Psycho house set used for hotel?
An IMDB Trivia note states:
The hotel where Mitchum takes Barrie Chase is "mother's house" from Psycho, where Martin Balsam met his demise two years earlier.
I assume this means the staircase, since there aren't other details to compare. There are similarities to the sets, but I'm not so sure that they're the same set. Both have a straight staircase, and a hall with a railing on the second floor, the same basic floorplan layout. However, there are differences. Examples: multi-shade light fixture incorporated into the stair rail is on the newel post in "Psycho"; it's about half-way up the stairs in "Cape Fear." It also appears to be a different fixture and shades. The millwork on the stair railings is different (the rail turns at the top of the stairs in "Cape Fear" but is 90-degree straight angles in "Psycho"). Doors are in different places.
"Psycho II" (1983) appears to have the same set as "Psycho," and details are much easier to see in that movie. It seems unlikely that the set would be changed in just a few years from "Psycho" to make "Cape Fear," and then revert again to the "Psycho" set 20 years later for "Psycho II." And if they're going to remake the "Psycho" set for "Cape Fear," why give it slightly similar details but not create one that's very different?
This isn't very important, but it was a matter of curiosity to me when I saw the Trivia note. I thought somebody here might know if this note is based in fact, or just speculation, based on the similar appearance and the Martin Balsam connection. share