Psychose IV

If you liked the earlier sequels (with of course, the first one being inimitable) you may find this entertaining.

Tony Perkins seems deranged as ever, and there are some interesting conversations between him and CCH Pounder, (a radio shrink) as she tries to uncover what made Norman Bates the way he is...nature or nurture?... It may be genetic, but it could also have been his mother played by Olivia Hussey, a deranged woman who has an inappropriate relationship with her son.

Henry Thomas ("E.T." and "Beyond Obesession", among others) is sad and affecting as the young Norman Bates, who tries to be a good son to his mother, until she realizes he has become a man, wherein she begins to flip out.

Overall, for die-hard fans of the "Psycho" sequels.

I first watched "Psycho IV" when I rented it on the early 90's. I was a big fan of Psycho II and I respected Psycho. Psycho III was a big disappointment so I thought that part IV would be at least, a decent slasher.

This pre-quel is not as bad as you may think. It explores Norman's origins and tries to reach a conclusion about his personality. To me, it worked. Norman is not the villain anymore and the director makes sure about that because he displays a victimized, sick Norman.

The ending is a perfect way to end the Psycho series which were far from being bad. Part II is excellent, unlike Part III which is a boring slasher flick. Part IV deserves the watch for it's ending and because it's Anthony Perkins' last hurrah as Norman Bates.

PSYCHO IV has a now-married (!) Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) calling in to a radio program, and telling the increasingly concerned host (CCH Pounder) about his tragically twisted early life with his mother (Olivia Hussey). Her behavior helps us to understand how / why her son turned out the way he did. Henry Thomas plays young Norman as a tormented ball of sexual confusion.

P4 is an informative, sometimes shocking backstory, as well as a satisfying conclusion to the saga. It also offers a rather expected opportunity for Norman to be up to his old tricks once more...

Psycho 4 is a pretty solid film. Norman is released once again following the events of the third film and is married. Norman calls into a radio show discussing matricide and recalls his childhood growing up and what drove him to kill his mother as well as the series of events that formed the Norman we know. It's an interesting watch and adds a lot to the psycho lore in the form of a sort of prequel. It's a pretty interesting watch with some tense moments and in keeping with the Psycho formula a great twist and solid ending overall. If you're reading a review for the 4th film surely you've watched the previous 3 and are intersted enough in the lore that you'll enjoy it. This film is a great way to bring closure to the Psycho franchise. Thank you Anthony Perkins for bringing life to such a great character.

This movie is excellent as far as content goes. Many things that were unexplained in the original are dealt with, and not in a way that seems ridiculous. All that happens in part IV could conceivably have happened, so that's good.

Anthony Perkins does a wonderful job of recapturing the essence of the disturbed Norman Bates, and Henry Thomas is very believable as young Norman. His performance completely illustrates the up-bringing of Norman by his unstable mother.

Good supplement to the original, I thought.