Psycho III

I'm not lying, appart from Psycho IV (The concept had died out by then) this is the most underrated Psycho film. And, no matter what anyone says, if you like either Psycho or 1980's horror flix, you should like this. Perkins revises his role and the supporting cast help him along in his ageing role as geeky motel-man "Stormin'" Norman Bates. Mother takes on an even more horrific theme and the madness of Perkins is far more obvious. Perkins directs well and reveals things in a very Hitchcock style, and, even though the Hitch sertainly would NOT approve of this film, I liked it. The comedy ellement is combined with the horror. The spoof of the shower scene left me rolling on the floor (if you can laugh at that sort of thing!). The main problem is the high rating of the film (R in the States and 18 in Britain). The Hitch went through his career taking care of what he showed people, and by this stage in the Bates saga, it was just a see all know all knife flick. 7.5/10 (Not as good as Psycho II) Rated R. Contains scenes of a Sexual Nature, Nudity, Swearing and scenes that some viewers may find disturbing.

In my view, the first three Psycho films can only be compared to the Godfather trilogy; The first one is amazing, the second one is almost as good, and the third one isn't near as good but still enjoyable. Psycho 3 starts off as a full blown rehash of the first film, but after seeing the ending of Psycho 2, that is not a bad thing at all. Psycho 3 could somewhat be looked at as a rehash of the first film, but it still works out well as a sequel. Of course, Norman Bates is back to the way he was in the first film, which sets up Psycho 3 in a very good way. It really gets inside Norman's psychopathic mind, which is why Psycho 3 has a noticeably darker tone than the other two films. This isn't a terrible aspect by any means. I thought that it added a whole new dimension to the film without being nothing but a repeat of the previous sequels. Psycho 3 also adds plenty of teenage slasher aspects and a very large amount of gore, which also added to the movie in a very good way.

Psycho 3 is directed by Anthony Perkins, who also played as Norman Bates in all 4 original Psycho films (not counting the remake directed by Gus Van Zant). Anthony Perkins gives out many Hitchcock style images that are more of homages than anything. The biggest homage that Anthony Perkins delivered the audience was the scene outside the ice box with the dead body inside. The police officer is reaching for some ice, and suddenly we see that the ice is bloody. This resembles a pure Hitchcock trait, which I really liked to see in a sequel to the master's masterpiece.

I also felt that the performances from the entire cast did an excellent job, especially for the period and genre of the film. Psycho 3 has very solid character chemistry and a very solid cast, which I also thought helped the film out in a great deal. Duane Duke is a character that I really loved to hate. Several other aspects about the cast made me love this film for what it is.

The negative aspects of this film include the loss of power on repeated viewings and the brief moments of cheese. I also felt that the ending didn't deliver spot on as the previous two films did. Whatever the case may be, Psycho 3 is still an excellent watch. It may not by any means be as good as the previous two films, but still a good sequel.

Recommended.

My fave of the series, this one has a bit more going on than last time. There's also a lot of throwbacks to the original, like Leigh look-a-like Scarwid getting Perkins all aroused, Maxwell investigating Perkins kind of like Balsam in the first, and a stabbing scene very similar to the infamous shower one, with the exception being this times its in a phone booth. This entrys a little more routine than part 2's, with that being a whodunnit. Here, you know whodunnit and basically the characters are more interesting than the story. You wouldn't know Perkins directed with it looking pretty much like any movie youve ever seen with capable photography. And as in the classic part 1, he has it end with his wacko grin glaring up at us. Of course.

Psycho III (1986)

*** (out of 4)

A month after the events from the previous film, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) is back at his motel when a reporter starts snooping around trying to find out some information on his past. At the same time Norman hires a wannabe rock star (Jeff Fahey) to help out around the motel and he also strikes up a relationship with a young woman (Diana Scarwid) who seems to be just as troubled as he is.

PSYCHO III certainly breaks away from the first two movies in the series. The first two films were mysteries that build up suspense and tension. This film here is a bit different as there's a bit more humor and there's no question that Perkins, working as a director for the first time, goes for more slasher elements. The director said before his death that he didn't really know what he was doing but the film actually turned out to be pretty good.

I've always defended this movie for a number of reasons but the biggest is that the characters are just so wonderful. Once again Perkins is wonderful as Bates as he perfectly nails all those quirky things that make it work. The stutter is one of them and just the nervous tension that you can always pick up about Norman. Then you've got the story of the depressed and confused nun played by Scarwid. The two of them are so wonderful together that it really does sell the love story, which is rare for a horror movie. Even Fahey is a lot of fun as the rocking jerk. Hugh Gillin also makes a return from the previous film as the Sheriff and is a lot of fun.

The horror elements here are a lot stronger than the previous two films and the violence is a bit more graphic. The death scenes are all well-staged but there's no question that Perkins was trying to keep up with the slasher films from the era. The music score is effective and there's no doubt that it's a well-made film. PSYCHO III is a totally different animal than the first two movies but that's okay because in the end it really does work.

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

...read the introduction of Psycho III on TV. I was excited to watch Anthony Perkins's directorial debut, but I must say that this film had so much more potential to be better than it was.

Psycho III in several ways, is better than Psycho II. It reveals much more about Norman as a person, not just a crazy old man with a mental illness. Anthony Perkins once told David Letterman of the Psycho franchise that "They're not really horror movies. They're tragedies." I really felt sympathy for Norman in this sequel above all the others. There is not a better word to describe everything about Norman than tragic.

Psycho III contains a lot of 'familar' scenes. The bell tower scene at the beginning inspired from Vertigo, when Norman's 'girlfriend' Maureen fell down the stairs of the home, done exactly the same way Detective Arbogast fell in the original film; 'floaty' like. After Norman 'saved' Maureen from her attempt at suicide, they have a quick heart-to-heart, in which Norman says "We all go a little mad sometimes," a famous quote from the original. Clearly Perkins wanted to pay homage to the Master of Suspense.

On to his performance - wonderful as always, but I can't help noticing that a lot of the Bates trademark movements and facial expressions were brought back in this sequel, some unnecessarily so. Sometimes it seemed as if Norman was parodying himself. Jeff Fahey as Duke, a musician with a cocky surfer boy personality was an interesting contrast.

Overall, I think Perkins should be given more credit. Sure, it isn't perfect - but I think it has a lot more heart. I think if certain scenes were removed, it would have been a lot better, particularly the end of the film where he brings back the infamous grinning 'stare.' It counteracts with what Norman overcame only a scene ago. But Psycho III doesn't deserve such a low rating. It's definitely worth a look - but don't expect a masterpiece. 6/10.