Psycho III (1986)
Starring Anthony Perkins, Diana Scarwid, Roberta Maxwell, and Jeff Fahey
Directed by Anthony Perkins
***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***
Honestly, lightning didn't strike a third time in Psycho III, the final theatrical release in the trilogy of the life of Norman Bates. [There is apparently a fourth made-for-tv movie that isn't available on Netflix in any capacity.] After a surprisingly enjoyable continuation in Psycho II, this Anthony Perkins-directed flick actually garnered better reviews than the second movie which boggles my mind seeing as how I thought this venture was absolutely horrible, feeling more like a standard slasher flick than a rightful follow-up.
The plot -- what little there is -- continues where the second installment left off with Norman Bates (Perkins) still trying to come to grips with the fact that his dead mother is trying to control him. The film also adds in a nosy investigative reporter (Roberta Maxwell), a former aspiring nun (Diana Scarwid) who left the convent after she inadvertently killed one of her colleagues, and a new drunken night clerk (Jeff Fahey) at the Bates Motel, but none of these characters are the least bit appealing to watch. And, rather unfortunately, Anthony Perkins doesn't quite know what to do with himself. His role has become a caricature of itself and he's unable to cull a good performance out of himself. In fact, he was almost unbearable to watch.
If anything, this has just given me a greater appreciation for the original which still stands the test of time as one of the best films ever made.
The RyMickey Rating: D-
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