31 Screams in October, Vol. 3, #17: Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990)

Director: Joseph Stefano

Starring: Anthony Perkins, Henry Thomas, Olivia Hussey, CCH Pounder

The disappointment of “Psycho III,” both creatively and financially, meant that if Norman Bates were to return again, he would be forced to do so on the small screen. That’s how we got “Psycho IV,” which was first broadcast on Showtime on November 10, 1990. It’s a very strange bird, indeed: Half interesting, and half not. Because the narrative switches back and forth between two time periods, it acts as both a sequel and as a prequel. The smart thing to do would have been to simplify things by filming the thing as a prequel only, but that would have meant leaving Anthony Perkins out of what was effectively the 30th anniversary celebration of the original “Psycho.”

Fran Ambrose (CCH Pounder) is a radio talk show host whose program’s topic of discussion on this particular day is matricide. During the course of the show, she takes a call from Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), who initially refers to himself only as “Ed.” Norman is now married to a psychiatrist he met while institutionalized. But Norman alarms Fran by telling her he has to kill his wife. Fran asks “Ed” why he would want to betray his wife’s faith in him, and to destroy the work he has put into rejoining society. Norman has grown concerned over his wife’s pregnancy, which he was against, fearing that a continuation of his bloodline will only result in another monster like him.

During the course of the phone interview, Norman tells Fran (in non-linear fragments) his origin story. It starts with the death of his father, after which he and Mrs. Bates (Olivia Hussey) live alone together, mostly isolated from the outside world. All goes well for a while, but soon Mrs. Bates begins showing signs of a personality disorder, often becoming hostile toward her son. The abuse worsens once the young Norman (Henry Thomas) reaches the age of puberty, when Norman is often forced to wear a dress to punish him for becoming sexually aroused. The boiling point comes when Mrs. Bates brings a new man into the equation whom she intends to marry. Chet is no prize, and does nothing to ingratiate himself toward Norman who, to be fair, was probably not going to accept any new father figure in his life.

Ultimately, Norman elects to poison both Chet and his mother by putting strychnine in their iced tea. Immediately, Norman misses his mother, stealing the corpse so as to preserve it through taxidermy. He then develops the infamous “Mother” personality as a way of avoiding his guilt over murdering her. Routinely, he will dress as her and speak to himself in her voice (as closely as he can approximate it). Encounters with young women at the Bates Motel always end with the “Mother” personality taking over and murdering the “sluts.”

Back in the present day, just as Norman told Fran he would do, he takes his wife to the Bates’ house and attempts to kill her. But Connie does manage to talk him down. After all of this, she forgives him. Norman, this woman is a keeper. Hold on to her! Instead of killing Connie, Norman decides to set fire to the house… something he probably should have done a long time ago… nearly perishing in the flames before escaping at the last minute. This act appears to have symbolically released Norman from the shackles of his decades-long mental torment.

With the exception of one throwaway line, “Psycho IV” appears to have done away with the plots of the previous two films entirely, making this film a direct sequel to the original “Psycho.” While this does tidy up the messier parts of the series’ overall plot, it can be a little jarring when you’re watching these movies back-to-back. The “will he/won’t he kill his wife?” parts of the movie are actually very dull. The finale is particularly ineffective.

Considering the milestone of the 30th anniversary of “Psycho,” I get why the need was felt for Anthony Perkins to be on board, but I would have personally enjoyed a more fleshed-out version of Norman’s origin story. In the parts of the movie set in the 1940s/1950s, both Henry Thomas and Olivia Hussey are excellent as the young Norman and his mother. These two deserved to have their own movie. Sadly, because “Psycho IV” opts to divide its time, neither one of its two stories is given the care they required, leaving it a sad end to a series which began as strongly as any horror film series ever has.

31 Screams in October, Vol. 3, #16: Psycho III (1986)

Director: Anthony Perkins

Starring: Anthony Perkins, Diana Scarwid, Jeff Fahey, Roberta Maxwell

The danger in crafting a sequel to “Psycho” lay not only in the impossibility of it living up to the original, but also in the very real possibility that it couldn’t do enough to pique the audience’s interest. The series got lucky with “Psycho II,” but the luck finally ran out with “Psycho III.” Not even the promise of Norman Bates himself sitting in the director’s chair can offset the bland story and questionable casting decisions. Like a nun who has turned her back on her faith, nothing could save this one.

Speaking of nuns, “Psycho III” begins with one such sister named Maureen Coyle (Diana Scarwid), whose mind is almost as fragile as that of Norman Bates. A genuine freak-out leads to another nun’s accidental death, resulting in Maureen being cast out. It’s a truly awkward opening scene that might play well in a high school drama production. Maureen later hitchhikes with a creepy musician named Duane Duke (Jeff Fahey) who tries to put the moves on her during a rainstorm, after which she gets out of the car and starts walking.

It’s been a mere month since the events of “Psycho II,” and concern is growing as no one has seen Mrs. Spool in all that time. No one yet suspects that Norman Bates is the one responsible for her death (as shown via flashback from the end of “Psycho II”). It was Lila Loomis and her daughter Mary who pushed Norman over the edge again, and he’s still not right in the head. Now, he’ll have nosy reporter Tracy Venable (Roberta Maxwell) to deal with. She’s doing an editorial piece on the subject of serial killers, and she’s convinced that Norman is up to his old tricks. She’s not wrong, but her abrasive personality suggests she’s never learned how to approach someone with a mental disorder.

Further complicating things for Norman is the arrival of Maureen into town. At first, Norman thinks he’s seeing the ghost of Marion Crane, especially when he sees Maureen’s suitcase with the initials “M.C.” on it (just like Marion’s). Arriving at the Bates Motel, Maureen is shocked to find Duane working the front desk as the assistant manager, having just been hired by Norman. He gives her the key to Cabin 1 (the same room where Norman killed Marion Crane). Some time later, Norman (in his “Mother” guise) walks into Maureen’s room wielding a knife. Entering the bathroom, expecting to find Maureen showering, Norman instead finds her bleeding to death in the bathtub, having slit both wrists. Snapping back out of the “Mother” personality, Norman acts quickly to get Maureen (who in her delirium has mistaken “Mother” for the Virgin Mary) to the hospital. The shared experience brings the two close together.

Afterwards, Norman’s jealous “Mother” personality reasserts herself, and the body count starts to pile up. As if that weren’t enough of a complication, Tracy continues her investigation, hiring Duane to help her spy on Norman while she goes snooping around in Mrs. Spool’s former apartment. After a young guest at the motel goes missing, the sheriff comes to speak to Norman about the matter. Norman has hastily stuffed the girl inside the motel’s ice chest. The sheriff goes up to the house, which makes Norman extremely nervous about the chance of him discovering the mummified remains of Mrs. Spool, which Norman now calls “Mother.” To Norman’s surprise, the corpse has gone missing!

Interference from Tracy continues. First, she fills Maureen in on the gory details of Norman’s past, which causes her to leave. Next, it is discovered that it was Duane who moved Mrs. Spool’s remains. Duane thinks he’s got Norman dead to rights. He demands cash payment, otherwise he’ll tell the authorities about “Mother.” Norman struggles with Duane, eventually hitting him several times over the head with his own guitar. Duane shows signs of life as he and his car both sink into the swamp, at which point it can be safely assumed that Duane drowns.

As Tracy interviews the owner of the diner, Maureen returns to the Bates’ house to proclaim her love for Norman. They embrace, but Norman becomes startled by the voice of “Mother,” losing his grip on Maureen’s hands. She falls down the stairs and dies, enraging Norman, who blames “Mother” for it. Tracy shows up at the house to find Maureen dead and Norman dressed as “Mother,” ready to attack her with a knife. As a way of talking him down, Tracy explains her findings: that Norma Bates was in fact Norman’s real mother, and that the reason Mrs. Spool had been institutionalized years ago was that she had killed the man she loved (Norma’s first husband and Norman’s father) in a jealous rage. Mrs. Spool had then kidnapped Norman as a baby. Restored to himself again, Norman removes the dress and wig and destroys Mrs. Spool’s corpse with the knife. Ultimately, Norman is taken away by the sheriff, who expresses his disappointment and declares to Norman that he’ll likely never be released from the mental institution this time. Norman finds this agreeable.

Despite providing answers to the lingering questions which “Psycho II” left open, “Psycho III” does very little to avoid becoming just another average, forgettable slasher film. Anthony Perkins is still great, of course. Didn’t hurt his case that the director knew his character as well as he did… *wink* The scene stealer of “Psycho III” is Jeff Fahey. He plays Duane Duke as a completely selfish and sexist jerk, but he’s funny enough that you wind up loving every disgusting second of his performance.  On the other hand, Diana Scarwid is miscast as Maureen. The supposed chemistry between Maureen and Norman is tough to buy into, and she doesn’t play unhinged half as effectively as Perkins can. Her death scene is frustrating… not because it shouldn’t happen, but because of how awkwardly it is set up.

The screenplay for “Psycho III” was written by Charles Edward Pogue. I can sort of give the guy a pass on this one since he has the excuse of pouring all of his creativity into his script for David Cronenberg’s “The Fly,” also released in 1986. I cannot do the same for the movie itself. “Psycho III” had most of the ingredients necessary for a decent sequel, but just doesn’t quite use them all to their fullest potential. I’ve seen plenty of horror movies that were legitimately awful with no redeeming values whatsoever. “Psycho III” at least has a few of those, but can’t escape its own mediocrity.

31 Screams in October, Vol. 3, #15: Psycho II (1983)

Director: Richard Franklin

Starring: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, Meg Tilly, Robert Loggia, Dennis Franz

Let’s face it, any story which had the misfortune of directly following in the footsteps of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” was doomed to seem inferior by design. I don’t know what the feeling was back in 1983, but the very idea that a sequel was even considered (much less executed) now seems completely bonkers. I’m imagining it as being one of those sequels that no one either wanted or asked for. Those quick to put down the movie based on the comparison to the original “Psycho” would be well within their rights to do so… except for the fact that “Psycho II” is, by itself, a very good horror movie.

After 22 years in a mental institution, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) is declared no longer a danger to society, and is free to go home. Naturally, Norman’s release is met with considerable opposition, especially by those whose lives have been irreconcilably altered by the awful things he did. The loudest of these voices is Lila Loomis (Vera Miles), whose sister, Marion Crane, was killed by Norman in Room #1 of the Bates Motel. But Norman seems genuinely rehabilitated, and the only truly questionable aspect of his release is the decision made by Dr. Raymond (Robert Loggia) to bring Norman back to the Bates’ house, which is where all of his troubles began. Maybe it was thought that continuity would help Norman with the adjustment process, but it doesn’t seem very logical.

Once home, Norman meets the Bates Motel’s current manager, Mr. Toomey (Dennis Franz), a real sleazeball. Yeah, these two are gonna get along just fine! Norman also attends his first day as a busboy for the local diner. There, he meets a sweet old woman named Emma Spool, and a clumsy young waitress named Mary Samuels (Meg Tilly). Mary confides in Norman that she’s been kicked out of her boyfriend’s house and doesn’t have a place to stay. This allows Norman an opening to invite Mary to stay at the motel, however he amends that offer to staying inside the Bates’ house once he sees the condition of the motel. In Norman’s absence, Mr. Toomey has turned the Bates Motel from a quaint rest stop with the stigma of a violent past into a go-to place for young kids who like to party (i.e. drink, do drugs and have casual sex). Norman and Mr. Toomey get into an argument, during which Toomey defends his version of the motel by noting that, running things his way, the motel actually makes money. Despite making his point, Toomey is fired by Norman.

It isn’t long before “Mother” seemingly returns. At both the house and the diner, he begins finding threatening notes regarding Mary’s presence in his life. Inside the house, Norman hears strange voices. He even begins receiving phone calls from “her.” What does it all mean? Soon, Mr. Toomey is murdered by a shadowy, feminine figure. Later, Norman visits his mother’s old room, finding to his surprise that it has been arranged to look as it did 22 years earlier.

Investigating another strange noise, Norman becomes locked in the attic. At this time, a couple of teenagers break into the old fruit cellar to have sex. Presumably, this is something kids have been getting away with while Norman was institutionalized. Not anymore. The boy is stabbed to death, while the girl runs away to find police. Back in the attic, Norman finally gets out when Mary opens the door. Strangely, she says it wasn’t locked. In no time, the sheriff arrives. When an inspection of the cellar turns up no evidence of foul play, Mary covers for Norman, not wishing for him to be arrested. Norman wishes she hadn’t done that. He’s feeling confused, like he felt all those years ago. Norman is starting to believe that he has slipped back into his old murderous ways.

In fact, what is actually going on is that Lila Loomis and Mary, Lila’s daughter, have been purposely pushing Norman’s buttons to try and drive him insane again so that he’ll have to be put away once again. But Mary has been having second thoughts after getting to know Norman better. Lila, who was responsible for the phone calls and for dressing up as Mrs. Bates so as to allow Norman to see “her” through the window of the house, returns to once again wear the wig and dress. Returning to the house, Lila goes down to the cellar to retrieve the wig and dress, when she is confronted by the same person who killed Mr. Toomey and the young boy. Lila is then stabbed and killed. Dr. Raymond had seen Lila entering the cellar, and so he then enters the house to confront Mary, whom he knows is Lila’s daughter.

By this time, Mary is starting to think that her mother’s plan, for which Mary is now remorseful, has indeed been successful. Despite the fact that she has come clean to Norman, and that Dr. Raymond has shown Norman the exhumed body of Mrs. Bates, Norman is still answering the phone calls from “Mother.” Mary picks up the upstairs phone, thinking it’s Lila again, but hears no other voice. To prove a point, Mary dresses as Mrs. Bates, but Norman says the calls are coming from his “real” mother. Dr. Raymond sneaks up behind Mary, who inadvertently stabs and kills him. Norman promises to cover up for her as he always has. Mary runs down to the cellar, where she discovers her mother’s body under a pile of coal, which is all the evidence she needs to suspect Norman as the killer. Still carrying the knife, Mary moves to attack Norman but is shot dead by police, who’ve just arrived on the scene.

With police now satisfied that Mary was the killer all along, Norman is visited later that night by Mrs. Spool, the nice lady from the diner. She is the one responsible for the recent string of murders. Mrs. Spool declares herself to be Norma Bates’ sister. Further, Mrs. Spool claims that Norma had adopted the infant Norman after Mrs. Spool herself was sent to a mental hospital. Whether or not her claims have any merit, unbeknownst to Mrs. Spool, Norman has poisoned her tea the same way he did when he killed her sister. As Mrs. Spool is slowly dying, Norman finishes the job by hitting her in the back the head with a shovel. Carrying her corpse up to his mother’s room, Norman begins talking to himself in his mother’s voice, revealing that he is once again quite insane.

Faced with the impossible task of living up to its predecessor, “Psycho II” is a surprisingly good sequel that only falters when it falls prey to the trappings of the slasher genre, in particular with the over-the-top and unrealistic death of Lila Loomis. It displays a terrific plot, showing how the past actions of one psycho have only served to create more psychos. Except for the revisited shower scene from the original film, replayed during the prologue, “Psycho II” is missing the powerful Bernard Hermann score. This is understandably unavoidable, since Hermann had passed away in 1975. Instead, Jerry Goldsmith provides a more peaceful main theme which matches up well with Norman’s rehabilitated, yet still very fragile psyche.

The character of Norman Bates once again fits actor Anthony Perkins like a glove. He effortlessly manages to make Norman seem sympathetic this time around. Meg Tilly is also outstanding as Perkins’ co-star. Not everyone will pick up on it at first, but her character’s name of Mary Samuels should set off a few red flags fairly early on, as Marie Samuels was the fake name which her aunt Marion used to sign in to the Bates Motel on that fateful night 22 years earlier.

There are many sequels out there which, frankly, are so bad that they really don’t deserve to exist. “Psycho II” is not one of them. Released during the peak of the slasher genre, it’s much better and more complex than most of its kind. Comparisons to the original “Psycho” are indeed futile (Richard Franklin is no Alfred Hitchcock), but are just as unnecessary. “Psycho II” is a movie that deserves to be judged on its own merits. When you can do that… when you set aside any prejudices and grade “Psycho II” on what it is rather than what it is not… it will be clear that “Psycho II” has earned its place on your video shelf.

31 Screams in October, Vol. 3, #14: Psycho (1960)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Starring: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, John McIntire, Janet Leigh

What can be said of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” that hasn’t already been covered dozens of times over? Even if one hasn’t seen it by now (and, if you haven’t, shame on you), most already know the legend. One of THE landmark horror films, it remains a more effective tale of shock and suspense than anything being pumped out over five decades later. A constant source of inspiration, each of the most iconic moments from “Psycho” has been re-imagined by director after director (and that doesn’t even take into account the 1998 shot-for-shot remake). To refer to it as the grandfather of the slasher genre, while accurate, is to downplay its greatness.

Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is trusted by her boss with the task of depositing $40,000 of a client’s down payment. Because she would really like for her affair with Sam Loomis (John Gavin) to become a marriage, she instead intends to use the money for exactly that purpose. Driving out of town, she is spotted by her boss. Marion further complicates matter for herself by falling asleep in her car by the side of the road, attracting the attention of a policeman. Her erratic responses when being questioned by the officer causes him to follow her. She makes the rash decision to trade in her car for a new one, but it doesn’t make much difference since the officer is there to see the whole thing.

No longer being followed, Marion eventually stops due to a rainstorm. Finding a motel, Marion elects to stay the night. Fortunately for her, all twelve cabins are at this time vacant. She is greeted by the motel’s caretaker, Norman Bates (Anothony Perkins), who gives her the key to Room #1, as well as a toasted cheese sandwich with a glass of milk. Norman is a peculiar but interesting fellow. His hobby is taxidermy, and his job outside of the motel is in caring for his eldery, invalid mother. He seems just as nervous an individual as Marion, if not more so.

Some time later in the evening, Marion is showering in her motel bathroom. Everyone knows this scene well. Disturbing an otherwise calm and peaceful moment, an unidentified, presumably feminine assailant pulls back the shower curtain. Marion screams, but it’s too late for her, as she is stabbed repeatedly until she is dead. A comotion is heard coming from the Bates house up on the hill, seeming to confirm Norman’s mother as the killer. Norman rushes down to Room #1, and discovers the murder scene. Quickly and meticulously… as though he’s had to do this sort of thing before… Norman tidies up the room, removes Marion’s body, places her and her belongings (including the $40,000) into the trunk of her car and sinks it in the nearby swamp.

After some time has passed, Lila Crane (Vera Miles) goes looking for her missing sister, first speaking with Sam. The two of them are met by Detective Arbogast (Martin Balsam), who is investigating the matter of the missing money. He traces Marion’s movements to the Bates Motel, where he is able to confirm her having checked in there, comparing the assumed name she used in the guest book against a known sample of her handwriting. Speaking with Norman, Arbogast hears that Marion may have had contact with Mrs. Bates and expresses a desire to question her himself. Norman balks at the idea.

Arbogast calls Lila and Sam and tells them of his intention to go talk to Mrs. Bates anyway. Big mistake. Arbogast enters the house and walks up the stairs. Just as he reaches the top, Mrs. Bates stabs him. As he falls all the down the stairs to the floor, Mrs. Bates finishes him off. When Arbogast fails to return or even call back, a determined Lila decides that she and Sam should go to the Bates Motel and look around for themselves. Posing as a married couple, Sam distracts Norman with conversation while Lila goes up to the house. Norman figures out something is up, knocking Sam unconscious and following Lila up the hill. Lila sees him, and moves to hide down in the fruit cellar. There she finds Mrs. Bates, just where Norman has hidden her. To Lila’s horror, Mrs. Bates is a mummified corpse. The “Mrs. Bates” who killed Marion and Arbogast is none other than Norman himself, who moves to attack Lila in similar fashion, before being stopped by Sam. It turns out that Norman had killed his mother and her lover ten years earlier, then preserved her corpse and kept it around as a way to deal with the guilt of what he’d done, all resulting a split personality disorder that sees Norman act and talk as his mother at times.

One of the things I love most about “Psycho” is the fact that the title can be interpreted as referring to more than just Norman Bates. While on the run from her boss and the law, we can hear Marion Crane’s thoughts as though she is nervously speaking to herself while driving down the road. Janet Leigh does a terrific job of displaying Marion’s frayed emotional state during these scenes. Anthony Perkins himself is just fantastic as Norman Bates. An iconic character for the ages.

Another character which is crucial to “Psycho” is the classic score by Bernard Hermann. In particular, the shower scene (originally intended to play without music) would not be what it is without Bernard Hermann. Often imitated yet never duplicated, Hermann’s work has inspired almost as many as Hitchcock’s has. If you sit down to watch the original “Friday the 13th” and find the music by Harry Manfredini a tad familiar, it’s no secret that it was based on Hermann’s “Psycho” soundtrack.

I guarantee that “Psycho” will qualify as my highest recommendation of the entire month. Even as I disagree with the attitude, I get why some might give “Psycho” a pass on the basis of it being ‘too old.’ But if you’re a film historian or otherwise want to beef up your credibility as a horror fan, you cannot make this mistake. You’d be missing out, and this incredibly-crafted and thoroughly enjoyable tale of murder and madness is simply too extraordinary for you to pass up.