Psycho IV: The Beginning

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Psycho IV: The Beginning

TV-14

1990

1h 37m

Mystery & Thriller

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

29%

Tomatometer

7 Reviews

33%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Released from a mental institution once again, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) calls in to tell his life story to a radio host (CCH Pounder). Norman recalls his days as a young boy living with his schizophrenic mother (Olivia Hussey), and the jealous rage that inspired her murder. In the present, Norman lives with his pregnant wife, Connie (Donna Mitchell), fearing that his child will inherit his split personality disorder, and "Mother" will return to kill again.

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Eric Mink

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Oct 9

Fails to offer much beyond a bunch of psycho-sexual babble.

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Anton Bitel

Little White Lies

02/19/2024

Even as it goes back to Norman’s traumatic adolescence, this is also a putative ending, as Norman seeks to ensure that the ‘bad seed’ he has inherited is never passed on. It is a gothic melodrama of twisted redemption, and (perhaps) also a new beginning.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Sep 11

3/5

…reprises some of the greatest hits of the original film, like blood running down plugholes, slow swamp burials and amateur taxidermy...Psycho IV: the Beginning is probably a lot better than any fourth sequel should be…

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

10/13/2023

2/5

The contemporary conflict of nature versus nurture is rushed. It’s like trying to shoehorn several seasons of "Dexter" into a single film. Ultimately, it’s just some dedicated window-dressing and a milquetoast conclusion to the saga.

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Tim Brayton

Alternate Ending

09/22/2022

2.5/5

This should be complete garbage; instead, it is not a very good movie. But it's still sort of interesting and mostly worth watching.

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Matt Brunson

Creative Loafing

09/17/2016

2/4

A feeble addition to the Norman Bates canon.

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John K

@UndeadKingUK Sep 17

This does explain Norman Bates' backstory in a great way and concludes the franchise in a satisfying way. However, one issue is that some of the kills were dull. RIP Anthony Perkins, you were the best Norman Bates.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jun 14

Failure in 1 hour and 37 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Nick O

Jun 2

I really love how this flick works as a prequel as well as a sequel with a not quite rehabilitated Norman Bates recounting his disturbing childhood for a radio shrink while he plans his next psychotic decent.

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Julian S

@akajulianscott Apr 4

The real draw is in how it deepens and continues the original story—even more compellingly than part II and III—but ultimately, it exists as a reverent echo of Hitchcock’s masterpiece, and not much more.

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James B

@James_B Jan 31

Probably one of my favourite ones psycho IV explores norman bate's origins whilst also having a decent plot in the present but I do wish they would've killed him off.

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06/04/2024

Ridiculous! Wonder why Perkins agreed to play in it!

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Mick Garris

Director

Anthony Perkins

Norman Bates

Henry Thomas

Young Norman Bates

Olivia Hussey

Norma Bates

CCH Pounder

Fran Ambrose

Donna Mitchell

Connie Bates

Misery

91%

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TRAILER

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34%

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Synopsis

Released from a mental institution once again, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) calls in to tell his life story to a radio host (CCH Pounder). Norman recalls his days as a young boy living with his schizophrenic mother (Olivia Hussey), and the jealous rage that inspired her murder. In the present, Norman lives with his pregnant wife, Connie (Donna Mitchell), fearing that his child will inherit his split personality disorder, and "Mother" will return to kill again.

Director: Mick Garris
Producer: Les Mayfield, George Zaloom
Screenwriter: Joseph Stefano
Production Co: Universal Television, Smart Money Productions
Rating: TV-14 (D|S|V), R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 15, 2019
Runtime: 1h 37m

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