The Psycho Legacy

Universal has always ignored the sequels to "Psycho". While the Hitchcock original has always had great DVD releases the sequels were treated poorly by the studio. No special editions were ever done for those releases.

Thankfully I am not the only fan of "Psycho II". Rob Galluzzo has produced this amazing documentary about the "Psycho Films". Primarily it sticks to the sequels because the original has had many books and DVD devoted to it.

This documentary does what Universal failed to do. It gave us a documentary chronicling everything you would want to know about the sequels. Cast and crew interviews talk about everything you would want to know. From casting to shooting to reactions that both the cast and public felt about each sequel.

Made with such love and care that you hope Rob Galluzzo will make another documentary about another horror franchise!

Please note after this documentary was made Shout Factory ended licensing the "Psycho Sequels" for Special Editions on Home Video.

If you love these films then watch this documentary!

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.

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.

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.

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