Psykho III: The Musical

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Part of: Music Box of Horrors: The Dream Child

1985 60 mins DCP

Rated
r
Mark Oates, Tom Rubnitz
Mark Oates
John Kelly, Stephen Tashjian, Mark Phredd

Sponsored by Shudder

Co-presented by VDB

Post-Film Q&A with curator Emily Eddy, George William Price, and Video Data Bank Executive Director Tom Colley.

PSYKHO III: THE MUSICAL (1985) is a hilarious, hedonistic, and hallucinogenic drag reimagining of Alfred Hitchcock's PSYCHO (1960). This video was originally produced as a stage play at the Pyramid Club in the East Village of Manhattan written and directed by Mark Oates, and then adapted by Tom Rubnitz for the screen. Originally from Chicagoland, Rubnitz used his artwork to inject humor, clarity, and friendship into the deadliest decade of the AIDS crisis. Casting drag performer and artist Tabboo! in the role of the Crane sisters and singer and performance artist John Kelly as Roman Oates (a play on words combining Mark Oates's name with Hitchcock's character Norman Bates), Rubnitz and Oates crafted a unique vision for this "sequel", poking fun at the recently released PSYCHO II (1983). Combining bizarre homemade backdrops and props by Tabboo! and Mark Phredd, the earworms "Loose Woman on the Loose" and "A Boy's Best Friend Is His Mother", and outstanding performances, PSYKHO III is a vibrant, spooky celebration of queer art and humor inspired by pop culture. PSYKHO III is preceded by two of Rubnitz's short videos, PICKLE SURPRISE (1989) and STRAWBERRY SHORTCUT (1989). 

1985
USA
English
60 mins
Horror

Showtimes for Psykho III: The Musical