Rating: - The return...and return...and return of Hitch's original bad boy!
Twenty-two years after Alfred Hitchcock unleashed Norman Bates to the world, Anthony Perkins returned in his signature role in the first of the sequels: Psycho II. Directed by Richard Franklin, it is a handsome production and repeats some of the same thrills, although bloodier, as the original. Vera Miles returns as "Lila Loomis," sister of "Marion Crane," the famous shower victim played by the late Janet Leigh. Jerry Goldsmith provides a slick score that is surprisingly romantic at points, not as nerve-wracking as Herrmann's schizophrenic strings.

Released three years after the first sequel, "Psycho III" provided Perkins the chance to not just star in but direct the film. Perkins decided to have a little fun with the assignment and had some lighter and somewhat humorous touches along with the murderous mayhem. Though released theatrically, "Psycho III" looks more like a television film and, with a few edits here and there, could have aired with a disclaimer or two. Diana Scarwid co-stars as a defrocked nun, the subject of Bates' passions.

1990's "Psycho IV" originally aired as a production on the Showtime cable network. It is a well-acted look at the events that initiated Norman Bates' (Perkins again) actions. The always dependable C.C.H. Pounder is great as a radio personality that gets to the "root" of Norman. Olivia Hussey is just the right blend of beauty and paranoia as Norma Bates. Henry Thomas captures the nuances and physical movements of Perkins in his role as Norman in the flashback sequences.

A major coup for the telefilm is the fact that it utilizes much of Herrmann's music, along with new cues by Graeme Revell.

Director John Landis appears as the station manager where Pounder's character works.

Though the films pale in comparison to Sir Alfred's masterpiece, they each boast something noteworthy and entertaining...and Perkins IS along for the ride.

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