Psycho III

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Psycho III

R

1986

1h 32m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

60%

Tomatometer

35 Reviews

34%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Former mental patient Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) is once again operating his infamous motel. Assisted by the shifty Duane Duke (Jeff Fahey), Norman keeps up the semblance of being sane and ordinary, but he still holds on to some macabre habits. Eventually, Norman becomes interested in Maureen Coyle (Diana Scarwid), a troubled tenant who's been staying on a long-term basis and reminds him of someone from his past. As Norman and Maureen begin a relationship, can he keep his demons in check?

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Critics Consensus

While it can't come close to the original's elemental horror, Psycho III makes a persuasive -- and blackly funny -- case for itself as a sequel.

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Anton Bitel

Little White Lies

09/15/2023

this knowing sequel, unable to free itself of its established serial tropes, is inevitably a tragic romance.

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Michael Wilmington

Los Angeles Times

06/29/2021

It fails any sequel's acid test: It feeds off the original without deepening it.

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Francie Noyes

Arizona Republic

06/29/2021

It is still fun to watch Perkins slowly reveal Norman's overwhelming compulsions and he remains the central reason for seeing the film.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Sep 7

3/5

…few third sequels have much to offer, but in the hands of star-turned-director Anthony Perkins, Psycho III plays engagingly with dark toy-box of the original film, and proved there was still a bit of creative juice in the Norman Bates legacy….

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

10/13/2023

2.5/5

Spends a lot of time trying to undo its predecessor’s problems. Albeit to a considerably less committed degree, it does as good a job as it can to go somewhere deeper while meeting the ante of lurid thrills.

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Tim Brayton

Alternate Ending

09/12/2022

2.5/5

A weird, tetchy object.

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Justin T

@RT08580778 Jan 16

What an unexpected opening and great music for the first two acts, it went very downhill from the jazz intimate scene, that music is so dreadful. The dialogue totally lacks subtlety and there are some really strange filmmaking choices like the flashback, record scratch and the comically silly ice box moment. The story doesn’t sustain the runtime and offers nothing new or interesting. Some of the acting is good, some is below average. Anthony Perkins was so good in the first film but not good in either of the sequels, I think it really depends on who is directing him. The characters are okay, it’s really missing any depth though. I appreciate how they continued the story and made an actual sequel and not a remake or prequel or whatever. In general actually there’s almost no tension. I didn’t like the ending. Overall it’s really not good at all, considering it’s the shortest of the franchise so far it’s actually the most boring.

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John K

@WQCMI Sep 17

Better than the first two, and very satisfying. I can understand why some people don't like this sequel, but I thought it was fantastic. The visuals give that creepy tone for the film, the callbacks to the first two films is interesting, and the addition of Jeff Fahey makes this film excellent because of how his character can be a threat to Norman Bates.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 06/14/2025

Failure in 1 hour and 32 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Nick O

@Nicki1985 06/02/2025

Jeff Fahey injects a big ole heavy dose of sleaze into the Psycho series, pushing it completely into the realm of wild 80’s video store horror!

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James B

@James_B 01/31/2025

While It can be funny it don't think it's the most enjoyable but it's better than the remake.

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Tim M

@tgmacman 11/02/2024

The franchise overstaying its welcome, Psycho III is proof that you can't teach an old slasher dog new slasher tricks.

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Anthony Perkins

Director

Anthony Perkins

Norman Bates

Diana Scarwid

Maureen

Jeff Fahey

Duane

Roberta Maxwell

Tracy

Hugh Gillin

Sheriff John Hunt

Psycho III: Official Clip - The Bathtub

1:19

Psycho III: Official Clip - Down the Stairs

1:47

Psycho III: Official Clip - Corpse in the Ice Box

2:22

Psycho III: Official Clip - The Toilet Kill

2:00

Psycho III: Official Clip - The Mummy

2:32

Psycho III: Official Clip - Trying Not to Kill

2:24

Psycho III: Official Clip - There Is No God

1:32

Psycho III: Official Clip - Norman vs. Mother

2:35

Psycho III: Official Clip - I'll Finally Be Free

1:13

Psycho III: Official Clip - Corpse Cleanup

3:14

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Synopsis

Former mental patient Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) is once again operating his infamous motel. Assisted by the shifty Duane Duke (Jeff Fahey), Norman keeps up the semblance of being sane and ordinary, but he still holds on to some macabre habits. Eventually, Norman becomes interested in Maureen Coyle (Diana Scarwid), a troubled tenant who's been staying on a long-term basis and reminds him of someone from his past. As Norman and Maureen begin a relationship, can he keep his demons in check?

Director: Anthony Perkins
Producer: Hilton A. Green
Production Co: Universal Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 7, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $11.7M
Runtime: 1h 32m
Sound Mix: Surround