Psycho III

"Norman Bates is back to normal. But mother's off her rocker again."

1986 1h 33m EN

😐

5.7

MID

★5.7TMDB · 450

HorrorMysteryThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When Maureen Coyle, a suicidal nun who resembles Norman's former victim, Marion Crane, arrives at the motel, all bets are off and "Mother" is less than happy.

“Norman Bates is back to normal. But mother's off her rocker again.”

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Cast

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

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Anthony Perkins
Writers: Charles Edward Pogue, Robert Bloch
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

40 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Psycho Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Anthony Perkins, shot by Bruce Surtees. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Carter Burwell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor David E. Blewitt shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Anthony Perkins and Diana Scarwid and Jeff Fahey carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Norman Bates is back to normal. But mother's off her rocker again.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0091799 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Anthony Perkins directs. Bruce Surtees behind the camera. Carter Burwell scores. David E. Blewitt cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

140 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Part of the "Psycho Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by Anthony Perkins, shot by Bruce Surtees. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Carter Burwell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor David E. Blewitt shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Anthony Perkins and Diana Scarwid and Jeff Fahey carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Norman Bates is back to normal. But mother's off her rocker again.".
8IMDB entry: tt0091799 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 12 themes, including "depression", "prostitute", "schizophrenia", "nun".
10Released under 14 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Bruce Surtees
Original score: Carter Burwell
Editing: David E. Blewitt
Production design: Henry Bumstead
Costume design: Marla Schlom
Makeup / hair: Vivian McAteer
Sound: Roger Heman Jr.
Stunt coordinator: Bob Yerkes
Runtime: 93 min · 1h 33m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $8,400,000
Box office: $14,481,606
Return: 172% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Psycho III (1986)

Part of

Psycho Collection

Series of American horror films, loosely based on the "Psycho" novels by Robert Bloch, which focuses on the deeply disturbed individuals who operate the Bates Motel.

Also by

Anthony Perkins

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2018-08-21
★ 7/10
Retreads the original, but with interesting additions A month after the events of “Psycho II” (1983), a grief-stricken former nun (Diana Scarwid), a wannabe rock star (Jeff Fahey), a meddling reporter (Roberta Maxwell) and a bunch of football fans converge on the Bates Motel and the crazy world of Norman Bates (Anthony Hopkins). Like the previous installment, “Psycho III” (1986) is a quality continuation of the iconic 1960 film, but more of a retread, which is why some call it a spiritual remake. I like it a little better than the prior sequel because it omits the contrived and confusing twists & turns of the second half. (But, if you seriously reflect on “Psycho II,” everything makes sense after the climatic reveal; you just have to put the pieces of the puzzle together). Besides Scarwid, the film scores pretty well in the female department with comely redhead Juliette Cummins from “Friday the 13th Part V” (1985) and brunette Katt Shea. The film effectively contrasts lust and love. In addition, Fahey makes for an entertaining character and I like the addition of the celebratory football fanatics. There’s some atmospheric cinematography as well, directed by Perkins. What’s great about the Psycho franchise is that it has its own story and Norman is a sympathetic character. It’s really a tragedy and not like the formulaic slasher where the killer is a zombie-like machine and all its victims are mostly partying teenagers. The film runs 1 hour, 33 minutes and, like the other two films, was shot at the backlot of Universal Studios, Universal City, California. GRADE: B

Production companies