6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
One month after the events of PSYCHO II, Norman is still running the Bates Motel along with "Mother". Things are going fine until Norman falls in love with a fallen nun, takes in a greedy drifter, a nosy reporter sticks her nose where it doesn't belong and a series of murders begins once again.
Starring: Anthony Perkins, Diana Scarwid, Jeff Fahey, Roberta Maxwell, Hugh GillinHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 23% |
Mystery | 16% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 2.0
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (A, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Note: This version of this film is available as part of Arrow's The Psycho Collection.
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.
Psycho III is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p 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.The biggest difference to my eyes between this 1080 version and Shout!'s older 1080 version is some noticeable brightening in this version, though that's not to suggest anything looks artificially boosted. Instead, there's just a touch of a lighter look that I think actually helps to ameliorate some of the really chunky and yellow looking grain that tended to afflict the many low light scenes in Shout!'s version. I wouldn't say that improvements in fine detail are overwhelming, but they are noticeable at times, especially in some of the weirdly skewed close-ups that are featured in the film. The palette looks nicely robust and I noticed no real signs of age related wear and tear. As with the first 1080 release, some of the old school compositing is more than obvious. My score is 4.25.
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.
- Commentary by film critics Michael Brooke and Johnny Mains
- Commentary by screenwriter Charles Edward Pogue
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.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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