PSYCHO IV: THE BEGINNING (1991)
Directed by Mick Garris
Starring Anthony Perkins and Olivia Hussey
Great sequel, considering how long the series had gone on for, has Norman Bates (Perkins), once again out of a mental institution, set to marry his psychiatrist.
He calls a radio show to confess that he plans to kill his bride-to-be. Kept on line by the host, he recalls his relationship with his mother. The film then flashes back to his childhood, when the young Norman (now played by Henry Thomas of "E.T.") has to deal with his domineering, incestuous bitch of a mom, played by Olivia Hussey, whom he eventually poisons.
Suspenseful and well-acted, it features all of the set-pieces you'd expect from this series now, from an adaptation of Bernard Herrmann's original score to knife murders. Bates' comes across as a tragic, almost likeable character, desperately at odds with a mental illness that drives him to kill.
It was one of Perkins' last films. He died of AIDS in 1992.
Followed by a remake of the original "Psycho," with Vince Vaughn in the Bates role.