07 December 2024
PSYCHO III (1986)

93 min.
Directed by Anthony Perkins.
With Anthony Perkins, Diana Scarwid, Jeff Fahey, Roberta Maxwell, Hugh Gillin, Lee Garlington, Juliette Cummins, Katt Shea Ruben.
Second sequel to the 1960 original finds itself with a few moments of minor inspiration.

Norman (Perkins) and his Mother still run the Bates Motel.

This time, they're visited by a seemingly unhinged ex-nun (Scarwid) and wayward musician bum (Fahey).

Soon, grisly murders begin to plague the establishment again...is the spirit of Mother still the *real* boss around the joint?

Not awful, but no classic, this watchable effort benefits from a still spunky performance by Perkins (who also directed) and Scarwid (from 1977's interesting horror The Possessed et al).

Classic Hitchcockian suspense is given illustrative life by director Perkins here when Norman (and the audience) knows a body is hidden in the ice machine, but town sheriff is unaware...and proceeds to cool himself by grabbing a cube or two...

Nice, but lacks the class Hitch would have given it.

Followed by Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990).

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