The Psycho Legacy

Cast

Development

The documentary was originally developed in late 2006. Robert Galluzzo stated "I got the idea for the documentary when the Psycho II and Psycho III DVDs were re-released back in 2005. I was disappointed with the fact that the DVDs contained no special features and that there was little information out there about the Psycho sequels, thus I decided to make the documentary." Galluzzo originally went to Universal Studios with the idea of the studio financing the documentary and releasing it in a box set along with Psycho, Psycho II, Psycho III and Psycho IV: The Beginning. But Universal wasn't interested in these ideas. However, the studio did allow Galluzzo to shoot footage on the Bates Motel and Psycho house sets on the backlot and use pictures and footage from all the films.

Production

Filming began in January 2007. Director Robert Galluzo shot interviews with Psycho cast and crew members over the next three years. Galluzo personally financed the production as he described it as a "labour of love project". Different types of digital video cameras were used to film the interviews over the three-year-long production, thus giving the documentary an aspect ratio of both fullscreen and widescreen. Galluzo and editor Jon Maus used school equipment to edit the footage together first into a 12-minute promotional video and then the full documentary. Galluzo stated in an interview with Retro Slashers.com: " The shoot itself was just my dear friend John Torrani, who had a Panasonic DVX-100 camera and myself. He was crazy enough to follow me on this journey and for that, I’m eternally grateful to him! Essentially, I made a ton of phone calls, sent out a ton of emails and did my best to contact as many Psycho alumni as possible to arrange interviews. Most of them are based out of California, so I’d work at my dayjob for 3 months straight, then take 2 weeks off to go shoot some interviews. And then come back and do it all over again. That’s the main reason it’s taken so long is because I had to go back to work and save up the money to continue shooting. This was always a labor of love, so I did anything I could to make it work and get just a tiny bit further along."

Promotion

In April 2008, at the Fangoria horror convention, a Psycho reunion panel was held to promote the documentary. Many cast members attended including Hilton A. Green, Mick Garris, Tom Holland, Kurt Paul, Juliette Cummins, Katt Shea, Cynthia Garris, Chris Hendrie and more. It was also promoted at San Diego Comic Con 2010.

Release

The documentary premiered at the 2010 Screamfest Horror Film Festival on October 16, 2010, followed by a Q&A with Mick Garris, Cynthia Garris and Katt Shea. The documentary is set for a DVD release on October 19, 2010 over Shout! Factory. Special features include a rare 41 minute panel discussion with Anthony Perkins, Extended Interviews, Deleted Scenes, Remembering Psycho II featurette, Shooting Psycho II featurette, The Bates Motel tour featurette, Catching up with Mother featurette, Psycho Reunion Panel, Psycho on the Web, Hyaena Gallery Presents: Serial Killer Inspired Art and Norman Bates in Print featurette. The documentary is also being released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in France on October 18, 2011. It was also released on Blu-ray Disc in Germany on February 14, 2012. Releases in other countries is yet to be decided.

Critical reception

The documentary has received mostly positive reviews. Staci Layne Wilson of Horror.com says "Overall, I think this doc is a great way for Shout! Factory and Masi Media LLC to help us all celebrate the 50th birthday of Alfred Hitchcock's beloved Psycho". Jason Allentoff of The Psycho Movies.com says "RobG's look at this film series is incredible. It's a shame Universal hasn't taken notice." Matt Fini of Dread Central.com says " As far as Psycho is now concerned, we’ve thankfully got this documentary so that we won’t forget." Mike Gencarelli of Movie Mikes says "If you add the amazing feature film to these special features you have the ultimate collection for all Psycho fans." William David Lee of DVD Town.com says "The retrospective may not be as in-depth as some would like, there is enough to sate the appetites of the most die-hard "Psycho" followers." Horror Talk.com claims "Director Galluzzo does his best with a lot of fine material and keeps things moving at a decent clip, but repeat viewings will reveal the limitations that keep this from being the ultimate experience that it should be."

Tyler Foster of DVD Talk.com says "There are things to like, about both the feature and the extras, but I can only recommend a rental – spend your money on the new Blu-ray Disc of Psycho instead." Joe Shearer of Film Yap.com says "If you’re a fan of the Psycho franchise, I’d wholeheartedly recommend this DVD. If you’re a classicist looking for insights on Hitchcock, I’d say you might come away from this disappointed." Some critics were disappointed with the fact that the Robert Bloch novels were barely discussed in the documentary and that the failed TV pilot Bates Motel and the 1998 remake were not mentioned. However originally in the deleted scenes section of the DVD there was supposed to be two short segments about the TV pilot and remake but for unknown reasons they were left off of the DVD when it was released. Some critics also criticized the low-budget production values of the film. Citing issues with the sound and aspect ratio of the documentary. The documentary has a 7.0 out of 10 rating on IMDb and a 62% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.