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.

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.

This is by far the best Psycho of them all. Not even Hitchcock could have done better with this one. There are many twists, turns and surprises with a very shocking and creative ending. There is not a lot of gore but there are some violent and scary scenes. All horror/slasher films should have plenty of blood and violence and Psycho III does have it's fair share. The phone booth scene is done so brilliantly that it brings back the nostalgia of the first Psycho, this scene however is done so much better, with greater detail and special effects. It is also a lot more vivid in blood red color as opposed to Hershey's syrup which was used in the original Psycho. This film was also made over 26 years later so you would come to expect this with newer technology. Psycho II was also a very good film but not as good as this one. Unfortunately, four years later another Psycho film was made and released directly to cable. It was a bore and had nothing to do with the series. Believe it or not Norman Bates was out of the Bates Motel and was basically discussing his childhood relationship with his mother over the phone to a radio talk show. Psycho III to me was the perfect way to finish off the series. Since a part four was going to be made I would have liked to have seen Norman and mom at it again, this time with an even higher body count and more gore at the Bates Motel. This didn't happen but the first three Psycho movies were all done well and will always be a very scary way to "kill" time. Norman Bates is now gone but he will never be forgotten. Mom would be proud.

Derided and ridiculed as just another 80's slice em' and dice em' gore-fest, this film has been criminally overlooked and underrated for over twenty years. What the vast majority have seemed to miss is the subtlety and richness of a beautifully lensed film which provides one of the most chilling atmospheres to a mainstream horror movie. Anthony Perkins showcases just how adept he is both in front of and behind the camera in his directorial debut, and it is a crying shame that we didn't get to enjoy any further nightmarish visions. Re-watch this work of genius and see for yourselves. 10/10

Leave it to Anthony Perkins, probably the only person who knows Norman Bates better than creator Robert Bloch or director Alfred Hitchcock, to create and have a hand in Norman's descent into madness and subsequent struggle for normalcy. After the circumstances that drove him mad in the last movie, he tries to return to sanity by befriending and romancing another disturbed woman he considers his soul-mate. Diana Scarwid has a fine role as a near clone of the Janet Leigh character as she herself flashes between reality and confusion. Norman is her hero, and she is his queen in this unrequited love story. Jeff Fahey is the jerk and opportunist who throws the wrench in the works just as Norman tries to forget mother and what she does to him. The murders are gratuitous as if to compete with Jason and Freddie and there is some tongue-in-cheek dark humor directed as the series as Murphy proves time and time again: what can go wrong, will.