The Psycho Legacy

2010

Documentary / Horror

3
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 67%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 67% · 100 ratings
IMDb Rating 6.8/10 10 500 500

Plot summary

The cast and crew of all four Psycho films recall their time working on the influential horror series, and modern masters of horror reminisce on what the movies stirred in them.

Director

Robert V. Galluzzo Photo
Robert V. Galluzzo

Top cast

Diana Scarwid Photo
Diana Scarwid as Self
Alfred Hitchcock Photo
Alfred Hitchcock as Self
Janet Leigh Photo
Janet Leigh as Self
Chris Hendrie Photo
Chris Hendrie as Self
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
801.19 MB
1280*956
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
29.97 fps
1 hr 26 min
Seeds 2
1.45 GB
1440*1076
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
29.97 fps
1 hr 26 min
Seeds 14

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by 8 / 10

Great Documentary

Universal has always ignored the sequels to "Psycho". While the Hitchcock original has always had great DVD releases the sequels were treated poorly by the studio. No special editions were ever done for those releases.Thankfully I am not the only fan of "Psycho II". Rob Galluzzo has produced this amazing documentary about the "Psycho Films". Primarily it sticks to the sequels because the original has had many books and DVD devoted to it. This documentary does what Universal failed to do. It gave us a documentary chronicling everything you would want to know about the sequels. Cast and crew interviews talk about everything you would want to know. From casting to shooting to reactions that both the cast and public felt about each sequel. Made with such love and care that you hope Rob Galluzzo will make another documentary about another horror franchise! Please note after this documentary was made Shout Factory ended licensing the "Psycho Sequels" for Special Editions on Home Video. If you love these films then watch this documentary!
Reviewed by 8 / 10

Mother Would Approve

Fifty years ago, Anthony Perkins stabbed and slashed his way into the hearts of audiences in Alfred Hitchcock's classic horror epic, "Psycho." Aside from being a landmark for cinema, "Psycho" is notorious for having quite possibly the most consistent and most respectable set of sequels, a fact often overlooked throughout the years. "The Psycho Legacy," an in-depth documentary from the same folks who brought you "His Name Was Jason" and "Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy", attempts to shed some light on this fact. By compiling interviews old and new with assorted cast and crew (as well as some long-time fans who have carved their own niche in the horror genre) "The Psycho Legacy" paints a colorful and informative picture of a franchise that deserves more respect beyond the usual praise garnered for its first installment.The meat and potatoes of the feature-length documentary are broken down into five parts. Opening with a surprisingly brief (and somewhat shallow) piece on Hitchcock's original, the documentary spends equal time on each of the three sequels, wrapping up with thoughts on Norman Bates himself, Anthony Perkins. Incidentally, the documentary skips over the 1998 shot-for-shot remake, which is a bit of a shame as even if the film itself was a futile experiment in cinema, it is still rather note-worthy as a rarity in its own genre. While the bigger names such as Dennis Franz and Meg Tilly don't appear in the documentary, other key players such as Robert Loggia, Jeff Fahey, Olivia Hussey and Henry Thomas appear to be more than happy to show some love and support for their somewhat forgotten roles. Archive footage from Perkins, Janet Leigh, director Richard Franklin and others are intercut with the newer footage, while the documentary itself rejects the typical narration. Really, "The Psycho Legacy" is pretty much just a series of interviews pieced together to tell a story.Since none of the releases for the three sequels were accompanied by any bonus material, it's quite a treat to finally have some light shed on these severely under-rated films. Those seeking the goods on Hitch's original would do better to look elsewhere, but for the rest of us, this documentary does the series justice. The 2-DVD set is rounded out with hours of deleted and extended material, which is actually just as informative as the main documentary itself, if not moreso. While one can't help but feel like more could have been done with this documentary (such as reaching out to bigger names or covering much more ground) it is a satisfying venture regardless. The bonus material is certainly worth a watch and even if you've seen the films multiple times and have read up on them as much as possible, you'll likely learn something new here. In essence, "The Psycho Legacy" is something us Norman Bates fans can go a little mad for.
Reviewed by 8 / 10

Nice look the PSYCHO sequels

It seems every major horror franchise is getting the documentary treatment and this one covers the PSYCHO films. Well, I should say the PSYCHO sequels as the first film is covered just briefly. A lot of major players are assembled to give their thoughts on PSYCHO II-IV and each sequel gets about 25 minutes of coverage. PII - obviously missing are the thoughts from Anthony Perkins and Richard Franklin (their brief thoughts on it are archive footage), but there is also no Meg Tilly (she can't be that busy). Screenwriter Tom Holland reveals the relationship between Tilly and Perkins went sour during production, so maybe that is why? PIII - we get most of the major cast (Jeff Fahey sporting a GRIZZLY ADAMS beard) and they all talk about Perkins' professionalism as the director. PIV - director Mick Garris, Olivia Hussey and Henry Thomas are all interviewed. Garris mentions how Perkins was very difficult to work with, thinking he probably wanted that gig. In addition to the filmmakers, you get lots of talking heads, mostly horror filmmakers (thankfully, no Eli Roth to embarrass himself with some PSYCHO goof). I wish the makers had been a bit more thorough though as they don't talk about Bloch's sequel novels at all or mention the TV pilot BATES MOTEL starring Bud Cort. Sure, it is awful but it is part of the history and an interesting footnote.
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