Psycho II (1983)

One of the best sequels I've ever seen. Deep, dark, complex, and haunting.

Typically, sequels spell trouble; it seems almost unavoidable except with some big exceptions (Terminator 2: Judgement Day, and The Good The Bad and The Ugly, for example). While Psycho II is perhaps not as good in relation to Psycho as the former two are to their predecessors, it remains an surprisingly excellent follow-up to one of the scariest and most revered films in cinema history.

The first thing this film avoids, luckily, is rehashing the plot of the first. Director Richard Franklin and Co. easily could've made it a simple rehash of the original, but instead go for something completely different. The result is a deep, dark, and very complex tale revolving around Norman, the deceased Marion's sister Lila Crane Loomis (played once again by Vera Miles in an outstanding performance), a young adult coworker of Norman's who forges somewhat of a bond with him, and one of the heads of the restaraunt where they work. Not much more can be gone into without spoiling it.

The direction is superb, Jerry Goldsmith's musical score is haunting and beautiful (the somber, reflective piano theme along with the changing colors to the backdrop of the Bates house in the title sequence is sad and beautiful). Suffice it to say that this is as good as a sequel to a timeless classic can get. An amazing film, highly recommended. May 29, 2008

Psycho II - Why Bother?

I was really surprised how poorly made this film was. The acting was shockingly bad and to have big names like Miles and Perkins turn out such poor performances was really a sad surprise. The plot was ridiculous and it is amazing such solid and talented actors like Miles and Perkins would bother with such a production. Very disappointing, and I would not recommend this movie on any level, and is a good example of the 80s camp that was the trademark of the slasher films during that time period. It's obvious they just wanted to capitalize on the glory of the first film and it feels like they didn't even try to put something of quality together. No one is likeable in this movie, which raises the big question of who is the protagonist? Doesn't leave much to work with. Stick with the original. It took these people 20+ years to come up with this stuff? They shouldn't have even bothered. How many people really want to see two old ladies graphically murdered? I kid you not, one gets knifed through the face and the other hit over the head with a shovel. It's really a sad excuse for a movie. Alfred Hitchcock would be ashamed of them. April 30, 2008

Psycho 2 Rocks!

PSYCHO 2 is a phenomenal sequel and I think this is probably the best Psycho of them all and is probably the best sequel to any movie of all times, especially since they unfortunately don't make sequels like they used to anymore.

I also think Psycho II was even better and more upgraded than the original Psycho that was made back in 1960 and has more action than the first one too along with the fact that Psycho II was in color too, unlike the original Psycho.

I also found it interesting seeing Norman Bates(Tony Perkins) trying to make a new transition for the better and looking back on his days when he was a killer in the original.

I also thought it was neat seeing the beginning of Psycho 2 going from black & white to color after showing a clip from the shower killing scene from the original PSYCHO.

So I recommend this Psycho 2 DVD to anyone who loved the original, but I don't understand about why they said "It's 22 years later and Norman Bates is coming home" on their commercials and advertisements, because it was actually 23 years later, not 22 years later, because Psycho II was made in 1983 and the original Psycho was released in 1960, because Psycho 2 would have had to be released in 1982 if it was 22 years later.

I also loved Jerry Goldsmith's creepy intriguing music scoring in Psycho II as well, which reminded me of the music scoring Jerry Goldsmith did in POLTERGEIST, E.T., RAGGEDY MAN, and FIRST BLOOD.

It's just too bad they didn't end up having Jerry Goldsmith do the music scoring again in Psycho III instead of Carter Burwell.

I also liked the shower scene with Meg Tilly in full frontal nudity showing Meg's cucchi, tushy, and tatas, which was definetly more intriguing than the shower scene in Psycho 1 along with the fact that Meg Tilly didn't die in her shower scene, unlike the case with Janet Leigh in the original, but then Mary(Meg Tilly) discovers later on in the middle of Psycho 2 that there's a hole in the bathroom wall and that someone had been spying on her, especially when she was taking a shower, although they probably used a naked body double in all or most of the shower scenes in real life.

Vera Miles was also astonishing in Psycho 2 like she was in Psycho 1, but it was almost like Vera Miles(Lila Loomis) had became snotty and dishonest in Psycho II and wasn't as honest or as innocent as she was in the first one, which almost made you happy Lila died off in the second one, because Lila's attitude in Psycho 2 was able to turn you off badly enough to make you end up disliking her, since it was almost as if her personality changed and wasn't the same as it was in the original, because Lila was obviously going overboard to get Norman Bates recommitted in the institution, since she ended up telling a lot of lies and breaking a lot of laws just to get Norman(Tony Perkins) recommited to the nuthouse and locked up again, even if it meant lying or breaking a lot of laws, which was not right.

Therefore, Lila became a lot guiltier and more wrong than Norman was in Psycho II since Norman was trying to improve himself trying to better his life and Lila was trying to ruin him again by trying to make him go crazy and nutso again, just to get back at Norman for killing Lila's sister 23 years ago.

This movie also takes me all the way back to memory lane to the early 1980's when Psycho 2 was a very popular big hit at the movies in the Summer of 1983 when Psycho and Tony Perkins became famous again along with the fact that Psycho II took a lot of people back to memory lane to when the original Psycho came out in 1960. January 24, 2008

It's 23 years later and Norman Bates is coming home!

Norman comes home in this die hard suspence thriller. This is way better than 1 and the remake. This was 1983 made 23 years after so I put 23 for the tag line. The gory murder was when they stick the knife through Lila's mouth. Vera Miles returns at this and it begins at a job at the diner. A fellow co-worker needs a place to stay so Norman invites her to his house. After that there are weird spottings of mother and paranormal happenings. Can Norman escape the trans of the crazed mother possession driving Norman to kill Mary!


Grade: A- December 7, 2007

It's Happening.....Again!

Anthony Perkins is the quintessential Norman Bates.

The movie differs greatly from the book. So, if you've read Psysho II the novel by Robert Bloch, the movie is totally, and I mean totally, different. Personally, I think it would be great to see another movie mimic the book as Hitchcock did with the original Psycho, but with Anthony Perkins gone, why bother.

The movie is well-filmed and it is interesting to see the Psycho house and, for that matter, Norman in color. Norman has returned home and taken charge once again of the Bates Motel. It is only a matter of hours it seems before 'mother' begins to bother him again. It starts off a little slow, but quickly builds, just as the body count does.

Vera Miles reprises her role and Meg Tilly gives us an added bonus feature during the shower scene. This makes up for no bonus features on the DVD, besides the trailer that is. September 10, 2007

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