Psycho III (1986)

Norman Bates falls in love with a fallen nun who stays at the Bates Motel alongside a drifter and a curious reporter. Meanwhile, "mother" is still watching.

Director:

Anthony Perkins

Writers:

Charles Edward Pogue, Robert Bloch (characters)

Stars:

Anthony Perkins, Diana Scarwid, Jeff Fahey

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anthony Perkins	...	Norman Bates
Diana Scarwid	...	Maureen Coyle
Jeff Fahey	...	Duane Duke
Roberta Maxwell	...	Tracy Venable
Hugh Gillin	...	Sheriff John Hunt
Lee Garlington	...	Myrna
Robert Alan Browne	...	Ralph Statler
Gary Bayer	...	Father Brian
Patience Cleveland	...	Sister Margaret
Juliette Cummins	...	Red
Steve Guevara	...	Deputy Leo
Kay Heberle	...	Ruthie
Donovan Scott	...	Kyle
Karen Hensel	...	Sister Catherine
Jack Murdock	...	Lou

Storyline

Norman Bates is back again running his "quiet" little motel a month after the events in Psycho II. Norman meets three new people, one being a beautiful young nun with whom his budding relationship is beginning to make his "Mother" jealous. He also hires a young man in need of a job to take care of the motel. A snooping reporter is showing interest in Norman's case. What will these new friends do for Norman?

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Plot Keywords:

norman bates | female nudity | topless female nudity | smoking | woman walking outside barefoot | 

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Taglines:

The most shocking of them all.

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 July 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Psicosis 3

Filming Locations:

Kersting Court at Sierra Madre Boulevard, Sierra Madre, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,238,401, 7 July 1986

Gross USA:

$14,481,606

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Actress Diana Scarwid fondly remembers working with director/star Anthony Perkins and has since gone on to say that she found him loving, sensitive and caring.

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Goofs

The car that goes into the swamp, although driven by Norman with Duke as passenger, is clearly unoccupied.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Maureen Coyle: There is no God!

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Alternate Versions

The television version has a completely different beginning with titles that appear before Maureen is seen. Also, the first thing heard on the television version is not "there is no God". When Maureen leaves the convent, the television version has narration giving information about Maureen. The beginning titles do not appear while she is walking to the highway in this version.

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Connections

Referenced in Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film (2006)

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Soundtracks

Dirty Street
Music by Carter Burwell & Steve Bray
Written by Steve Bray & Stanton-Miranda
Performed by Stanton-Miranda

User Reviews

Psycho Meets The 80s In A Full Blown Manner

In my view, the first three Psycho films can only be compared to the Godfather trilogy; The first one is amazing, the second one is almost as good, and the third one isn't near as good but still enjoyable. Psycho 3 starts off as a full blown rehash of the first film, but after seeing the ending of Psycho 2, that is not a bad thing at all. Psycho 3 could somewhat be looked at as a rehash of the first film, but it still works out well as a sequel. Of course, Norman Bates is back to the way he was in the first film, which sets up Psycho 3 in a very good way. It really gets inside Norman's psychopathic mind, which is why Psycho 3 has a noticeably darker tone than the other two films. This isn't a terrible aspect by any means. I thought that it added a whole new dimension to the film without being nothing but a repeat of the previous sequels. Psycho 3 also adds plenty of teenage slasher aspects and a very large amount of gore, which also added to the movie in a very good way.

Psycho 3 is directed by Anthony Perkins, who also played as Norman Bates in all 4 original Psycho films (not counting the remake directed by Gus Van Zant). Anthony Perkins gives out many Hitchcock style images that are more of homages than anything. The biggest homage that Anthony Perkins delivered the audience was the scene outside the ice box with the dead body inside. The police officer is reaching for some ice, and suddenly we see that the ice is bloody. This resembles a pure Hitchcock trait, which I really liked to see in a sequel to the master's masterpiece.

I also felt that the performances from the entire cast did an excellent job, especially for the period and genre of the film. Psycho 3 has very solid character chemistry and a very solid cast, which I also thought helped the film out in a great deal. Duane Duke is a character that I really loved to hate. Several other aspects about the cast made me love this film for what it is.

The negative aspects of this film include the loss of power on repeated viewings and the brief moments of cheese. I also felt that the ending didn't deliver spot on as the previous two films did. Whatever the case may be, Psycho 3 is still an excellent watch. It may not by any means be as good as the previous two films, but still a good sequel.

Recommended.