Psycho II / Psycho III / Psycho IV - The Beginning

PSYCHO IIAfter years of treatment at a mental institution for the criminally insane Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) still can't quite elude the demands of "Mother." Vera Miles also returns as the inquisitive woman who is haunted by her sister's brutal murder and the ominous motel where it all occurred. Meg Tilly and Dennis Franz co-star in this terrifying sequel to tone of the most suspenseful films of all time.PSYCHO IIIAnthony Perkins stars in and directs the most shocking Psycho film of all: Psycho III. After years in prison Norman Bates returns home to the Bates Motel. When a pretty young woman (Diana Scarwid) runs to the motel - and Norman's open arms - to escape a scandalous secret he finally gets a chance at a new life. But he has one murderous skeleton in his closet that will do anything not to share him. It's a new day at the Bates Motel but the nightmares are just beginning PSYCHO IV THE BEGINNINGIn this chilling prequel to the classic Hitchcock thriller Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) is drawn to a late night radio show where the host (C.C.H. Pounder) encourages him to share his views on the topic of matricide - the murder of a mother by her own child. Reliving his childhood Norman recounts his trails as a young boy (Henry Thomas) living with his widowed schizophrenic mother (Olivia Hussey).These haunting memories are more than just images of the past; they threaten to rekindle his killing urge in this spine-chilling thriller.System Requirements:Running Time: 302 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR/CLASSICS Rating: R UPC: 025195009652 Manufacturer No: 61101153 Product Description

Poor Norman, His Evil Mother Keeps Forcing Him To Kill Again . . . And Again . . . And Again

This is an excellent triple feature. It has three solid sequels to the mega hit "Psycho" - the film that revolutionized the movie industry. After viewing all three features back to back, I felt extremely depressed and sad for Norman Bates. You will learn how he became insane. It wasn't all his fault. The "Psycho" series has made me reevaluate my beliefs about the death penalty. Norman was a serial killer but he was definitely innocent by reason of insanity. You might be insane if you had gone through what he experienced. Let's take a peek at his life:

"Psycho II" - 5 stars. Released during the midst of the slasher frenzy era, this sequel is nearly as good as the original. In fact, it is one of the best sequels in horror movie history - as good as Halloween II and Friday 13th II. Anthony Perkins and Vera Miles reprise their roles as Norman Bates and Lila Loomis. Twenty-two years have past since Norman was arrested for stabbing Marion in the shower. He is deemed sane and released despite protests from Lila. Norman moves back home and the killings begin again. Could the killer be Norman? Has his mother returned from the grave? Or could the killer be someone completely different? Cute and adorable Meg Tilly ("Agnes of God" and "The Girl in a Swing") stars as Mary, a co-worker who has been thrown out of her apartment; she is befriended by Norman who allows her to stay with him. Will she die in the shower like Marion Crane? This mystery sequel is packed with red herrings, plot twists, gory murders, and a wonderful surprise ending. It reminded me of an Italian giallo (murder mystery).

"Psycho III" - 4 stars. Another fine sequel but it has substituted nudity for good plot development. This one doesn't have the mystery and suspense of the previous one. We know who the killer is. However, "Psycho II" does boast a few gory death sequences. The most imaginative, shocking one occurs at the beginning when the nun falls from the church belfry. Diana Scarwid stars as Maureen, the disenchanted nun who is befriended by Norman. Once again, he see her as another Marion. Jeff Fahey ("The Lawnmower Man") is the slimy, blackmailing musician, Duane Duke, who is hired by Norman to be his assistant. "Psycho III" would've been more enjoyable if someone had been framed for the murders and the real killer escaped justice. When first viewing this film, I had feared the series had ended but, thankfully, I was wrong.

"Psycho IV - The Beginning." - 4 stars. Prequels don't normally thrill me. Watching them makes me feel as though I'm reliving what I've already experienced. However, this one does an excellent job of explaining Norman's insanity. The beautiful Olivia Hussey (original "Black Christmas") is excellent as Norman's schizophrenic mother. Multi-talented CCH Pounder ("Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight" and "Face/Off") is great as the talk show radio host, Fran Ambrose, who races against time to learn the identity of Norman's next victim. This film has a few surprises. The ending is left open for another sequel.

This triple feature is a must have for "Psycho" fans. You would be psycho not to purchase it. I paid less for it than I would have for a single feature. All three films are in widescreen. All have trailers except for Part IV, which is on DVD for the first time. There are no extra features such as commentaries and galleries. I'm not an extra features person Most of the time, I just want to see the movie.

Spoiler Alert! Fans of "Psycho" deserve another sequel. Part IV was released eighteen years ago and was left open with Norman's wife pregnant with his child. Today, the child would be grown. Would he or she be homicidal like their father? The child should be a girl; little Norma murders men who try to seduce her. The film could be similar to Hammer's "The Hands of the Ripper." She witnesses her father stab her mother to death and is emotionally traumatized. Consequently, she continues where her father left off.
August 28, 2008

The "Psycho" series

This is a great set for the low price. The transfers are good and the movies are essential. Nice to have all three sequels on dvd, finally.
The only slight issue: 3 and 4 are on one disc. This isn't a double-sided disc, thankfully, but there's no chapter menus for either film. Both films have chapters, but not on interactive menus.
This set won't be around long. These three movies are due for a deluxe treatment eventually. But for now, pick this 2 disc set up. The more sales this release racks up the better the remasters will be. May 7, 2008

The package is often as important as the contents!

I have a personal dilike for double sided discs finding that they usually do not retain the original quality of single sided copies and are more prone to scratching. This is particularly true if they are handled by children or people not aware there is a recording on the reverse side.

The movies themselves are not bad for sequels but as expected the quality of the films declines with each new attempt to capture the magic and suspense of the original. The inherent problem with DVDs of this genre is that they can never deliver the same suspense and shock that the viewer obtains from the initial viewing. All in all a better than average effort for a multisequel package. April 26, 2008

PSYCHO THRIPLE FEATURE

Now I got all the Psychos on DVD's! Psycho directed by Alfred Hitchock started it all and years after Mr. Hitchock passed, came Psycho II, III, & IV(excluding the 98 remake of Psycho that was lousy!). Can you believe that a 1960's suspense thriller became so popular? Before Psycho III came out both Psycho & its sequel Psycho II scared the heck out of me as a child it really was scary man. Now when I saw Psycho III it too was scary but not like I & II. IV was ok good job by Joseph Stefano in showing the world the child hood of Norman Bates played by Henry Thomas. Psycho II & III shows Norman Bates in a older age and mentality, becoming sane again but mother still hasn't changed.lol. April 12, 2008

Psycho II, III, IV Triple Feature..........

If you got the collectors edition of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, you owe it to yourself to get this triple-feature of the remaining sequels to that movie. It's definitely a deal and, after you watch the movies, you'll see it was worth every penny.

Psycho II is the first sequel to Psycho and was released in 1983. Directed by Richard Franklin, it stars Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, Meg Tilly, and Robert Loggia. The movie wasn't based on Robert Bloch's book, Psycho II.

Psycho III is the second, was directed by Anthony Perkins himself, and was released in 1986. It stars Perkins, Diana Scarwid, Jeff Fahey, and Roberta Maxwell. Perkins himself tried to direct the movie just as Hitchcock would have.

Psycho IV: The Beginning is the third, is actually a made for tv prequel(Showtime Original Movie) but you wouldn't have guessed it by watching the movie. It was directed by Mick Garris(best known for his adaptations of Stephen King stories, and is the creator of the Showtime series Masters of Horror). The movie stars again Perkins as Norman, Henry Thomas as the younger Norman Bates, Olivia Hussey as Norma Bates, and CCH Pounder as Fran Ambrose. It was filmed at Universal Studios in Florida. March 18, 2008

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