Psycho III is a decent sequel to the series, but fails to equal the dread and suspense the first two managed. Norman Bates is officially insane once again. In part two we questioned his sanity up until the ending, but in this third Psycho there is no doubt he is crazy. It starts off with an unstable nun named Maureen who, while trying to commit suicide, accidentally causes the death of another nun. Shunned by the convent, she accepts a ride from a sleazy musician named Duke (Jeff Fahey). She escapes his sexual assault by jumping out of the car into the pouring rain. Duke ends up at the Bates Motel and accepts a job from Norman to look after the place during the day. Maureen ends up at the motel too and is startled to see Duke. Norman see's her and immediately thinks of Marion Crane, the woman he killed in the shower in the first Psycho. Norman becomes unhinged at the sight of her and his murderous rampage continues leading up to a satisfying ending.
Psycho III adds a lot more gore and a lot more nudity, appropriate with the times I assume. Horror in 1986 was filled with blood and sex, so I guess Psycho III felt it had to compete with slasher hits like the latest Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street sequels. The gore and sleaze just doesn't work with a Psycho film though. I have nothing against that in horror, but it makes Psycho III a lesser film when compared to the second one. The pace of this one however is very good, and there certainly isn't a dull moment. It's fun and interesting to watch Norman lose his cool, and Anthony Perkins played it brilliantly as always.
Psycho III was directed by Perkins, and overall was a pretty good horror flick. There is a religious undertone with the character of Maureen who was a nun before meeting Norman. The murder scenes are very gory and realistically done. There is also a cringe worthy scene where the sheriff eats a bloody piece of ice. The ice is of course bloody because Norman stuffed a body in his new Bates Motel ice machine. Psycho III is a decent addition to the series and also adds to the back story of the Bates family. Roberta Maxwell does a good job as the grating reporter and Diana Scarwid plays the role of the naive Maureen perfectly.
7/10
Psycho III adds a lot more gore and a lot more nudity, appropriate with the times I assume. Horror in 1986 was filled with blood and sex, so I guess Psycho III felt it had to compete with slasher hits like the latest Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street sequels. The gore and sleaze just doesn't work with a Psycho film though. I have nothing against that in horror, but it makes Psycho III a lesser film when compared to the second one. The pace of this one however is very good, and there certainly isn't a dull moment. It's fun and interesting to watch Norman lose his cool, and Anthony Perkins played it brilliantly as always.
Psycho III was directed by Perkins, and overall was a pretty good horror flick. There is a religious undertone with the character of Maureen who was a nun before meeting Norman. The murder scenes are very gory and realistically done. There is also a cringe worthy scene where the sheriff eats a bloody piece of ice. The ice is of course bloody because Norman stuffed a body in his new Bates Motel ice machine. Psycho III is a decent addition to the series and also adds to the back story of the Bates family. Roberta Maxwell does a good job as the grating reporter and Diana Scarwid plays the role of the naive Maureen perfectly.
7/10