10 Great Horror Movies That Fell Victim To Franchise Fatigue

Before Bates Motel, there was Psycho IV: The Beginning.

In 1982 there a collective gasp of pure horror when Universal announced a sequel to Alfred Hitchcock's legendary classic Psycho. The idea was conceived as a good way to take advantage of the burgeoning slasher film trend, and so viewers nervously held their breath when Norman Bates came home in 1983's Psycho II.

Grossing a staggering $40 million on a budget of just $5 million, Psycho II surprised audiences and critics as a respectful, beautifully crafted love-letter to the legendary original. Universal was so pleased with their gamble that a further sequel was greenlit in 1984, with star Anthony Perkins taking the director's chair that time out. But upon release in 1986, Psycho III enjoyed none of the success of its predecessor. Lambasted by critics for its seedy tone and use of more explicit nudity and violence, audiences were not as keen to embrace Perkins' directorial debut. Psycho III would ultimately gross just $14 million on a $9 million budget.

The failure of the film's second sequel cooled interest in the brand and resulted in Psycho IV: The Beginning - the series' 30th Anniversary movie - being relegated to television as a Showtime original. Today, it is largely forgotten.

Psycho IV: The Beginning follows a rehabilitated Norman Bates reliving his adolescence, his slide into mental illness and his very first murders as he talks to a radio DJ over the phone. Norman hopes this will quell his urge to kill again... but will it?

A made-for-TV horror sequel sounds awful and very much bottom of the barrel, but there is so much to love about Psycho IV. First and foremost, this film has class. The somewhat seedy, uncomfortable vibes of Psycho III are gone as director Mick Garris and original screenwriter Joseph Stefano work hard to make Psycho IV a gleaming tribute to Hitchcock's 1960 original. Every actor here is on fine form, and it goes without saying that Anthony Perkins shines as Norman Bates once again.

This time, Perkins is given an extra element to grapple with in the form of Norman's restored sanity and conscience as he fights his violent urges. We mustn't leave out Olivia Hussey and Henry Thomas here either, both of whom deliver stellar performances as the unhinged Norma Bates and her put-upon, confused teenage son. Henry Thomas shatters the child star image he obtained eight years prior in E.T. as he tackles themes of jealousy, attraction and even incestual thoughts.

One final thing to note about Psycho IV: The Beginning is, given its television budget, the piece features beautiful production design. Bright colours and on-point period furniture and vehicles occupy a very believable 1940s and '50s landscape. We see the Bates Mansion and Bates Motel in their stunning prime and their very sad dilapidated state 40 years later, and its enough to bring a tear to the eye as the legendary house burns down around Norman.