Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		0.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Psycho III 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 24, 2023

Note: This version of this film is available as part of Arrow's The Psycho Collection 4K.

Psycho would hardly seem on its face(s) to be a property that would be easily "franchise-able", which may be why it took so long for the first sequel to Alfred Hitchcock's memorable original to come out. One way or the other, though, the four Psycho films aggregated in this handsomely packaged new(ish) set from Arrow have what I personally consider to be some remarkably facile "updates" to a story that is by now so well known that even those who haven't seen the 1960 classic (and I found out after I posted my review of Universal's first Blu-ray release of that film that there were an inordinately huge amount of folks who hadn't) know the "big secret". However, knowledge of that "big secret" arguably partially informs the at least intermittently rather smart attempts at revisiting the inimitable character of Norman Bates in Psycho II and Psycho III, if admittedly that same intelligence may not extend to the made for television Psycho IV.

Shout! Factory released Psycho III in 1080 many years ago for Region A, and my Psycho III Blu-ray review of that release should provide ample plot information as well as a listing of supplements on that release and my reaction to its technical presentation.

Psycho III 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from Arrow's standalone 1080 release of the film. This release does not include a 1080 disc.

Psycho III is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Arrow Video with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow has included the same booklet for its 4K UHD and 1080 sets, and that booklet includes the following information on the restoration:

Psycho III is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with stereo 2.0 and 5.1 audio. The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K resolution by NBC Universal. The film was restored in 4K and graded in SDR and HDR10 by Heavenly Movie Corp.

Both Arrow's 1080 and 2160 iterations of this film are considerably brighter than Shout!'s old 1080 release, a fact that may help to slightly smooth and diminish some of the chunky yellow grain that was so noticeable in the older 1080 presentation. Some of the compression anomalies I noted in that older release have been addressed in this new version, and I noticed nothing overly untoward. Despite a somewhat "cheerier" overall look, suffusion is still excellent and detail levels are frequently commendable even in some midrange framings. As I mentioned in my review of the old 1080 version from Shout!, so much of the film is bathed in dark, shadowy scenes that it can be hard to see things at times, but HDR has definitely improved if not completely eliminated this situation. This is perhaps especially true in the scary showdown between Anthony Perkins and Jeff Fahey rather late in the film in a sequence which is bathed in a hellish red light.

Psycho III 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Psycho III offers an LPCM 2.0 mix recreating the original sound design, and a repurposed DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround mix, both of which struck me as virtually identical to the tracks on the older Shout! 1080 disc. This film has a slightly more ambitious sound design than Psycho II, one which is helped marginally by the 5.1 mix, where foley effects are often utilized quite well to create a suffocating immersive quality. Fidelity is excellent in both of these tracks, with very well prioritized dialogue, effects and score (an early effort by Carter Burwell). Dynamic range is quite wide, especially in a couple of the hyperkinetic attack sequences. Optional English subtitles are available.

Psycho III 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentaries

  Commentary by film critics Michael Brooke and Johnny Mains

  
  

  Commentary by screenwriter Charles Edward Pogue

• Carnival of the Heart (HD; 11:17) is another interesting Alexandra Heller-Nicholas visual essay, this one focusing on perceived "carnival-esque" aspects of this film.


• Scream of Love (HD; 15:10) is a fun interview with Carter Burwell, whose first feature film scoring assignment this was.


• Watch the Guitar (HD; 16:49) is an archival interview with Jeff Fahey.


• Patsy's Last Night (HD; 8:40) is an archival interview with Kat Shea.


• Mother's Maker (HD; 11:12) is an archival interview with makeup master Michael Westmore (when is someone going to make a movie about the Westmore clan?).


• Body Double (HD; 5:14) is an archival interview with Brinke Stevens, who doubled Diana Scarwid.


• Alternate TV Cut Scenes (HD; 7:20) come with some explanatory text.


• Original Electronic Press Kit (HD; 7:20)


• Teaser Trailer (HD; 00;50)


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:23)


• TV Spot (HD; 00:31)


• Image Gallery (HD)

Psycho III 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

For Hitchcock fans in particular, Psycho III is a virtual smorgasbord of homages to the master's many films, and it can be a parlor game of sorts to try to spot them all. Technical merits are generally solid and as usual Arrow provides some really excellent supplements. Recommended.