Hello Halloween pals, it’s Slick Dungeon back again! We’re here for the third turn in the Psycho series. This also makes the third time of Anthony Perkins playing the character and the first time he directs one of the films. As usual, there will be spoilers in this review so if you care about that sort of thing, watch the movie first and then come on back here to read the review. Fair warning for anyone who needs to know this, but there is mention of suicide in this review as it’s one of the themes of the film so if that is an issue for you, skip this review altogether.
We Start With Nuns
This film starts off with something we haven’t seen before. There is a blonde woman who is at a church surrounded by nuns. This woman is proclaiming there is not God. She goes out onto a rooftop ledge and gets pretty close to throwing herself off. But before she jumps, a nun grabs the woman. In the process the woman is saved but the nun falls down from a ledge and dies. Now the woman, Maureen, is left to find her own way in the world. She grabs a suitcase with her initials, M.C. on it and hitches a ride.
The guy who picks her up is no prize and gets really grabby really quick. Needless to say, Maureen’s situation is pretty dire and things are not looking up.
What about Norman?
We then switch to Norman Bates. He’s living what you might call a mostly normal life, despite, you know, having a dead woman in an upstairs bedroom. He is running his motel, although it’s a little worse for wear. He’s back at doing his taxidermy with birds. The only unsettling thing for him is the fact people are still looking for Mrs. Spool who revealed to Norman in the last film that she was his real mother. That’s not good for Norman since he knows exactly where she is. She’s just sitting up there in that bedroom where he put her.
The scumbag who picked Maureen up rolls into the Bates Motel looking for a job and Norman hires the guy on the spot. In town, there is a journalist who wants to get Norman’s point of view on being released on his own recognizance. This is Tracy Venable who tells him she wants to get the other side of the story.
While the two are talking, Maureen shows up with her suitcase and Norman sees her. To him, she’s the living embodiment of Marion Crane. Same blonde hair, same frightened demeanor, and the exact same suitcase.
Mother’s Watching
Duke, the scumbag musician who now works at the Bates Motel gives Maureen cabin 1, the same cabin where Marion Crane died. And, yes, Norman’s mother is watching. Norman does his usual routine of watching someone in the shower, only this time, she takes a bath. And Norman does what he usually does and goes into the bathroom with a big old knife. He’s wearing the old lady outfit and everything. But when he gets there, he’s in for a surprise because Maureen has slit her wrists. Instead of killing her, Norman saves her life. And Maureen actually sees Norman as Mary right before he saves her.
This makes him a bit of a hero in town and Maureen is certainly appreciative of him. Norman just tells the cops he was there to give her fresh towels.
But, while this is going down, Duke finds out about Norman’s background from Tracy. Duke then goes back to the motel with a date he picked up at the bar. They have a good time for a while but then get into an argument. And this complete jerk throws her out of the room without her clothes. She does manage to get Duke to toss her top to her. Then, she goes to make a phone call at the phone booth. And that is the end of her. Mother stabs her and we hear Norman talking about the blood once again, just like he did in the first film.
Norman offered for Maureen to stay in his hotel free of charge for a while so she does. Duke finds Norman cleaning up the phone booth early the next morning but doesn’t think anything of it. But, he does see a bill the woman had the night before and wonders if something happened to her.
Maureen tells the local priest about how she had doubts and hesitations before taking her vows.
Tracy tries to catch up with Norman again but he pretty much tells her to take a hike. There’s a bit of activity at the hotel because there is a big football game in town. But, Norman and Maureen seem to be hitting it off a bit.
Tracy Continues to Dig
Being a good journalist, Tracy Venable is determined to find out what happened to Mrs. Spool. She goes to her apartment and discovers the number for the Bates Motel written down. She calls the number and Norman answers. She’s smart enough to just hang up.
Meanwhile, Norman is still talking to the dead woman he has upstairs. He has a bit of a date with Maureen. The two have a bit much to drink and when they get back to the hotel there is a raucous party going on. Maureen sees the silhouette of a woman in the window of Norman’s house. You’d think by this time Norman would have installed thicker shades or something but I guess he didn’t think of that.
Bodies keep Droppin’ at the Old Motel
Norman seems to have a good time with Maureen but they go back to the hotel. There’s a moment when it looks like Norman and Maureen are going to get a lot more intimate but Norman says he can’t. Maureen suggests they just hold each other for a while. Norman agrees. But then Maureen wakes up and Norman is gone.
See, Norman was a little busy ending the life of yet another young woman. This one he apparently hides in the big old ice chest right outside the motel where anyone can grab ice. The sheriff comes looking for the missing woman. And he proves to be the most unobservant cop ever because he literally grabs ice from said ice chest, dripping red with blood but doesn’t look at it. He also doesn’t see the body parts peeking out of the ice. Norman squeaks by once again, not becoming the prime suspect.
But while she is there digging into the story, Tracy lets Maureen know what Norman’s past is. Maureen decides she’d rather go hang out with the priest who keeps lecturing her than with the guy who has committed multiple murders. Can’t say I blame her there.
Duke is a Moron
So, this scumbag Duke, who won’t shut up about how he’s a musician and needs money has the dumbest plan ever. He’s figured out Norman’s got Mrs. Spool. What does Duke do about this? Well, he knows if he turns Norman in, he might get a pat on the back but not much else. He also knows if he tells Tracy Venable what is going on, he’ll get five minutes of fame but no money out of it. Duke’s idea is to extort a man who has killed about ten people at this point, as if Norman wouldn’t just kill him.
And… Duke gets his brains bashed in with his own guitar. Norman does his usual routine of driving a car to the swamp to sink the bodies but it turns out he hadn’t quite finished the job on Duke who tries to choke Norman. But, Norman drives the car into the swamp and since Duke is wrapped up in plastic and Norman is not, Norman gets away while Duke drowns.
Tracy is Still Digging
Starting to put some pieces together between Norman and Mrs. Spool, Tracy finds out Spool worked at the diner where Norman did, and that Spool had been in an institution before being hired there. Tracy also figures out that Spool is only claiming to be Norman’s real mother because she was in love with Norman’s dad.
What are you Doing MaUREEN?
Okay, now get this. Maureen has convinced herself that Norman Bates is actually her true love and she’s going to go back to the hotel to be with him. You were so close to being fine, Maureen! Ah well. Maureen goes to the house and shares a nice moment with Norman. But then, Norman hears his mother yell at him from upstairs.
Next, one of the least believable things in the film happens (even less believable than the ice chest). Norman is holding Maureen’s hand on the stairs but when he hears his mother he lets go. Maureen falls down the stairs and impales herself on a cupid statue at the foot of the stairs. Yep, total accident that Maureen dies. But what I want to know is, who in the world puts a super sharp object at the bottom of a staircase? Like who in their right mind thinks this is a good idea ever?
Anyway, Norman shouts at his mother that he is going to get her for this.
What are you Doing Tracy?
Tracy shows up at the house, with no one else with her. This is a woman who is an intelligent journalist, knows Norman’s past, has dug further and further into his story, and still shows up alone? Why? Why Tracy would you do that?
But, show up alone she does. And she finds not only Maureen dead on the floor but Norman, wearing the “mother” outfit and wielding his old trusty kitchen knife. Tracy is basically locked in the house at this point so her only chance is to try to reason with Norman. She uses the only thing that might get her out of this mess, and tells him his family history. Emma Spool is not his mother, she was his aunt. Norma Bates really is Norman’s mother. Emma was in love with Norman’s father and killed the guy. She killed him because she thought Norman was the child she should have had with the man and wanted to raise Norman as her own. She even ended up kidnapping Norman and running off. That did not work out so well for her as she was caught and put in an institution.
Luckily for Tracy, this does the job. Instead of stabbing Tracy, Norman stabs the dead body of Mrs. Spool.
The sheriff shows up and arrests Norman for all the murders and whatnot and tells him he’s never getting out of the institution again. Norman replies, “But I’ll be free… I’ll finally be free.”
The last shot of the movie reveals Norman holding Emma Spools severed hand and smiling in the creepy way only Anthony Perkins can pull off.
In Conclusion
A lot of this movie is overly gratuitous and unnecessary. The plot does move along but there are things that just seem kind of odd and confusing here. The twist in this one is basically to undo the twist of the last one which doesn’t make a ton of sense. While the directing is fine, it’s not the most brilliant slasher film by any stretch of the imagination. In some ways, this movie feels like it’s trying to imitate the more popular slasher movies of the 1980’s rather than lean into its legacy as being one of the first slashers. Norman is creepy, no doubt, but other than that we’re not seeing anything too groundbreaking here.
This is not an essential film to add to your collection. But it’s still fun to watch and has a few interesting kills and a bit of surprise here and there.
Horrifically yours,
Slick Dungeon
