So the saga ends. Norman get's peace and mother is forever locked up. It's a fitting last movie, and surprisingly good to! It was made as a TV-movie, which dosen't mean it's cleaned from blood and nudity, but far from the mayhem in part 2 and 3. This time Mick Garris did the directing from a script by the original screenwriter, Joseph Stefano. The hightlights here is the wicked relationship between the young Norman (Henry Thomas) and his mother (Olivia Hussey). The concept is that Norman, now rehabilitated and married to a nice woman, is calling to a radio station where Fran (CCH Pounder) discusses, just this night, boys who kills their mother. Through their conversation we get to know what happens before the events in the first Psycho-movie. Stefan stays close to the original vision, and nothing seems out of place. I like the incest-theme that Norman insist isn't incest at all, but believe me, there's something going on between mother and son here. A fun detail is the Raymond Linette-character (Kurt Paul), who is a rehabilitated mother killer sitting the radio studio in the beginning. He's played the guy who's been doing Norman-in-dress in Psycho 2 and 3 also plays Norman Bates in the failed TV-pilot Bate's Motel!
Forget Vince Vaughn's embarrassing performance in the remake, Henry Thomas is the only other who played Norman who actually nailed it perfectly. From the body movements, voice and eyes. This is a great performance, and he's matched an equally good Olivia Hussey. She's doing a crazy woman, sometimes soft as an angel and seconds later like the devil! But it feels realistic and not at all over the top.
This is a good tv-movie, way better than it's reputation, and continues the tradition of great acting in the series.
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