Review of Psycho III (1986) by Andrew K — 15 Dec 2010

I'm glad I revisited this. The first time I saw it I was hung up on some of the more campy elements (the out of place humour, particularly the Woody Woodpecker scene), and was let down by the film's final twist (which isn't a twist at all, and feels like a major letdown).

Seeing it again though, it's actually a fascinating sequel, and Perkins is once again great. Unlike the second movie which is one big guessing game, Psycho III is all about Norman's mental deterioration. Perkins forgoes much of the Hitchcockian "suspense" and goes for a more visceral movie. It's very violent, very messy, and emotionally raw. This is easily the most sexually charged Psycho film, and Perkins personal closeted life feels like it's been channeled into Norman Bates' rage and frustration.

You can feel the change just with Carter Burwell's score which takes a complete detour from the traditional "psycho" sound. Burwell represents mental deterioration with a score that veers wildly from melodic, to operatic, to pure tonal dissonance.

I think for me the biggest problem is that there's perhaps an emotional beat missing at the end of the movie. A major character dies, and we get a great roar from Norman as he screams, "Mother", but instead of following Norman's reaction Perkins cuts to a minor character. The minor character walks into the Bates' house and Norman has already changed into mother. I think seeing that transformation, seeing that struggle would have given this movie the grandeur it had been building towards.

Still, this is far better than I remembered it being, and is worthy of rediscovery.