Norman, Is That You?

A lot of people were surprised when 1982's dreaded "who asked for it?" sequel, Psycho II, turned out to be pretty decent and a modest box-office success. Naturally, Universal sensed the potential for a new franchise (a term they still slap on almost every DVD they release) and allowed star Anthony Perkins to hop into the director's chair for the next installment, 1986's Psycho III. The result was a beautiful, perverse study of dangerous psychology (despite some studio-imposed slasher additions), with an emotionally-scarred nun (Diana Scarwid) winding up at the Bates Motel and turning Norman's homicidal tendencies upside down. Closer to the Italian gothics than Hitchcock, it's a twisted treat worthy of rediscovery. The equally haunting music comes from Carter Burwell (his second score after Blood Simple), who hit the big time as the Cohen Brothers' regular composer (Fargo, Miller's Crossing, etc.) along with other excellent work like Being John Malkovich, Fear, and Rob Roy. The main theme here ("Maureen in the Desert") is powerful stuff and will stick in your head for days; it's been sampled a surprising number of times in electronica and chill-out pieces the past few years, though the soundtrack itself never hit CD and remains strangely obscure.

Psycho III
1. Maureen in the Desert
2. Before And After Shower
3. Warm As A Cry For Help
4. Sisters / Catherine Mary
5. Mother?
6. Bad Boys And Body Bags
7. Revenge Of A Thankless Child
8. Electroshock Waiting Room
9. Dirty Street
10. Scream of Love