The Psycho Legacy

It seems every major horror franchise is getting the documentary treatment and this one covers the PSYCHO films. Well, I should say the PSYCHO sequels as the first film is covered just briefly. A lot of major players are assembled to give their thoughts on PSYCHO II-IV and each sequel gets about 25 minutes of coverage. PII - obviously missing are the thoughts from Anthony Perkins and Richard Franklin (their brief thoughts on it are archive footage), but there is also no Meg Tilly (she can't be that busy). Screenwriter Tom Holland reveals the relationship between Tilly and Perkins went sour during production, so maybe that is why? PIII - we get most of the major cast (Jeff Fahey sporting a GRIZZLY ADAMS beard) and they all talk about Perkins' professionalism as the director. PIV - director Mick Garris, Olivia Hussey and Henry Thomas are all interviewed. Garris mentions how Perkins was very difficult to work with, thinking he probably wanted that gig. In addition to the filmmakers, you get lots of talking heads, mostly horror filmmakers (thankfully, no Eli Roth to embarrass himself with some PSYCHO goof). I wish the makers had been a bit more thorough though as they don't talk about Bloch's sequel novels at all or mention the TV pilot BATES MOTEL starring Bud Cort. Sure, it is awful but it is part of the history and an interesting footnote.

Now this is not just about the first Psycho - but kind of neglects the Bates Motel movie - and that is not really a bad thing, because the less that is said about that, the better. Especially because it leaves time to talk about the "real" movies. The ones with Anthony Perkins in them. And just in case you didn't know: The documentary you are about to watch (if you are reading this to make up your mind), will spoil the Psycho movies.

So the big spoiler in the first Psycho is revealed. The McGuffin of casting and of course of the poster and really something very ingenious, that I didn't want to talk about in my review of Psycho itself. Here are quite a few directors that were directly influenced by Hitch and Psycho itself. And it is a great movie - and one of the first that was very strict on the no spoilers rule. Now they also had a no one is admitted after the movie started rule - not sure if they upheld it everywhere but it makes for a good story and something the interviewees seem to remember fondly.

Now since Psycho 2-4 are also discussed, you will get some interesting ideas. And also interestingly enough some riffs. So the makers of that sequel didn't like that sequel. Which might explain why a few things didn't really make sense time line wise. Only Halloween has been more all over the place when it comes to different versions (or realities/alternate timelines). It's really a powerful documentary and if you are a fan, there are still some nuggets you will find here

Retrospective horror franchise documentaries have become a well known trend in the horror genre ever since HALLOWEEN:25 YEARS OF TERROR was released back in 2006.Since then we have gotten a lesser documentary on the Friday THE 13TH franchise and a fantastic documentary on the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET franchise.Now after 3 long years of hard work,dedication and care we have THE PSYCHO LEGACY.The one and only feature length documentary on the PSYCHO franchise.Audiences were introduced to the franchise back in 1960 when the original Hitchcock masterpiece was released into theatres.It immediately became a horror classic.It made people afraid to take a shower and also afraid of mother loving motel owners.PSYCHO changed the genre forever and influenced a large number of filmmakers like John Carpenter,Brian De Palma,Steven Spielberg,Martin Scorsese and more.Although PSYCHO is a landmark film in not only horror history but also film history in general, the sequels have always fallen behind in terms of attention and praise.As a hard core PSYCHO fan, I always felt that PSYCHO 1-4 were all great films and much better than average horror sequels.I had the same desire that Robert Galluzzo had about wanting to know what happened on the sets of all the PSYCHO sequels.I wanted this documentary to exist and luckily Robg was smart and talented enough to make it happen.

DOCUMENTARY: THE PSYCHO LEGACY opens immediately with the iconic sound of a shower running.Paul Ehlers gives an awesome opening narration.The amazing title sequence designed by Jon Maus brought a smile to my face as it is done in the very style of PSYCHO.He created outstanding graphics for the entire documentary.That made it even more worthwhile to watch.After the title sequence, the documentary starts off with today's horror filmmakers telling why the original PSYCHO is such an iconic film.And I think that's a good way to start off since there's been countless documentaries,books and articles about the original PSYCHO,so why repeat what PSYCHO fans already know? Right after that, we dive into the sequels. The documentary is jam packed with interviews with all kinds of PSYCHO alumni including Tom Holland,Mick Garris,Juliette Cummins,Hilton Green,Sharen Camille,Andrew London,Henry Thomas,Olivia Hussey and more! You get a lot of interesting tidbits from every cast or crew member interviewed. Obviously I don't want to give anything away since some PSYCHO fans haven't seen it yet but believe me you will be very educated about the PSYCHO sequels after you watch this.Not only does THE PSYCHO LEGACY explore all four PSYCHO films it also explores Anthony Perkins and his portrayal of the iconic horror character known as Norman Bates.I thought that the documentary was a very loving tribute to him.Perkins was one of the great actors of all time and he will be remembered not just for Norman Bates but also himself as a person.Diana Scarwid even teared up at the end of the documentary when talking about Anthony Perkins and how he is no longer with us.It came across that he was very important to a lot of people and I thought that was one of the great things about THE PSYCHO LEGACY.Overall, the documentary was fantastic.It was well put together,beautifully scored and brilliantly made.Robert Galluzzo should be very proud of what he has accomplished.He is now apart of PSYCHO history. He put a lot of care and love into this project and he was very successful.

Rating: 5/5

SPECIAL FEATURES: Now if the documentary wasn't enough, you have 3 hours worth of special features.The 41 minute Anthony Perkins Q&A footage is really amazing!! I felt like I was right there at the 1988 convention watching him on stage.It was great that Rob was able to get that footage!! The extended and deleted scenes on Disc 1 were really interesting. You get more great stories from the PSYCHO alumni.I loved watching those!! "The PSYCHO Reunion Panel" was a disappointment since that featurette is nothing but audio and pictures but it's still interesting to watch. "A Tour of the Bates Motel" was also a disappointment since I saw that awhile ago on the official MySpace page."Revisiting PSYCHO II" was a great featurette.It has Tom Holland and Andrew London going through cool PSYCHO II posters,blueprints,scripts,newspaper clippings and more that have been left behind by director Richard Franklin."Shooting PSYCHO II" was an informative interview with cinematographer Dean Cundey about what it was like to film PSYCHO II."A Visit with PSYCHO memorabilia collector Guy Thorpe" was a fantastic featurette that shows awesome PSYCHO memorabilia owned by a die hard fan Guy Thorpe. He even owns the Mother corpse from PSYCHO II !! I'm very jealous!! "PSYCHO on the Web" was an interesting piece on Jason Allentoff's amazing PSYCHO website. "Norman Bates in Print" was an awesome featurette on Robert Bloch's PSYCHO novels.Without them we wouldn't have the PSYCHO franchise!! And finally"The Hyaena Gallery Presents: Serial Killer Inspired Art" was disturbing but fun. Overall, the special features were very pleasing to me as a PSYCHO fan. Rob was very creative with them since he could only use footage from the movies in the actual documentary.I thought they were great and as I said before very creative.

Rating: 4/5

With the awesome documentary and great special features, what PSYCHO fan wouldn't like this? It's something that we've always wanted to see and because of Robert Galluzzo, we got to see it!! Rob was dedicated,determined and just cared deeply about this fantastic horror franchise and I really thank him for making this. THE PSYCHO LEGACY is a must have for PSYCHO fans everywhere!!

Fifty years ago, Anthony Perkins stabbed and slashed his way into the hearts of audiences in Alfred Hitchcock's classic horror epic, "Psycho." Aside from being a landmark for cinema, "Psycho" is notorious for having quite possibly the most consistent and most respectable set of sequels, a fact often overlooked throughout the years. "The Psycho Legacy," an in-depth documentary from the same folks who brought you "His Name Was Jason" and "Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy", attempts to shed some light on this fact. By compiling interviews old and new with assorted cast and crew (as well as some long-time fans who have carved their own niche in the horror genre) "The Psycho Legacy" paints a colorful and informative picture of a franchise that deserves more respect beyond the usual praise garnered for its first installment.

The meat and potatoes of the feature-length documentary are broken down into five parts. Opening with a surprisingly brief (and somewhat shallow) piece on Hitchcock's original, the documentary spends equal time on each of the three sequels, wrapping up with thoughts on Norman Bates himself, Anthony Perkins. Incidentally, the documentary skips over the 1998 shot-for-shot remake, which is a bit of a shame as even if the film itself was a futile experiment in cinema, it is still rather note-worthy as a rarity in its own genre. While the bigger names such as Dennis Franz and Meg Tilly don't appear in the documentary, other key players such as Robert Loggia, Jeff Fahey, Olivia Hussey and Henry Thomas appear to be more than happy to show some love and support for their somewhat forgotten roles. Archive footage from Perkins, Janet Leigh, director Richard Franklin and others are intercut with the newer footage, while the documentary itself rejects the typical narration. Really, "The Psycho Legacy" is pretty much just a series of interviews pieced together to tell a story.

Since none of the releases for the three sequels were accompanied by any bonus material, it's quite a treat to finally have some light shed on these severely under-rated films. Those seeking the goods on Hitch's original would do better to look elsewhere, but for the rest of us, this documentary does the series justice. The 2-DVD set is rounded out with hours of deleted and extended material, which is actually just as informative as the main documentary itself, if not moreso. While one can't help but feel like more could have been done with this documentary (such as reaching out to bigger names or covering much more ground) it is a satisfying venture regardless. The bonus material is certainly worth a watch and even if you've seen the films multiple times and have read up on them as much as possible, you'll likely learn something new here. In essence, "The Psycho Legacy" is something us Norman Bates fans can go a little mad for.

Psycho Legacy, The (2010)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

It took quite a while but fans of the PSYCHO series finally have a documentary that covers all four films. Although the end result isn't as great as one might hope, there are still enough original cast members and nice stories being told to make this a must-see. Jeff Fahey, Lee Garlington, Mick Garris, Stuart Gordon, Adam Green, Tom Holland, Olivia Hussey, Robert Loggia, Diane Scarwid, Brinke Stevens and Henry Thomas are just a few of the faces who give interviews and it's good to see that so many of the supporting players from the three sequels are on hand. Again, this documentary is certainly a mixed blessing but it's also the only thing out there that really covers the sequels. I think a little too much detail is given in regards to the original movie and it's nothing we haven't heard before. I mean, there's the brilliant THE MAKING OF PSYCHO already out there plus countless books and magazines so I think less could have been said here. Things really pick up when we start to discuss the three very good sequels starting with a few notes on PSYCHO II including one story involving Perkins and Meg Tilly not getting along. Hearing Holland discuss the fears of trying to do a sequel was certainly interesting. PSYCHO III gets most of the main cast members back and both Fahey and Scarwid tell some great stories about working with Perkins who not only acted in the film but directed it. Director Garris doesn't shy away from saying Perkins was very difficult to work with on PSYCHO IV and some of this might have been due to the actor wanting to direct the film himself. Thomas and Hussey also share some very good stories about what they were trying to do with their roles. All three sequels are given equal playing time but one wishes that they had gone a bit further in the discussion of them. The DVD features plenty of bonus features that go into more detail but this documentary, I think, would have been better with more stories we haven't heard instead of going back over countless stories we've heard about the original. It's also worth noting that both BATES MOTEL and the remake are never mentioned. Still, even with the few minor issues, THE PSYCHO LEGACY is the only way to really hear about the sequels and there's no question that fans will enjoy seeing some of their favorite characters again.