Psycho III

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

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.

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.

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!

Psycho III (1986)

*** (out of 4)

A month after the events from the previous film, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) is back at his motel when a reporter starts snooping around trying to find out some information on his past. At the same time Norman hires a wannabe rock star (Jeff Fahey) to help out around the motel and he also strikes up a relationship with a young woman (Diana Scarwid) who seems to be just as troubled as he is.

PSYCHO III certainly breaks away from the first two movies in the series. The first two films were mysteries that build up suspense and tension. This film here is a bit different as there's a bit more humor and there's no question that Perkins, working as a director for the first time, goes for more slasher elements. The director said before his death that he didn't really know what he was doing but the film actually turned out to be pretty good.

I've always defended this movie for a number of reasons but the biggest is that the characters are just so wonderful. Once again Perkins is wonderful as Bates as he perfectly nails all those quirky things that make it work. The stutter is one of them and just the nervous tension that you can always pick up about Norman. Then you've got the story of the depressed and confused nun played by Scarwid. The two of them are so wonderful together that it really does sell the love story, which is rare for a horror movie. Even Fahey is a lot of fun as the rocking jerk. Hugh Gillin also makes a return from the previous film as the Sheriff and is a lot of fun.

The horror elements here are a lot stronger than the previous two films and the violence is a bit more graphic. The death scenes are all well-staged but there's no question that Perkins was trying to keep up with the slasher films from the era. The music score is effective and there's no doubt that it's a well-made film. PSYCHO III is a totally different animal than the first two movies but that's okay because in the end it really does work.