Psycho III 1986

I was amazed how much I enjoyed this one. Maybe not quite as good as Psycho II, but for a set of sequels released 20 years after the fact, they're both pretty well done. Direction is surprisingly good, Perkins probably should have done more.

Another very good sequel in this series. I think that what I love most, is that both sequels so far did something different.

In the original we find out Norman Bates is the killer who dresses up like his mother.

in Pyscho II we see Norman trying to become a better man but failing because of people who pretend they're his mother.

In Psycho III we see another side of him falling in love and "killing" his mother again. Mixed with a great soundtrack and a very 80's vibe, I really liked this sequel as well. I think it's rare for a classic to get (so far) 2 interesting sequels. Although it seems that IMDb doesn't agree given the 5.4 rating there.

Looking forward to the last part with Anthony Perkins, but since I've heard it's a prequel, I'm not expecting too much.

Maureen: "You must think I've gone mad?"
Norman: "Oh, no... no. We all go a little mad sometimes."

More sex and nudity—which kinda fits with the Psycho franchise and the nature of Norman Bates. Anthony Perkins as Norman is really what keeps this movie going, his character's engaging and his interactions with "mother" are mysterious (same as Psycho II). Norman's character arc with these three movies is interesting and the two sequels stayed true to his persona which is great. He's never really seen as a villain, just another victim of "mother". Maureen isn't as charming or interesting as Marion or Mary but she brings out a side of Norman we haven't seen before so there's that at least. It has some awesome kills, especially the toilet one. I got bored in the second half, feels all over the place and the pacing's off. The last 10 minutes or so are an absolute blast though. A step down from the previous two but still decent.

The Psycho series outstays its welcome with a third installment of madness. When Norman takes a liking to a disillusioned nun who’s come to stay at the Bates Motel, Mother gets upset and people start disappearing. The plot is incredibly contrived and really doesn’t add anything to the series. The directing also underperforms, as Anthony Perkins takes the helm and is unable to deliver the suspense or intensity that the previous films had. What started out as a classic has turned into mindless tripe with Psycho III.

Perkins directs this one, and he does a decent job of it, but things are starting to wear pretty thin by this point. There's some interesting additions to the mythology by the end though...