Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- macabre
- blackly funny
- tense
- late night horror marathon
- 1980s slasher double feature
What critics said
Critics generally found it a playful, competently made, blackly funny sequel with strong Anthony Perkins work, though less powerful and more derivative than the original.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film revisits Norman Bates and the Bates Motel while critics note its playful engagement with the Hitchcock legacy.
The critical consensus and reviews specifically praise the film's blackly funny, playful treatment of Norman's macabre world.
Norman's apparently quiet Bates Motel remains the central location where new guests, employees, and investigators become entangled in murder.
Norman's relationship with his jealous Mother persona drives the psychological conflict and connects the sequel to the series' defining pathology.
Films like Psycho III, and why
Psycho II
shares motel-set slasher mystery, psychological instability, black humor, and legacy-horror atmosphere
Psycho
shares isolated lodging, serial-killer suspense, voyeuristic mystery, and darkly comic horror
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
shares 1980s slasher conventions, graphic murders, investigative suspense, and psychologically troubled characters
Wes Craven's New Nightmare
shares self-aware horror, black comedy, franchise mythology, and a killer-centered mystery
Movie Details
- Director
- Anthony Perkins
- Release Date
- 1986-04-02
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Rating
- 5.7 / 10 (450)
Cast
- Anthony Perkins
- Diana Scarwid
- Jeff Fahey
- Roberta Maxwell
- Hugh Gillin
- Lee Garlington
- Robert Alan Browne
- Gary Bayer
- Patience Cleveland
- Juliette Cummins
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Psycho III about?
- At the Bates Motel, Norman faces new companions, a probing reporter, and the murderous possessiveness of his Mother persona.
- What is Psycho III like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Psycho III as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Psycho III violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Psycho III as graphic.
- What did critics think of Psycho III?
- Critics generally found it a playful, competently made, blackly funny sequel with strong Anthony Perkins work, though less powerful and more derivative than the original.
- Which films are like Psycho III?
- Films with a similar feel include Psycho II, Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, and Wes Craven's New Nightmare.
- How long is Psycho III?
- Psycho III runs 93 minutes.
- Where can I watch Psycho III?
- In United States, Psycho III streams on Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+.
