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Anthony Perkins, Diana Scarwid, Jeff Fahey, Roberta Maxwell, Hugh Gillin ... see more see more... , Lee Garlington , Robert Alan Browne , Gary Bayer , Patience Cleveland , Juliette Cummins , Virginia Gregg , Steve Guevara , Kay Heberle , Karen Hensel , Jack Murdock , Diane Rodriguez , Donovan Scott , Hugo L. Stanger , Brinke Stevens , Katt Shea Ruben , Lisa Ives , Angele Ritter

For his third outing as disturbed innkeeper Norman Bates, Anthony Perkins directed as well as starred in the thriller Psycho III. This time out, Norman is still manning the desk at the Bates Motel, wh... read more read more...ere he now has an assistant, Duane (Jeff Fahey), and a new long-term tenant, Maureen Coyle (Diana Scarwid). Maureen has been seeing Duane and has some issues to resolve in her life; she gave up her vows as a nun not long ago, and she isn't sure just how she feels about either spiritual or earthly matters. Norman takes an interest in Maureen, which may not be good for her long-term health -- after all, the last woman with the initials "M.C." who stayed in that room (and used the shower) met with a rather nasty fate. Perkins played Norman Bates one more time, in the made-for-cable Psycho IV: The Beginning; a short-lived TV series followed, Bates Motel, in which Perkins did not participate. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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30% liked it

9,860 ratings

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59% liked it

17 critics

R, 1 hr. 33 min.

Directed by: Anthony Perkins

Release Date: July 2, 1986

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DVD Release Date: September 21, 1999

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Stats: 423 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (423)

  • spielberg00
    December 30, 2011
    spielberg00
    I can easily admit to being a huge fan of Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 classic PSYCHO, and I found that PSYCHO II was not half bad. Both films managed to maintain a high level of suspense and thrill, even with the shocking amount of blood in the latter film. Sadly, PSYCHO III rarely... read more seems to try for suspense, and when it does, it fails. It doesn't require tuning down the contrast on your TV to determine whether this is Norman Bates slashing or "Mother". Everything that made the original such a well-done classic is out of the question for this film, and instead it has become just about a full-fledged slasher. On top of that, most of the scenes that define this genre are utterly and unintentionally funny. In one scene, for instance, a woman enters a phone booth, only to get slashed by Norman Bates. Once her screaming comes to an end, we see a dead body and a phone that has not yet been hung up. What we hear: "We're sorry. You're number could not be completed as dialed. Please hang up and dial your operator for further assistance."

    Full Review: http://wp.me/p1Urcx-AX
  • ajv2688
    January 27, 2011
    ajv2688
    A pretty good sequel to the sequel of Psycho, it continues the story, but I didn't like the ending. Of course, Perkins is great once again, but the rest of the cast could be better. It's interesting to see Perkins direct, though.
  • cancercapricorn2002
    October 22, 2010
    cancercapricorn2002
    An young woman by the name of Maureen Coyle (Diana Scarwid) was training to be an nun but she has lost her faith. Also she tries to commit suicide, one nun tries to save her but she died accidentally. She leaves the convent and search for an new life. Norman Bates (The late Antho... read moreny Perkins) tries to live an normal life and trying to run his motel. But he hears his late mother talking in his head again. When an sleazy wannabe Rock & Roll singer by the name by Dwayne Duke (Jeff Fahey) decides to take an job at the Bates Motel, just working long enough to get some money to get to Los Angeles. But when Norman meets Maureen at the diner, it reminds Norman of his previous victim Marion Crane (The late Janet Leigh). When she decides to stay at his motel for the night and Norman is dressing up like his mother to kill Maureen. But Maureen tries to commit suicide and Norman ended up saving her. But when an obnoxious noisy reporter (Robert Maxwell) is bothering Norman and she is trying to find out, what happen to Emma Spool, who claimed to be Norman's mother.

    Directed by Perkins, this is an enjoyable dark comedy with some slasher 80's moments but it's lacks mystery and suspense of "Psycho" and "Psycho 2". Perkins is game as always as Norman Bates and he has some humorous moments. Scarwid and Fahey did good job on their roles. While Maxwell does her part well but she is kinda annoying in the movie. Although an minor box office disappointment. "Psycho 3" went on to have an cult following. As his directorial debut, Perkins directed some stylish sequences and he gives tributes to the first "Psycho".

    In the end "Psycho 3" does have its ups and downs but it is certainly amusing for die-hard fans of the series. On a side note, originally the script by Charles Edward Pogue was much darker. Dwayne Duke was a killer, who was obsessed with Norman and Maureen Coyle was going to be the new psychologist for Norman. In some ways, that version of that movie, if it was made. It could be been better but Universal rejected the ideas. Some film critics and fans of the series certainly liked "Psycho 3" more than "Psycho 2". So judge it for yourself.
  • creepfreak
    August 14, 2010
    creepfreak
    Part 3 is the worse in the series, but it's still entertaining. It's definitely the most violent one. This plays more like a slash and dash, slasher film. It's pretty cheesy at times and the story is unoriginal. But it still makes for a fun time. Descent film.

    ... read mores294.photobucket.com/albums/mm89/JDHallowEEn/HorrorQf/?action=view¤t=Psycho3.jpg" target="_blank">Photobucket
  • FilmFanatik
    March 1, 2010
    FilmFanatik
    Not quite as impressive as the previous sequel, but interesting nonetheless.
  • matertenebraum
    January 18, 2010
    matertenebraum
    Picking up where PSYCHO II left off, the Bates Motel is again the site of some nasty doings as the rehabilitated Norman, who has installed a new ice machine, attempts to put his life back together. Old habits die hard, however, in this sequel marking the directorial debut of Anth... read moreony Perkins.

    We open with a strange prologue in which nun-to-be Maureen (Diana Scarwid) denounces God, inadvertently causes the death of another nun, and runs away. Wandering through the desert, she?s picked up by greasy drifter Duane Duke (Jeff Fahey), who doesn?t seem to get that she?s not picking up on his advances because a) she used to live in a convent, and b) he?s a greasy drifter.

    Anyway, the two split ways, and we move on to the Bates Motel, where things have picked up right where the finale of ?Psycho II? left off. (There?s even a flashback in case you?ve forgotten how that one ended.) Our old pal Norman (Anthony Perkins - who else?) has posted a ?help wanted? sign, and it?s Duane who gets the job. Maureen shows up later, and Duane gives her the infamous cabin no. 1. But Norman can?t shake the feeling she?s not Maureen, but Marion Crane.

    As a movie, it?s so-so. The film plays like a smart mystery poorly mixed with a dumb 80s slasher flick; there?s one rather graphic murder scene that feels added in just to cash in on the horror trend of the time. It doesn?t seem a part of the ?Psycho? series. The other deaths, however, are right in line with the minimum-blood, suspense-over-gore technique.

    The plot?s a little nonexistent this time around. Norman seems to be falling for Maureen, and vice versa. Duane is a creep. A nosy reporter (Roberta Maxwell) has come to town to check up on Norman?s rehabilitation. And mother?s been talking again.

    That?s all there is, really. Gone is the intricate mystery of ?Psycho II? (I won?t bother to compare this to the original ?Psycho;? it wouldn?t be fair). In its place is a rather interesting, softer character study - can a mass murderer and a mentally unbalanced former religious type find love? - blended with a less engaging chain of killings. The screenplay, by Charles Edward Pogue, lacks the kick of the previous entries, as it doesn?t contain the glorious surprises of those films.

    Which brings me to those three key scenes. Two are just nifty bits that always catch my eye. In one, the famous ?shower scene? is recreated nearly shot-for-shot... in a telephone booth. In the other, a body is hidden in the motel?s ice machine; will the sheriff notice the ice he?s sucking on has some blood on it?

    It?s the third key scene that really gets to me. It?s yet another take on the shower scene, this time with Mother entering Maureen?s room just as she did those many years ago. But the script throws us a curve, resulting in a move that?s smarter than anything else in the movie. I won?t tell you what it is (you?ll have to see for yourself), but it?s a scene that gets me every time.

    Behind all this is Perkins, who, in addition to his reprisal of his most famous role, also marks his directorial debut. Perkins knows the material and seems to enjoy tinkering with the characters. His decision to have everyone play a little too over-the-top doesn?t quite work, as what is meant to come off as black humor often times comes off as merely Jeff Fahey not acting well. Still, Perkins? playful mood keeps the movie from sinking into an overly-serious zone, and some of the plot?s dumber moments are allowed to be tossed aside with tongue in cheek.

    So just as ?Psycho II? was a great movie on its own and a fair successor to ?Psycho,? ?Psycho III? is a decent movie on its own and a fair successor to ?Psycho II.? It?s not a great movie by any means, but any fan of the Hitchcock classic whose curiosity was snagged by ?Psycho II? should find something of interest to see here. It?s not, as its ads once claimed, ?the most shocking of them all,? but it does have enough clever bits to earn a recommendation.
  • TheGame90
    March 25, 2008
    TheGame90
    When you do 2 sequels to a classic....there's a good chance that you'll fuck up....but they didn't
  • mjgildea
    September 6, 2007
    mjgildea
    The spirit of Hitchcock's original (on which Psycho III heavily leans upon) was as dead as he was at this point. I caught a few Bava influenced shots from Tony Perkins directorial playbook and that was really the most that this movie had going for it. I saw this maybe 15 times th... read moree summer I was 12 and a majority of the 2 stars I'm throwing this movie are from a nostalgic standpoint.
  • YosemiteSamFan
    September 4, 2007
    YosemiteSamFan
    I liked this movie quite a bit. It has humour and horror, with enough twists to keep it interesting. There's cool music too. Norman meets a fallen nun who looks like Marion Crane, the woman he killed in the shower in the first film. There's a weird rockabilly guy working for him,... read more a school homecoming party, a nosey reporter, and Norman's new "Mother" threatening Norman's sanity. The death effects are wonderfully gorey. It's a treat.
  • deano
    March 12, 2007
    deano
    Second follow-up to Psycho works manly because actor-director Anthony Perkins understands poor Norman Bates inside and out.

View All Psycho III Reviews

Critic Reviews

Dave Kehr
October 21, 2008
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

Perkins tries to imitate Hitchcock's visual style, but most of the film is made without concern for style of any kind, unless it's the bludgeoning nonstyle of Friday the 13th. Full Review

Variety Staff
June 18, 2008
Variety Staff, Variety

The whole enterprise is dependent almost entirely upon self-referential incidents and attitudes for its effect, and it eventually becomes wearying. Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

It has a cast of talented, self-effacing actors, who don't upstage the material, and an efficient screenplay by Charles Edward Pogue, who doesn't beat you over the head to prove that he has a sense of... Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The movie was directed by Perkins, in his filmmaking debut. I was surprised by what a good job he does. Full Review

October 20, 2008
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Not just some actor who has been given a chance to direct, Perkins has a style and, like fellow director-actors Orson Welles and Clint Eastwood, knows his own persona, knows how to photograph and ligh... Full Review

Alex Sandell
December 27, 2004
Alex Sandell, Juicy Cerebellum

Much better than the second.

David Cornelius
December 4, 2004
David Cornelius, eFilmCritic.com

any fan of the Hitchcock classic whose curiosity was snagged by Psycho II should find something of interest to see here. Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
August 26, 2004
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

A twisted tale of sexuality, religion and misogyny Full Review

September 2, 2003
Film4

It is strong in parodying the original, so fans should look out for it so long as they've got a sense of humour. Full Review

Ken Hanke
July 30, 2002
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Superior horror sequel stylishly made by star Anthony Perkins

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Psycho III Trivia

  • Psycho and its sequels span 30 years: 1960-1990. In how many of the 4 films (Psycho, II, III, and IV: The Beginning) did Anthony Perkins play Norman Bates?  Answer »
  • What 1986 film had this quote :" Wasn't your one sin red enough ? You'll burn in hell for this ! You'll burn in hell ! "?   Answer »
  • Where had Maureen just left in Psycho III ?  Answer »
  • Who was desperate for money in Psycho III ?  Answer »
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