Good 3rd Films

The third film in a series often gets a tough time, even when they are good, maybe it is because if a second film is good then expectations are even higher on a third, or if the second is bad people just expect it to be bad as well. Whatever the reason today I'm going to list three third film's that I think a really good successors to their originals. I won't be going into too much detail as I may cover these films on their own one day.

Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (Uncut)

I don't think anyone can argue that the uncut version of Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3 is a vast improvement over the crap that was shown in cinemas in 1990 but many people still don't give this one a chance, which really is a shame. I have said before that out of the original Texas Chainsaw films this is the one that feels the most like a typical horror film and out of all of them and the closest to what most people think when they hear the title of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Personally I feel this is a very satisfying trilogy when watched with the first two though I will say this is the weakest of the three, but it's a lot better than the fourth one!

I really enjoy this film but make sure it's the Uncut version you see, the only downside is they keep the theatrical ending which does kinda suck, you can watch the original better ending on the DVD but it's a shame they didn't add it back onto the film where it belongs.

Poltergeist III

This is a damn good movie and for the life of me I don't know why it gets crapped on so much, the first Poltergeist is a classic and probably one of the best horror films ever made, the second one was rubbish, it isn't without merit but it's a film I really don't enjoy that much. But the third is a genuinely scary movie, moving away from the suburban setting and relocating to a city skyscraper, once again evil forces attempt to drag Carroll-Anna to the other side. The film is great to look at, the building is full of mirrors so constantly we get creepy imagery of peoples reflections not following them or the villain appearing and watching them, all good stuff. In this film Carroll-Anna is living with her aunt, uncle and cousin all played fantastically but it is a shame that this final battle couldn't be with the family we followed through the first two films. There is also supposed to be an alternate ending to the film that would have fit a bit more with the characterisations so far but that been said this is still a damn good film and an brilliant end to the Poltergeist trilogy.

Psycho III

Personally I think all four original Psycho films are great and one day I may write in more detail about them but for now I will say the third film is fantastic, as was the second. I understand why the Psycho sequels aren’t even given a chance by a lot of people, the idea that they would make sequels to one of the classic greats is almost unbelievable. But they did the impossible, not only are these films great I would say without a doubt they are worthy successors to the original. The third film was directed by Norman Bates himself Anthony Perkins, and he really shows how much he knows this character whom he had lived with for so long, he doesn’t try to imitate Hitchcock but does his own thing and it really works.

Roger Ebert had this to say about Psycho III and I feel it perfectly sum's up the film; "For the first time, I was able to see that the true horror in the 'Psycho' movies isn't what Norman does - but the fact that he is compelled to do it."

This is a damn good film and I urge everyone to check it out, you will have to watch the first and second as well but they are all great films.