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Psycho IV: The Beginning
VHS cover art for Psycho IV: The Beginning
Directed by	Mick Garris
Produced by	Hilton A. Green Les Mayfield George Zaloom
Written by	Joseph Stefano
Starring	Anthony Perkins Henry Thomas Olivia Hussey CCH Pounder
Music by	Graeme Revell Bernard Herrmann
Cinematography	Rodney Charters
Editing by	Charles Bornstein
Distributed by	Universal Media Studios
Release date(s)	November 10, 1990
Running time	96 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Preceded by	Psycho III
Followed by	Remake

Psycho IV: The Beginning is a 1990 made-for-television prequel to Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho which was broadcast on the Showtime cable network on November 10, 1990. The film stars Anthony Perkins, Henry Thomas, Olivia Hussey and CCH Pounder.

The film was written by Joseph Stefano, who also wrote the screenplay of the original film. The original musical score was composed by Graeme Revell. The film is a Showtime Original Movie.

Plot summary

The film takes place after Norman Bates is again released from the mental hospital he was placed in at the end of Psycho III. Norman has now been married to his wife Connie Bates and is expecting a child. However, Norman fears that the child will inherit his mental illness.

Fran Ambrose is a radio talk show host who is talking on the topic of matricide with guest Dr. Richmond, Norman's former psychologist. The radio receives a call from Norman, who uses the alias "Ed" to tell his story, which the audience sees as a series of flashbacks. Some flashbacks are slightly out of order. When Norman is five years old, his father dies, leaving him in the care of his mother, Norma. Over the years, Norma (who is implied to suffer from schizophrenia) dominates her son, teaching him that sex is sinful, notably dressing him in girl's clothes as punishment for getting an erection in her presence. The two of them live as if there is no one else in the world, until she gets engaged to a brutish man named Chet Rudolph. Driven over the edge with jealousy, Norman poisons them both, then steals and preserves his mother's corpse. He develops a split personality in which he literally "becomes" his mother to suppress the guilt of murdering her; when this personality takes over, he dresses in her clothes, puts on a wig, and talks to himself in her voice. As "Mother", he murders two women who try to seduce him.

Throughout the spaces in the flashbacks, Dr. Richmond realizes "Ed" is Norman and tries to convince Ambrose to trace the calls. Richmond's worries are dismissed because they cannot trace the call and they believe they can talk Norman out of the reason he called: he fears he will kill again. He tells Fran that Connie got pregnant against his wishes and that he does not want to create another "monster". He then tells Fran he does believe his mother is dead, but she will kill Connie "with my own hands, just like the first time". He then takes Connie to his mother's house and attempts to kill her, but after Connie reassures Norman that their child will not be a monster, he drops his knife and Connie forgives him. He then burns the house where all his unhappiness began. As he tries to escape the flames, he hallucinates that he sees his victims, his mother and eventually himself preserving her corpse. He and Connie leave the scene the next day, with Norman proclaiming himself finally free of his mother. The doors of the house cellar close on the rocking chair that continues to rock, while Mother cries to be freed.

Cast

Production

Psycho IV: The Beginning was filmed in June 1990 at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando, Florida. The facade of the Bates Motel and the Bates mansion were re-created at the theme park. After filming, the Bates Motel facade was utilized for a haunted maze during 1993's Halloween Horror Nights titled "The Psycho Path Maze". The sets were demolished in 1998 for the construction of the "Curious George Goes to Town" Playground and Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster. Kurt Paul, who plays the killer being interviewed at the radio station, played the role of Norman Bates in the Made for TV movie Bates Motel (1987).

DVD releases

Psycho IV: The Beginning was released on DVD in Region 1 as part of a triple feature package with Psycho II and Psycho III on August 14, 2007 by Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Universal has also released several four-title Region 2 packages that include the 1960 original (e.g., a 2003 U.K. release and a 2007 German set). A single-disc Region 2 version of Psycho IV (titled Psychose: L'origine) was relased in France in 2007 by Aventi Distribution.

Sequel

There were once talks of a fifth film to be produced titled either Psycho V or Son of Psycho. However, a screenplay never began production and a 1998 remake of the first film, directed by Gus Van Sant, was produced instead.

See also

• Psycho (1960 film), directed by Alfred Hitchcock
• Psycho (1998 film), a remake directed by Gus Van Sant
• Psycho II (film), a 1983 sequel to the first film (unrelated to the novel Psycho II)
• Psycho III, a 1986 sequel to the first film
• Bates Motel, 1987 television movie

External links

• Psycho IV: The Beginning at the Internet Movie Database
• Psycho IV: The Beginning at Allmovie
• Psycho IV: The Beginning at Allmovie
• Psycho IV: The Beginning at Rotten Tomatoes

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This page was last modified on 15 March 2010 at 00:48.

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