Psycho III
Encyclopedia
Psycho III is a 1986 sequel to Alfred Hitchcock
's Psycho. The film stars Anthony Perkins
(who also directed the film), Diana Scarwid
, Jeff Fahey
and Roberta Maxwell
. The screenplay is written by Charles Edward Pogue
. The original electronic music score is composed and performed by Carter Burwell
in one of his earliest projects.
. Another nun tries to get her to come down, but Maureen accidentally pushes her to her death. Maureen is forced to leave the convent.
Norman Bates is still manning the desk at the Bates Motel
and living with the preserved corpse of his "true" mother, Emma Spool. Local law enforcement and Norman's ex-boss, Ralph Statler, are concerned since Mrs. Spool has been missing for over a month. Duane Duke, a sleazy musician desperate for money, is offered the job of assistant motel manager to replace the late Warren Toomey, who was the previous assistant manager who was fired by Norman. Maureen, now a long-term tenant, has some issues to resolve. She isn't sure how she feels about either spiritual or earthly matters.
Sheriff John Hunt and Ralph have a conversation at the diner, when Tracy Venable, a pushy journalist from Los Angeles, interrupts them. She is working on an article about serial killers being put back on the streets. Tracy is trying to back up her theory that Norman is back to his old ways.
Norman appears and Tracy jumps at the chance to talk with him. Unaware of her ulterior motives, Norman opens up to her but is distracted when Maureen enters. He is startled because she strongly resembles his long-ago victim, Marion Crane. Seeing the initials "M.C." on her suitcase, Norman panics and leaves the diner.
After a conversation with "Mother," Norman spies on Maureen as she undresses to take a shower. Keeping "her" word, "Mother" enters Maureen's room. Upon pulling back the shower curtain, it is revealed Maureen has attempted suicide by cutting her wrists, a sight which snaps Norman back to his "normal" side. Due to blood loss, Maureen hallucinates. She mistakes Norman, dressed up as "Mother," for the Virgin Mary holding a silver crucifix.
Norman gets Maureen to the hospital. After she is released, he invites her to stay back at the motel and they begin a romantic relationship.
Duane picks up a girl called "Red" at a bar. They head to Bates Cabin 12 and make love. Red makes it clear she wants more than just a fling and calls him a pig. Duane, infuriated, throws her out. Red calls a cab, but "Mother" shatters the phone booth door and stabs Red to death.
Tourists arrive at the motel, where they plan to watch a local football
game. Norman and Maureen go to a restaurant while Tracy searches Mrs. Spool's apartment. She discovers the Bates Motel's phone number written on a magazine cover. Norman and Maureen return to the motel to find most of the other guests engaged in drunken stupor. Norman goes with Maureen to her room and they fall asleep in each other's arms.
Patsy Boyle, the only sober guest, is murdered by "Mother." Norman discovers Patsy's body and he buries her in the motel's ice chest outside the office. The next morning, Sheriff Hunt and Deputy Leo appear to investigate Patsy's disappearance. Norman tries to prevent Hunt from entering his mother's bedroom, when he discovers that "Mother"/Mrs. Spool has disappeared.
Tracy tells Maureen all about Norman's past. This causes Maureen to leave the motel and go stay with Father Brian, who took care of her at the hospital. Norman searches for his mother all over the house and finds a note from her stating that she is in Cabin 12. There he learns it was Duane who took "Mother"/Mrs. Spool.
Duane demands a large sum of money to keep quiet or else he would turn Norman over to the police for the murders. Norman agrees to Duane's blackmail demands, but unexpectedly throws an ashtray at Duane's head. They fight and Norman hits Duane several times with his own guitar, knocking him unconscious while Norman thought he bashed Duane to death.
Tracy talks to Statler and Myrna about Mrs. Spool and discovers she was working at the diner before Statler bought it from Harvey Leach. Tracy meets with Leach, a resident at an assisted living facility, and is informed that Mrs. Spool had also once been institutionalized for murder.
Norman drives Duane's car to the swamp with Duane's and Patsy's bodies in it. Duane turns out to be alive, regains consciousness and attacks Norman, who accidentally drives into the swamp. He struggles out of the car while Duane drowns.
Maureen convinces herself that Norman is her true love and returns to the motel. Norman and Maureen share a tender moment at the top of the staircase when "Mother" shouts furiously at Norman, which startles him. He loses his grip on Maureen's hands. She falls down the stairs into the cupid statue, goes limp and sinks to the floor, revealing the arrow has punctured her skull. Norman screams and promises "Mother" that he will get her for this.
Tracy arrives. She enters the house and finds Maureen dead. Then she sees Norman dressed as "Mother," bearing a knife, but is unable to flee. She tries to reason with Norman by explaining his family history: Emma Spool was his aunt and was in love with Norman's father, but he married her sister, Norma, instead. Mrs. Spool then kidnapped Norman when he was a baby, after she killed Mr. Bates, believing Norman was the child "she should have had with him." When she got caught, Norman was returned to Norma while Mrs. Spool was institutionalized.
Tracy discovers Mrs. Spool's corpse in the bedroom. Norman takes off his dress. "Mother" orders him to kill Tracy, but when Norman raises the knife, he brutally attacks "Mother" instead, dismembering Mrs. Spool's preserved remains.
Sheriff Hunt takes Norman to his squad car, with Father Brian and Tracy following behind. Hunt informs Norman that they may never let him out of the institution again, Norman replies: "But I'll be free...I'll finally be free."
Norman, sitting silently in the back of the squad car, caresses a trophy: the severed hand of Mrs. Spool.
. Carter Burwell
composed the main soundtrack and also some songs that play on the jukebox in the diner and on the radios in cars. The soundtrack for Psycho III was originally released on MCA Records
.
The song, Scream of Love was released as a single on vinyl only. The dance remixes by Arthur Baker
was featured on the 12" vinyl. MCA commissioned a music video featuring Carter Burwell, Anthony Perkins
and a Hitchcockian woman. Perkins presented the video on MTV
as a guest VJ.
movie franchise.
Psycho III has been released three times on DVD
. The initial release came in 1999 when Universal Studios
leased the film out to Goodtimes Home Video. This release is currently out of print
. The second release came in 2005 from Universal Studios itself. The third release came in 2007 as part of a triple feature package with Psycho II and Psycho IV: The Beginning
.
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's Psycho. The film stars Anthony Perkins
Anthony Perkins
Anthony Perkins was an American actor, best known for his Oscar-nominated role in Friendly Persuasion and as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho , and its three sequels.-Early life:...
(who also directed the film), Diana Scarwid
Diana Scarwid
Diana Scarwid is an American actress. Scarwid has done work in film, television and theater.-Personal life:Scarwid was born in Savannah, Georgia, and left Georgia at the age of 17, heading to New York to become an actress. She graduated from Pace University and The American Academy of Dramatic...
, Jeff Fahey
Jeff Fahey
Jeffrey David "Jeff" Fahey is an American film and television actor. He has portrayed Captain Frank Lapidus on the ABC series Lost and the title role of Deputy Marshal Winston MacBride on The Marshal.-Early life:...
and Roberta Maxwell
Roberta Maxwell
-Background:Roberta Maxwell began studying for the stage at the age of 12. She joined John Clark for 2 years as the child co-host of his Junior Magazine series for CBC Television, before becoming the youngest actress apprentice at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario,to pursue...
. The screenplay is written by Charles Edward Pogue
Charles Edward Pogue
Charles Edward Pogue is a film and television writer who has worked in the sci-fi/fantasy, horror, and thriller genres, and he has also scripted several Sherlock Holmes adaptations...
. The original electronic music score is composed and performed by Carter Burwell
Carter Burwell
Carter Benedict Burwell is an American composer of film scores.-Life and career:Burwell was born in New York City, the son of Natalie , a math teacher, and Charles Burwell, who founded Thaibok Fabrics, Ltd...
in one of his earliest projects.
Plot
Maureen Coyle, a mentally unstable young nun, is atop a bell tower and about to commit suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. Another nun tries to get her to come down, but Maureen accidentally pushes her to her death. Maureen is forced to leave the convent.
Norman Bates is still manning the desk at the Bates Motel
Bates Motel
Bates Motel is a 1987 television movie about Alex West, a mentally disturbed youth who was committed to an asylum after killing his abusive stepfather. There he befriends Norman Bates and ends up inheriting the infamous Bates Motel.-Plot:...
and living with the preserved corpse of his "true" mother, Emma Spool. Local law enforcement and Norman's ex-boss, Ralph Statler, are concerned since Mrs. Spool has been missing for over a month. Duane Duke, a sleazy musician desperate for money, is offered the job of assistant motel manager to replace the late Warren Toomey, who was the previous assistant manager who was fired by Norman. Maureen, now a long-term tenant, has some issues to resolve. She isn't sure how she feels about either spiritual or earthly matters.
Sheriff John Hunt and Ralph have a conversation at the diner, when Tracy Venable, a pushy journalist from Los Angeles, interrupts them. She is working on an article about serial killers being put back on the streets. Tracy is trying to back up her theory that Norman is back to his old ways.
Norman appears and Tracy jumps at the chance to talk with him. Unaware of her ulterior motives, Norman opens up to her but is distracted when Maureen enters. He is startled because she strongly resembles his long-ago victim, Marion Crane. Seeing the initials "M.C." on her suitcase, Norman panics and leaves the diner.
After a conversation with "Mother," Norman spies on Maureen as she undresses to take a shower. Keeping "her" word, "Mother" enters Maureen's room. Upon pulling back the shower curtain, it is revealed Maureen has attempted suicide by cutting her wrists, a sight which snaps Norman back to his "normal" side. Due to blood loss, Maureen hallucinates. She mistakes Norman, dressed up as "Mother," for the Virgin Mary holding a silver crucifix.
Norman gets Maureen to the hospital. After she is released, he invites her to stay back at the motel and they begin a romantic relationship.
Duane picks up a girl called "Red" at a bar. They head to Bates Cabin 12 and make love. Red makes it clear she wants more than just a fling and calls him a pig. Duane, infuriated, throws her out. Red calls a cab, but "Mother" shatters the phone booth door and stabs Red to death.
Tourists arrive at the motel, where they plan to watch a local football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
game. Norman and Maureen go to a restaurant while Tracy searches Mrs. Spool's apartment. She discovers the Bates Motel's phone number written on a magazine cover. Norman and Maureen return to the motel to find most of the other guests engaged in drunken stupor. Norman goes with Maureen to her room and they fall asleep in each other's arms.
Patsy Boyle, the only sober guest, is murdered by "Mother." Norman discovers Patsy's body and he buries her in the motel's ice chest outside the office. The next morning, Sheriff Hunt and Deputy Leo appear to investigate Patsy's disappearance. Norman tries to prevent Hunt from entering his mother's bedroom, when he discovers that "Mother"/Mrs. Spool has disappeared.
Tracy tells Maureen all about Norman's past. This causes Maureen to leave the motel and go stay with Father Brian, who took care of her at the hospital. Norman searches for his mother all over the house and finds a note from her stating that she is in Cabin 12. There he learns it was Duane who took "Mother"/Mrs. Spool.
Duane demands a large sum of money to keep quiet or else he would turn Norman over to the police for the murders. Norman agrees to Duane's blackmail demands, but unexpectedly throws an ashtray at Duane's head. They fight and Norman hits Duane several times with his own guitar, knocking him unconscious while Norman thought he bashed Duane to death.
Tracy talks to Statler and Myrna about Mrs. Spool and discovers she was working at the diner before Statler bought it from Harvey Leach. Tracy meets with Leach, a resident at an assisted living facility, and is informed that Mrs. Spool had also once been institutionalized for murder.
Norman drives Duane's car to the swamp with Duane's and Patsy's bodies in it. Duane turns out to be alive, regains consciousness and attacks Norman, who accidentally drives into the swamp. He struggles out of the car while Duane drowns.
Maureen convinces herself that Norman is her true love and returns to the motel. Norman and Maureen share a tender moment at the top of the staircase when "Mother" shouts furiously at Norman, which startles him. He loses his grip on Maureen's hands. She falls down the stairs into the cupid statue, goes limp and sinks to the floor, revealing the arrow has punctured her skull. Norman screams and promises "Mother" that he will get her for this.
Tracy arrives. She enters the house and finds Maureen dead. Then she sees Norman dressed as "Mother," bearing a knife, but is unable to flee. She tries to reason with Norman by explaining his family history: Emma Spool was his aunt and was in love with Norman's father, but he married her sister, Norma, instead. Mrs. Spool then kidnapped Norman when he was a baby, after she killed Mr. Bates, believing Norman was the child "she should have had with him." When she got caught, Norman was returned to Norma while Mrs. Spool was institutionalized.
Tracy discovers Mrs. Spool's corpse in the bedroom. Norman takes off his dress. "Mother" orders him to kill Tracy, but when Norman raises the knife, he brutally attacks "Mother" instead, dismembering Mrs. Spool's preserved remains.
Sheriff Hunt takes Norman to his squad car, with Father Brian and Tracy following behind. Hunt informs Norman that they may never let him out of the institution again, Norman replies: "But I'll be free...I'll finally be free."
Norman, sitting silently in the back of the squad car, caresses a trophy: the severed hand of Mrs. Spool.
Cast
- Anthony PerkinsAnthony PerkinsAnthony Perkins was an American actor, best known for his Oscar-nominated role in Friendly Persuasion and as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho , and its three sequels.-Early life:...
as Norman BatesNorman BatesNorman Bates is a fictional character created by writer Robert Bloch as the central character in his novel Psycho, and portrayed by Anthony Perkins as the main antagonist of the 1960 film of the same name directed by Alfred Hitchcock... - Diana ScarwidDiana ScarwidDiana Scarwid is an American actress. Scarwid has done work in film, television and theater.-Personal life:Scarwid was born in Savannah, Georgia, and left Georgia at the age of 17, heading to New York to become an actress. She graduated from Pace University and The American Academy of Dramatic...
as Maureen Coyle - Jeff FaheyJeff FaheyJeffrey David "Jeff" Fahey is an American film and television actor. He has portrayed Captain Frank Lapidus on the ABC series Lost and the title role of Deputy Marshal Winston MacBride on The Marshal.-Early life:...
as Duane Duke - Roberta MaxwellRoberta Maxwell-Background:Roberta Maxwell began studying for the stage at the age of 12. She joined John Clark for 2 years as the child co-host of his Junior Magazine series for CBC Television, before becoming the youngest actress apprentice at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario,to pursue...
as Tracy Venable - Hugh GillinHugh GillinHugh Gillin was an American film and television actor. Gillin was born in Galesburg, Illinois. He is best known for playing Sheriff John Hunt in Psycho II and III. Gillin has appeared in a total of 75 films and television series...
as Sheriff John Hunt - Robert Alan BrowneRobert Alan BrowneRobert Alan Browne is an American actor most notably recognized for his role as John Perkins on NBC's soap opera Santa Barbara, a role that he portrayed in 1984. He also played a minor character in Psycho II and Psycho III.-External links:...
as Ralph Statler - Lee GarlingtonLee GarlingtonAnn Leslie "Lee" Garlington is an American actress.Garlington was born in Teaneck, New Jersey. She has guest starred in a number of notable television series, including The West Wing, 7th Heaven, 8 Simple Rules, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Judging Amy, L.A...
as Myrna - Donovan ScottDonovan ScottDonovan Scott is an American character film actor best known for his role of cadet Leslie Barbara in the 1984 film Police Academy starring together with Steve Guttenberg...
as Kyle - Karen HenselKaren HenselKaren Hensel is an American actress. Karen is perhaps best known for the recurring role of Doris Collins, the mother of Sharon Newman, on the American soap opera The Young and the Restless...
as Sister Catherine - Jack MurdockJack Murdock (actor)Jack Murdock was an American actor. He appeared in 50 films between 1973 and 1998.He was born in Ohio, USA and died in Burbank, California at age 78....
as Lou - Janet LeighJanet LeighJanet Leigh , born Jeanette Helen Morrison, was an American actress. She was the wife of actor Tony Curtis from June 1951 to September 1962 and the mother of Kelly Curtis and Jamie Lee Curtis....
as Marion CraneMarion CraneMarion Crane is a fictional character from the 1960 film Psycho, directed by Alfred Hitchcock.-Fictional character biography:Unhappy in her relationship with her boyfriend, Sam Loomis , Marion rejects his idea to take the afternoon off and rushes back to her storefront real estate office. Her boss,...
(flashback) - Claudia BryarClaudia BryarClaudia Bryar was an American actress who mostly specialized in television. Active from the 1950s to the 1980s, she is perhaps best known for her role as Mrs...
as Mrs. Emma SpoolEmma SpoolMrs. Emma Spool is a fictional character in the Psycho film series, created by Tom Holland for the screenplay of the 1982 sequel to the 1960 film Psycho, Psycho II. More attention is given to her character in Psycho III, although she's a corpse...
(flashback)
Music
There were many songs recorded for Psycho III, some of them were performed by Stanton MirandaStanton Miranda
Stanton Miranda is a Factory Records artist from New York City from the 1980s. She achieved some notice for her single "Wheels Over Indian Trails" and her later cover of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division...
. Carter Burwell
Carter Burwell
Carter Benedict Burwell is an American composer of film scores.-Life and career:Burwell was born in New York City, the son of Natalie , a math teacher, and Charles Burwell, who founded Thaibok Fabrics, Ltd...
composed the main soundtrack and also some songs that play on the jukebox in the diner and on the radios in cars. The soundtrack for Psycho III was originally released on MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
.
The song, Scream of Love was released as a single on vinyl only. The dance remixes by Arthur Baker
Arthur Baker (musician)
Arthur Baker is an American record producer and DJ best known for his work with hip hop artists like Afrika Bambaataa, Planet Patrol, and the British group New Order.-Early career:...
was featured on the 12" vinyl. MCA commissioned a music video featuring Carter Burwell, Anthony Perkins
Anthony Perkins
Anthony Perkins was an American actor, best known for his Oscar-nominated role in Friendly Persuasion and as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho , and its three sequels.-Early life:...
and a Hitchcockian woman. Perkins presented the video on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
as a guest VJ.
Release
When the film opened on July 4, 1986, it earned $3,238,400 in its opening weekend and went on to gross about $14,481,606 million at the domestic box office, becoming the lowest grossing theatrical film of the PsychoPsycho (film series)
The Psycho film series is an American horror film franchise loosely based on the Psycho novels by Robert Bloch. The first film, Psycho, was directed by legendary filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock in 1960, with three sequels, a spin-off, and a remake following. The official films consist of Psycho,...
movie franchise.
Psycho III has been released three times on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. The initial release came in 1999 when Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
leased the film out to Goodtimes Home Video. This release is currently out of print
Out of print
Out of print refers to an item, typically a book , but can include any print or visual media or sound recording, that is in the state of no longer being published....
. The second release came in 2005 from Universal Studios itself. The third release came in 2007 as part of a triple feature package with Psycho II and Psycho IV: The Beginning
Psycho IV: The Beginning
Psycho IV: The Beginning is a 1990 made-for-cable-television horror film that serves as both the third sequel and a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho, as it includes both events after Psycho III while focusing on flashbacks of events that took place prior to the original film...
.
See also
- Psycho, directed by Alfred Hitchcock
- Psycho (1998 film)Psycho (1998 film)Psycho is a 1998 American horror film produced and directed by Gus Van Sant for Universal Pictures, a remake of the 1960 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock...
, a remake directed by Gus Van Sant - Psycho II, a 1983 sequel to the first film (unrelated to the novel Psycho II)
- Psycho IV: The BeginningPsycho IV: The BeginningPsycho IV: The Beginning is a 1990 made-for-cable-television horror film that serves as both the third sequel and a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho, as it includes both events after Psycho III while focusing on flashbacks of events that took place prior to the original film...
, a 1990 prequel to the first film - Bates MotelBates MotelBates Motel is a 1987 television movie about Alex West, a mentally disturbed youth who was committed to an asylum after killing his abusive stepfather. There he befriends Norman Bates and ends up inheriting the infamous Bates Motel.-Plot:...
, 1987 television movie