Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is turning 60 on June 16, which means it's about time we revisit the movie which spawned a unique and uniquely fun horror franchise. In order to properly honor Hitchcock's Psycho, we're revisiting every movie in the franchise and seeing how they shape up after all this time. That means we're ranking all four movies — PsychoPsycho IIPsycho III, and Psycho IV: The Beginning, plus the 1987 Bates Motel TV special and the 1998 Gus Van Sant remake, from worst to best.

Hitchcock's Psycho is a unique entry in his stories canon as a director. Adapted from the Robert Bloch novel of the same name and loosely inspired by the murders of notorious midcentury serial killer Ed GeinPsycho is the kind of bloodless horror movie which still finds interesting ways to run a chill up your spine. That might be in part thanks to Anthony Perkins, who plays the movie's young killer Norman Bates in a breakout performance. Psycho also features solid performances from Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, Vera Miles as Lila Crane, John Gavin as Sam Loomis, and Martin Balsam as Detective Milton Arbogast. Boasting one of the most famous shower scenes in movie history and more than enough to material to psychoanalyze in the case of Norman Bates, Psycho lives on as a foundational horror movie and queer text. But how does it hold up against its sequels, a remake, and a TV special?

Keep reading to see how every Psycho movie in this highly underrated horror franchise shapes up; you might be surprised which title come out on top.

6. Bates Motel (1987)

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Image via NBC

There have been two efforts to get spinoff of the Psycho franchise on TV screens. The first attempt, 1987's Bates Motel, was intended to be the pilot of a TV series which ultimately ended up as a made-for-TV movie. Bud Cort (Harold and Maude) stars as Alex West, a young man who grew up in the same asylum as Norman Bates after Alex killed his father. Norman takes Alex under his wing during their stay. After his death, Norman leaves Bates Motel to Alex in his will. Alex gets help re-opening Bates Motel with help from teenage runaway Willie (Lori Petty). The rest of the special sees Alex attempting to get the motel up and running amidst rumors of the ghost of Norma Bates haunting the hotel and one Bates Motel guest seeing the ghost of her younger self gifting her with an important lesson.

Unfortunately, this 90-minute special is connected to the Psycho canon in name only, with the story so muddled and overwrought it feels like a dare to try and get through it. It's also pretty sweaty and problematic in the way it paints Alex and Norman's dynamic. As you might have guessed, the 1987 Bates Motel TV movie is very much a "for diehard fans only" kind of viewing experience.

5. Psycho IV: The Beginning

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Image via Showtime Networks/Universal Home Video

Psycho IV: The Beginning. Oh dear.

Psycho IV is a 1990 TV movie which sees Perkins reprise his role as Norman Bates for the fourth and final time (he would pass away two years after this movie was released). Over the course of an hour and half, we watch as Norman attempts to unpack all of his emotional and psychological baggage via a late-night call into a radio show hosted by Fran Ambrose (CCH Pounder). There are flashbacks to Norman's childhood and teenage years, with the subtext of these flashbacks getting uncomfortably Oedipal as young Norman (Henry Thomas) tries to please his mother, Norma (Olivia Hussey). We also discover Norman has married and is trying to do away with his demons for good, which, sure. Why not?

To have Psycho IV close out the end of what is actually a very fun horror franchise is simply very disappointing. This TV movie only seems interested in pathologizing Norman's behavior and it's equal parts sordid and boring. Thomas gives a solid supporting turn as a teenage Norman Bates grappling with his unsettling feelings for his mother and budding penchant for stabbing young women, so I guess that's something. But, ultimately, Psycho IV is neither well-done enough or confident enough in its execution to be anything more than just a whimper of a franchise finale.

4. Psycho (1998)

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Image via Universal Pictures

Gus Van Sant's shot-for-shot 1998 Psycho is a fascinating bit of filmmaking. This most recent Psycho movie is shot in color, with Anne Heche and Vince Vaughn stepping into the roles made famous by Leigh and Perkins, and Julianne MooreViggo MortensenWilliam H. Macy, and Philip Baker Hall rounding out the main cast. Van Sant's remake uses most of Joseph Stefano's original script and Danny Elfman is on music duty, lightly sprucing up Bernard Herrmann's original score.

As an acting exercise, Psycho '98 is fun to watch. The cast put their own spin on their readings of the characters, with more room for fun to seemingly help keep things fresh. However, keeping most of Stefano's script intact means some lines just don't quite hit right or risk the movie feeling a bit too dated. That said, early Vaughn is a revelation. It's fun to see Moore and Mortensen in their peak '90s forms. Van Sant's remake also earns big points for being able to make the subtext actual text. Being able to see Heche's Marion Crane and Mortensen's Sam Loomis is a cheap motel with NSFW sounds coming through the walls or Vaughn's Bates masturbating as he watches Marion through the wall are just some of the updated touches which add some grit and sweat to the entire affair. All of this, plus the fact this remake is in glorious technicolor and isn't afraid to really go for it with the costume and set design, make Psycho '98 a refreshing update.

3. Psycho (1960)

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Image via Paramount Pictures/Universal Pictures

Only gatekeepers will rank Hitchcock's Psycho at number one and friends, I'm no gatekeeper. Look, I have nothing against the original Psycho, but it gives me pause. At 60, Psycho has aged pretty frickin' well. The performances are all strong, believable. You care about everyone and remain engaged throughout. Perkins is clearly the MVP of the movie, too, and his balance of boyish charm and unsettlingly perverse murderer is right on the money. It's no wonder he led the franchise for three more films in later years. Outside of this, Hitchcock's camerawork remains fully enveloping, with shots like the camera barrel-rolling from Marion's eye as she lay dead or the way we watch Norman crane his head to look at Arbogast's photo of Marion are just perfect. Even touches like the voiceover work early in the film to illustrate Marion's paranoia or the way in which Psycho manages to stick the landing (by 1960s standards, at least) on explaining Norman's mental state help keep this movie in fine form.

But Psycho was also a movie too ahead of its time for its own good. As far as the standards of horror for it's time go, it's easy to see why Psycho shocked and delighted its way to acclaim. Psycho also strikes me as a movie yearning to lean into its shock value and serve up more shocks and thrills even though it doesn't (or, more likely, couldn't because of the time in which it was made). For this reason, Psycho sits at #3 as, ultimately, a perfectly serviceable franchise starter.

2. Psycho III

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Image via Universal Pictures

When it comes to '80s horror movies and late franchise installments, Psycho III is a hell of an entry. Perkins returns this time as both director and star. Additionally, Diana Scarwid (Mommie Dearest), Jeff Fahey (Lost), and Robert Maxwell (Popeye) round out the supporting cast. With a script from Charles Edward Pogue (The FlyDragonHeart) in hand and lots of ominous synth music to go around, Psycho III is the peak of everything the Psycho franchise wants to be: an over-the-top, goofy, cheeky, bawdy, sweaty movie that will keep you hooked.

Psycho III is a movie which isn't so much plot-forward as it is pulp-forward. The general gist is: Norman has fully returned to his dual personality of Norman and Norma Bates and seems content in this new groove. He's the kind of guy who will taxidermy birds at the kitchen table and use the same spoon to put sawdust into a carcass and put peanut butter on crackers. So, super chill basically. Norman's very cool and normal home life gets shaken up with the arrival of wannabe rocker Duane Duke (Fahey), who Norman hires to help around the hotel, and Maureen Coyle (Scarwid), a runaway nun contemplating suicide who is saved by and ends up falling for Norman.

Unlike Psycho II, a sequel which is bit more serious in tone and intention, Psycho III is just plain fun. Fahey is swinging for the fences with his performance as the highly sus Duke and is one half of one of the wildest sex scenes committed to film. Seriously. It's so good. Scarwid is also swinging for the fences, which can be a good or bad thing given the kind of character she's playing, but it is oh-so-fun to watch regardless. Even the kills and thrills of this Psycho installment are great; Norman kills a girl while she's on the toilet! I can't emphasize enough how gloriously batshit this movie is. Hopefully, the fact that I've put it at #2 will help make my points sink in.

1. Psycho II

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Image via Universal Pictures

There is so much to love about Psycho II. It is a rare sequel which manages to both expand on the lore at the heart of the canon while also going deeper into it. Following Hitchcock's passing in 1980, Universal Pictures revived the Psycho franchiser with this movie. This decision saw Perkins return to the role of Norman Bates after a 22-year hiatus along with original cast member Vera Miles. Joining Perkins and Miles was a great supporting cast, which included Meg TillyRobert Loggia, and Dennis Franz.

Psycho II follows Norman after he is cleared to return home to the Bates Motel after 22 years in an institution after pleading insanity in the Marion Crane murder. Norman works to put the pieces of his life back together while some locals seem unwilling to let his past go. Norman befriends a young woman, Mary (Tilly), at his job and soon takes her under his wing. Things take a turn as bodies begin popping up all around the Bates property and Norman's grip on reality begins to slip.

Psycho II has a keen interest in examining Norman without turning him into some lab rat, as later sequels seem keen to do. Instead, this is a movie both sympathetic to Norman's headspace, interested in unpacking the layers of a lifetime of trauma, guilt, and fear baked into Norman's psyche. There is a redemptive arc to this story through Norman's relationship with Mary which also helps lends some keen pathos to the piece. There is also a perfect amount of campy thrills to balance the drama, with some really fun kills and surprise twists lying in wait for viewers. Add to this what can only be described as supremely good writing and directing from Tom Holland (no, not that one) and Richard Franklin, respectively, and you have the best Psycho movie of the franchise.