PSYCHO III - REVIEW

 
Underrated second sequel to Psycho with Anthony Perkins doing a better job than in the previous film, and not only in front of the camera. His directing is obviously filled with Hitchcockian influence and as clunky as it can be, overall he does pretty well. Of course, there are silly moments here and there and it can get kinda messy but it is enjoyable nonetheless.

I must warn you though, Psycho III is a very different monster to its predecessors. Psycho II took its flawed character seriously and told his unlikely story in a compassionate way. Sure the ending was silly but for the most part, Psycho II did ok to stay focused. Psycho III however, is classic slasher flick fare: Norman is back to his old tricks and there's no bullshitting around!

This third instalment is often seen as the lesser of the Psycho sequels, and wrongly so. For one thing it's infinitely more entertaining than Psycho II and Perkins clearly has a ball going nuts once again and directing a twisted, straight-up horror film with more than one cheeky wink to The Master who gave him his greatest role. The early taxidermia scene, for example, is beautifully distressing and the killings are mostly silly but a hell of a lot of fun.

Darker, wackier, more stylish than the second Psycho film, this third go is of course no patch on the original and the acting from the supporting cast isn't always Oscar-worthy but we do learn a little more about Norman whilst seeing the nutter in action.

Worth a look. 

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