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!!
