Psycho III

Psycho III
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Anthony Perkins
Produced by	Hilton A. Green
Written by	Charles Edward Pogue
Starring	Anthony Perkins Diana Scarwid
Music by	Carter Burwell
Cinematography	Bruce Surtees
Edited by	David Blewitt
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	July 2, 1986 (1986-07-02)
Running time	92 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$14.4 million

Psycho III is a 1986 American psychological horror film. It is the second sequel to Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, and the third film in the Psycho series. It stars Anthony Perkins reprising the role of Norman Bates, who also directs the film, and co-stars Diana Scarwid, Jeff Fahey and Roberta Maxwell. The screenplay is written by Charles Edward Pogue. The original electronic music score is composed and performed by Carter Burwell in one of his earliest projects. The film was a financial failure, becoming the lowest grossing film in the Psycho series. It was followed by the television film Psycho IV: The Beginning. Psycho III is unrelated to Robert Bloch's third Psycho novel, Psycho House, which was released in 1990.

The film takes place one month after the events of Psycho II, Norman Bates is still running the Bates Motel with the corpse of Emma Spool still sitting up in the house. A suicidal nun, whom Norman falls in love with, comes to the motel along with a drifter named Duane Duke and a reporter who is trying to solve the mysterious disappearance of Mrs. Spool.

In 1982, Norman Bates works at the Bates Motel and lives with the preserved corpse of his mother, Emma Spool. Local law enforcement and Norman's ex-boss, Ralph Statler, are concerned because Mrs. Spool has been missing for over a month. Duane Duke, a sleazy musician desperate for money, is offered the job of assistant motel manager to replace the late Warren Toomey who was fired by Norman. Maureen Coyle, a mentally unstable young nun, is a long-term tenant at the Bates Motel.

Tracy Venable, a journalist from Los Angeles, is working on an article about serial killers being released. She believes Norman is killing again, so when Norman appears at the diner, Tracy attempts to talk with him. Unaware of her ulterior motives, Norman opens up to her but is distracted when Maureen enters. He is startled because she resembles his former victim, Marion Crane. Seeing the initials "M.C." on her suitcase, Norman panics and leaves the diner.