unsettling. The howls of coyotes and the hooting of owls form a haunting soundtrack, while the distant hum of the studio’s activity adds a surreal layer to the experience.

As the moonlight bathes the surroundings in an ethereal glow, the Psycho House stands as a testament to the enduring power of storytelling. It is a place where the lines between reality and fiction blur, where the magic of cinema converges with the mysteries of the night.

Join me on this unforgettable journey to the heart of cinematic history, where the Psycho House reigns supreme under the watchful gaze of the moon.

Written by Donnie Norden