Psicosis III

*** 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.

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.

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.

Psycho 3 is better than the sequel, which I liked very much, but still suffers in comparisons to the original masterpiece. Now, this sequel is much more close in spirit to the original, which is a great thing. It takes elements from the first film and fashions an almost "copycat" story, but then surprises you when you see where it goes.

Anthony Perkins also improves his performance from part two, but still nothing beats his legendary performance from the original. I hate to be comparing it so much to the first two, but with sequels it's hard not to. Perkins is gripping here with much more to work with than he was given in the sequel.

Perkins also directed the film. He does a fantastic job. This is definitely the scariest of the three, but then again the most up-to-date, too. Maybe that's why it feels spiritually guided by the original; 7.5

Psycho III is not better then the first 2. But it is still really good. It stars Anthony Perkins, Diana Scarwid, Jeff Fahey, and Roberta Maxwell.

plot: A nun named Maureen Coyle (Diana Scarwid) accidently murders another nun, so she runs away. She hitchhikes on the road, a guitar player named Duke (Jeff Fahey) picks her up. Later on that night, Duke tries to rape Maureen, but she escapes and walks the rest of the way. Duke needs a job because he needs money to get to LA to become a rock star. He goes to Bates Motel, where the original psycho Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) is the manager. Norman makes Duke the assistant manager. Norman goes to the diner and runs into a reporter named Tracy (Roberta Maxwell) who wants to interveiw him about the people he killed. But he sees Maureen with a suitcase with the initials M.C on it. Norman thinks its Marion Crane, the girl he killed in the shower in the original, and she has returned from the grave. So Norman freaks out and leaves. Maureen tries to kill herself in the bathtub while a new killer in the black dress and grey wig wants to kill her, so Norman runs to her aid. He brings her to the hospital. Later on, Norman lets her stay at the motel. And later on girls at the motel start to get killed. Who is it? Has Norman returned to insanity? Is Duke willing to kill to get to LA? Will the reporter kill to get her story? Find out who is behind the black dress and grey wig this time, and rent or buy Psycho III!

This has the basic 80's slasher stuff: nudity, gore, unknown killer, and horny teens. If you like the original Psycho, the 2nd Psycho, or like 80's slashers, rent or buy Psycho III!