Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990) Reviews

• Not as good as Psycho or Psycho II, but good enough.

  Lionel M.2000-04-20

  My father first rented this film in the summer of 1991. I was about ten years old when I watched it. I didn't understand most of it, but I liked it. I just re-watched it within the last few months as result of a sparked interest in both the movies and the books. I liked how this film dove into Norman Bates's troubled past (that of course is an understatement). That was probably the best aspect of the film, not much else. I liked how Anthony Perkins once again reprised his signature role as Norman Bates after suffering that horrid humiliation from Psycho III. Olivia Hussey was wicked in this movie as Norman's mother. She must have taken lessons from Faye Dunaway in her role as Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest. The way she yelled at him and stripped poor Norman of his manhood was just awful. But yet, she managed to stay human in certain scenes of the movie and not be such a demon. Henry Thomas did somewhat a good job playing Norman Bates as a teenager, but his performance lacked the geeky, child-like charm that Anthony Perkins had in the original film. As for the rest of the actors, well, most of them aren't worth mentioning. Except for Thomas Schuster, who played Chet Rudolph, Norma Bates's midnight cowboy. His character was very cocky and rude, the kind of guy you love to hate. The kind of man mom would bring home and expect you to call dad, which in Norman's case was true. But that never came to pass, if you know the story line. Director Mick Garris is no Alfred Hitchcock. He is no Richard Franklin either. But he does manage to deliver a good addition to the Psycho series. Not as good as Psycho or Psycho II, but good enough.

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• Surprisingly Enjoyable.

  SnacksForAll1999-09-30

  After an onslaught of mass murder in PSYCHO III, Norman Bates is back....in a nice suburban home, with a lovely wife, and a new problem. He has to kill again. Norman Bates, once again played excellently by the late, great and highly-talented Anthony Perkins, calls in to a radio talk-back show, where the topic of the night is matricide. Norman relives his past, and through these flashbacks we finally meet "Mother" -- played wonderfully by Olivia Hussey (man, she is SCARY!). This film is a delightful surprise....there's not much bad to say about it. Henry Thomas captures "young Norman Bates" nicely, though I remember Norman Bates as being a bit more polite and friendly than portrayed here....but he still pulls off a good job as a mentally-abused and opressed psychopath in the makings. Be aware, that this is not appropriate for anyone under the age of 15. No, it isn't "shocking," but there are strong incestual undertones. They are necassary, however, because they give more valid reasons for Norman's descent into sick obsession, rather than "He had a domineering mother," which we've all known for years. PSYCHO IV has alot of character as a film, and is hard to forget. Perhaps the best sequel of the three. Highly Recommended.

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• A few interesting twists...

  MarieGabrielle2006-08-01

  If you liked the earlier sequels (with of course, the first one being inimitable) you may find this entertaining. Tony Perkins seems deranged as ever, and there are some interesting conversations between him and CCH Pounder, (a radio shrink) as she tries to uncover what made Norman Bates the way he is...nature or nurture?... It may be genetic, but it could also have been his mother played by Olivia Hussey, a deranged woman who has an inappropriate relationship with her son. Henry Thomas ("E.T." and "Beyond Obesession", among others) is sad and affecting as the young Norman Bates, who tries to be a good son to his mother, until she realizes he has become a man, wherein she begins to flip out. Overall, for die-hard fans of the "Psycho" sequels.

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• Highly under-rated -- a fitting end to the series

  TelevisionJunkie2002-05-13

  For those who like to nitpick, there are tons of continuity problems in this film from what was established in the other films. As a fan of the series, I noticed many of them myself during the first viewing. But if you look past all that, this truly is a fantastic film. More of a sequel to the original than to "Psycho III" (although they sort-of mention the last one), we get the backstory on Norma Bates -- the overbearing mother that drove her son insane. Told through flashback sequences while Norman is reminiscing to a radio-show host, this film delved into the mind of the man who's remembered as a monster and made him more of a sympathetic character -- though I think everyone who likes the series already took sympathy on the poor man. And we finally get to see what makes a madman mad.... Perkins, as always, was in top form playing the character that killed his career. Olivia Hussey was brilliant in the role of Norma. Hussey's performance was riveting -- kind and loving one moment, cruel and loathing the next -- a schizophrenic delight to watch. Henry Thomas did a wonderful job playing the young Norman, showing what the character was like before he went totally over the edge. And CCH Pounder as the radio-host with a heart gives a fantastic performance as the woman who knew what was going on but was helpless to do anything about it.... Now on to the gripes that people keep bringing up.... Yes, there are inconsistancies with events as they were described in the other films. But he's on a radio show -- does anyone who knows they're on the radio really tell the whole truth? Olivia Hussey has gotten flack for her accent -- though they never really say anywhere that she's American. Granted, the woman who played her sister in II & III didn't have an accent, but she's not really mentioned here.... And Henry Thomas has gotten reamed for not acting enough like Perkins did in the original -- but the first film took place after the events that occurred in this one. People do change and by the time the first film took place, he was totally off the deep end. If you forget about II & III and don't mind the incest themes, this is a wonderful sequel. Finally, why isn't this one on DVD yet? The other three films have been on DVD for a while, including the cropped-screen release of III. I'd like to replace my crummy Goodtimes Video VHS....

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• A decent manner to end the Psycho series.

  insomniac_rod2006-08-01

  I first watched "Psycho IV" when I rented it on the early 90's. I was a big fan of Psycho II and I respected Psycho. Psycho III was a big disappointment so I thought that part IV would be at least, a decent slasher. This pre-quel is not as bad as you may think. It explores Norman's origins and tries to reach a conclusion about his personality. To me, it worked. Norman is not the villain anymore and the director makes sure about that because he displays a victimized, sick Norman. The ending is a perfect way to end the Psycho series which were far from being bad. Part II is excellent, unlike Part III which is a boring slasher flick. Part IV deserves the watch for it's ending and because it's Anthony Perkins' last hurrah as Norman Bates.

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