The movie Anthony Perkins made for free, on one condition: “These are my terms”
In 1960, Alfred Hitchcock released the story of an unsuspecting woman who, while on the run from the police, makes the fatal decision to spend the night in a motel as one of his greatest and most influential films.
Psycho blended elements of traditional thrillers with the genre that would become the ‘slasher’, leading audiences on a twisty, turny, bloody journey that none of them were expecting. There are many great things about the film, from its gorgeous cinematography to Bernard Hermann’s all-timer score, but it wouldn’t have been nearly as good without Anthony Perkins.
As the mentally unstable proprietor of the Bates Motel, Perkins is the film’s main driving force. He plays Norman Bates with a glorious mixture of anxiety and sinister dread, keeping viewers on edge long before his big secret is revealed. The role would become intertwined with Perkins for the rest of his life, for better and for worse.
After the character had lay dormant for over two decades, Perkins returned to play Bates in the altogether unnecessary sequel, Psycho II. With Hitchcock very much dead at this point, directing duties fell to Richard Franklin, an Australian director who had previously made the cult classic Roadgames and, interestingly, a softcore porn film called Fantasm. The perfect qualifications, I’m sure you’ll agree.
Psycho II didn’t garner bad reviews as much as it did punters wondering why franchising a classic film was necessary, especially after such a long gap. Quentin Tarantino liked it, but while his opinion was not widely represented, Universal Pictures went ahead to work on another entry in 1986 with Psycho III. It picks up from the previous instalment with Norman having relapsed into his old ‘Mother’ persona and returning to his knife-wielding ways. Perkins once again reprised his role, the only one of the original cast to follow the story this far, and you might be wondering why he would do this to himself. Did he need the money, or was he plain bored? As it turns out, he actually had a very good reason.
In an interview with What a Feeling!, Perkins revealed that he made a deal with Universal ahead of signing on to the threequel. “I said, ‘Look, who are you going to get [to direct]’,” he recalled. “These are my terms for acting in the movie, and I would throw in the directing for free”. Enchanted at the idea of not paying two different salaries, the studio accepted, and Perkins was named Psycho III’s director.
This was the star’s first attempt at making a feature-length film. He had previously directed a couple of off-Broadway stage shows, but nothing on this scale. A number of reviews pointed out how capable Perkins was behind the camera, praising his knowledge of the source material. Unfortunately, the rest of the film didn’t fare too kindly. Mixed reviews once again dogged its release, with reviewers similarly questioning why this topic needed to be revisited. Did Universal care? Nope! Psycho IV: The Beginning was released as a TV movie four years later!
As for Perkins, he would only direct once more, a black comedy called Lucky Stiff. Directing still runs in his family, though, with his son Osgood Perkins making the highly acclaimed horror Longlegs. It was a lot better than his dad’s first effort, but that’s not really a fair comparison.
