58
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertThe movie was directed by Perkins, in his filmmaking debut. I was surprised by what a good job he does. Any movie named Psycho III is going to be compared to the Hitchcock original, but Perkins isn't an imitator. He has his own agenda.
- 75TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineAdding to the excitement of Psycho III is Perkins' willingness to take chances with his style and material.
- 75Washington PostPaul AttanasioWashington PostPaul AttanasioA playful, artfully made horror movie that shows there's life in Norman Bates yet, and death, too. [04 July 1986, p.C1]
- 70The New York TimesVincent CanbyThe New York TimesVincent CanbyUnlike most sequels, which seem to get bigger, fancier and emptier the further removed they are from their source material, Psycho III has a lean, serviceable, stripped-down quality to it.
- 63Miami HeraldMiami HeraldPsycho III is still a comedie macabre -- as was Hitchcock's -- but Perkins doesn't follow the Psycho path. Where the master trod subtly, the disciple relies on emphasis. [03 July 1986, p.D11]
- 50Time OutTime OutIt's not unenjoyable, but it isn't half the pastiche that Psycho II was.
- 50Chicago ReaderDave KehrChicago ReaderDave KehrPerkins tries to imitate Hitchcock's visual style, but most of the film is made without concern for style of any kind, unless it's the bludgeoning nonstyle of Friday the 13th.
- 50Los Angeles TimesMichael WilmingtonLos Angeles TimesMichael WilmingtonPsycho III--better in most respects than II--lets you down with the same swampy thud at the end. It's not a catastrophe. It has some good writing, and some better-than-good acting (Perkins, Diana Scarwid, Jeff Fahey), directing (Perkins again) and camera work (Bruce Surtees). But it fails any sequel's acid test: It feeds off the original without deepening it.
- 38Chicago TribuneSid SmithChicago TribuneSid SmithThe real trouble with Psycho III is that it's one sequel too many. Norman and his Gothic manse have already been drained of creative resources. [03 July 1986, p.A]