Psychose III

I was surprised that many didn't like this sequel, as I thought it was the best sequel and was very well done. Anthony Hopkins did a great acting and directing job in it. The supporting cast also did a fine job. It mixes some good black humor and scares around, with a very creepy score from Carter Burwell. If you haven't seen this "Psycho," you should see it. It still gives me goosebumps when watching it.

*** 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.

PSYCHO III (1986)

directed by: Anthony Perkins

starring: Anthony Perkins, Diana Scarwid, Jeff Fahey, and Roberta Maxwell

plot: One month after the events of PSYCHO II, Norman (Anthony Perkins) is still running the Bates Motel along with "Mother". Things are going fine until Norman falls in love with a fallen nun (Diana Scarwid), takes in a greedy drifter (Jeff Fahey), a nosy reporter (Roberta Maxwell) sticks her nose where it doesn't belong and a series of murders begins once again.

my thoughts: Although not as great a sequel as PSYCHO II, this is still a good sequel. With Anthony Perkins directing himself, you can expect a good addition to the PSYCHO series.

Now, Norman Bates is dealing with a lot. He's falling in love, a reporter is poking around, and a new employee is close to discovering his secret. The mystery and atmosphere of the first two are still here but it's 1986, the middle of the 80's slasher era. More sex and violence have been added.

We have gorier kills and even Juliette Cummins (FRIDAY THE 13TH PART V: A NEW BEGINNING, SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE II) playing a slut who is picked up at a bar by Duke (Jeff Fahey), kicked out of his room, and then murdered in the actually pretty cool payphone scene.

These 80's elements do not add much to the film, but certainly do not take away.

Perkins also does a fine job directing, and adds a lot of dark humor to the film.

Definitely check this sequel out, it's not as good as the first two but certainly better than the fourth installment and the remake.

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.