Psycho IV: The Beginning

Poor Norman Bates just can't get over his past dealings with Mother. Thirty years after Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" frightened the world, a fourth film in the franchise was greenlit to carry on the torch of tortured Norman Bates.

Now on Blu-ray for the first time from Shout Factory, "Psycho IV: The Beginning" originally aired on the Showtime network in the U.S. and released to movie theaters overseas. It's an interesting extension of the relationship between mother and son, one that led to matricide.

It's four years after the events of "Psycho III", a fact mentioned in a few words of dialogue in this fourth film. Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) has been released from an asylum for the 2nd time and is seemingly reformed. He lives a quiet life in the suburbs with his new wife, a psychologist who helped restore Norman's sanity.

But when he listens to a local radio program discussing the topic of matricide, Norman (disguising himself as "Ed"), calls in and flashes back to his troubled relationship with his mother Norma (Olivia Hussey, "Black Christmas"). He describes a woman with wild mood swings, one who ridicules her son for his burgeoning sexuality.

Henry Thomas plays the teenage Norman in flashbacks and "Psycho IV" is an odd amalgam of prequel and sequel that ends in mixed results. It's certainly worth a viewing for "Psycho" fans but has no ties to the current A&E show "Bates Motel."

An audio commentary featuring director Mick Garris, it's revealed that "Psycho IV" really exists because Universal Studios wanted to promote its new "Psycho" attraction back in 1990. As seen in the photo gallery section in the special features on the Blu-ray, patrons of Universal Studios got to witness "Psycho IV" while it was filming. Hussey and Thomas don't remember all that much of their filming experiences, while director Garris claims Perkins was the most difficult actor he's ever worked with.

"The Making of Mother" describes the process of how the stuffed Mother was made and a brief "Behind-the-Scenes" shows cast and crew on-set for the first day of filming, harping on the fact that Garris and Perkins were already butting heads.

"Psycho IV: The Beginning"
Blu-ray
$27.99
www.shoutfactory.com