Psycho II
Tags: insanity, revenge, cult, murder, flashback

Plot synopsis:
Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) is released from a mental institution after being pronounced of sound mind by his psychiatrist, Dr. Bill Raymond (Robert Loggia) after 22 years. At the hearing preceding Norman's release, Lila Loomis (Vera Miles) shows up to protest, producing a petition that she's been circulating with signatures of 743 people who do not want to see Norman return to society. Lila is the sister of Marion Crane, one of Norman's victims (from the first film), and the widow of Sam Loomis, who was Marion's boyfriend at the time of her death. When the judge refuses to acknowledge Lila's petition, she vows to see Norman returned to the institution to pay for his crimes.Dr. Raymond takes Norman back to his old home, the gloomy mansion on the hill behind the Bates Motel. A car is parked by the motel, which belongs to Warren Toomey (Dennis Franz)--the current owner of the motel. Dr. Raymond offers to introduce Norman to him, but Norman says it can wait until later. Walking up the steps to the house, Norman thinks he sees someone in his mother's bedroom window. Dr. Raymond says there hasn't been a tenant in the house for years. Norman admits he is just nervous about being back after such a long time away.Inside the house, all the furniture is covered up with sheets. Dr. Raymond asks Norman if he wants to stay somewhere else, but Norman insists on being back at home. Dr. Raymond reminds Norman that, with him living back at home, the memories from his past are likely to reoccur, but he is confident that Norman can handle it now. Dr. Raymond regrets that there won't be a trained social worker to check in on Norman occasionally, due to budget cutbacks, however Norman says that at least Dr. Raymond will come by from time to time to see him. Dr. Raymond informs Norman that the telephone has been reconnected, and that he is to report to work at noon for a pre-arranged job as a short-order cook and dishwasher at a diner down the road from the motel.After Dr. Raymond leaves, Norman takes his suitcase upstairs, and picks up the phone receiver and hears the dial tone. He sees a piece of paper under the phone, and picks it up. It is a note from Mother. It says, "Norman, I'll be home late. Fix your own dinner. Love, M." Suddenly, Norman is startled when he hears Mother's voice calling to him from her room. Norman then has a memory from his childhood. He sees his adolescent self reflected on the doorknob. Mother says, "Norman! What did you put in my tea? (sounds of a glass breaking) I'm gonna get you for this, Norman. I'll show you what happens to bad little boys who poison their mothers--I'm gonna kill you! Her door slowly opens, and then a hand falls to the floor, writhes for a few seconds, and then lays still. Her door slams shut and Norman lets go of his suitcase, which tumbles down the stairs, his clothes spilling out.Norman arrives at the diner, and introduces himself to a kindly old woman named Emma Spool (Claudia Bryar) who works as a hostess, waitress and cashier. She takes him back to the kitchen to meet Ralph Statler (Robert Alan Browne), the owner and short-order cook. Norman's other co-workers include a grouchy waitress named Myrna (Lee Garlington), and Mary Samuels (Meg Tilly), a young waitress who is less than stellar at her job, only having worked there for the past four days. Emma Spool gets Norman an apron and tells him to take the meal orders while dishwashing and helping Ralph around the stove. When Mary accidentally knocks a pie plate off a table, sending a piece of pie and a large knife to the floor. Ralph angrily asks her what happened. Norman covers for Mary and says that he did it. Ralph lets Norman off the hook and gets him started with some duties, including reading off orders that the waitresses bring back.Later that night, Norman leaves the diner and starts to head back home, when he hears Mary shouting on a payphone, arguing with her boyfriend. She hangs up the phone, and when Norman asks what happened, Mary claims she has been thrown out of her boyfriend's place and needs a temporary place to stay. Norman offers to let her stay at the motel for free. They start walking just as a thunderstorm is forming in the sky. They get back to the motel just as the rain starts pouring down. Norman goes into the office and reaches for the key to cabin #1, but he grabs a different key instead. He tells her to wait there while he checks the bed linen in the cabin. Then, Warren Toomey enters, startling Mary. He asks her if she wants to rent a room, but she says that Norman is taking care of it. Norman comes back, and tells Mary to go up to the house and wait for him. She leaves, and Norman puts a handful of drug paraphernalia down on the desk and questions Warren about it. Norman discovers the motel is now a sleazy hookup location run by the equally sleazy Mr. Toomey. Norman fires Toomey and tells him to be gone by the next night.Back in the house, Norman makes a sandwich for Mary. She finds a knife in a drawer and asks him to cut it for her, and he is very nervous about holding a knife again. He reluctantly cuts the sandwich, but Norman's odd behavior is creeping out Mary. She initially decides against staying with him, but Norman convinces her to stay by telling her that this is the first night back in the house after being institutionalized for so long, and is scared to be alone by himself. Norman takes her upstairs and gets some bedding for her to use. Mary goes into Norman's mother's room, but Norman suggests she sleep in his room. Norman is apprehensive about going into his mother's room, because he tells her that is where some of his "troubles" happened. Mary coaxes Norman into the room by reassuring him there are no ghosts in there. The room is mostly bare, except for some of the furniture which is all covered up with more sheets. The bed mattress is rolled up as well. Norman goes into his room and tosses the bedding on top of his bed and closes the door so she can get settled in for the night. Norman says goodnight, turns the lights off, and sleeps on the couch downstairs. Mary jams the door shut from the inside by putting a chair underneath the doorknob.The next morning, Norman is at the diner chopping lettuce when Mary comes in. She tells him she has decided to stay with a friend in town, rather than with Norman. Just then, a drunk Warren Toomey walks in, and goes to the kitchen window and talks to Ralph and mockingly inquires about Norman's job performance and then he sits down in a booth. Norman is reading off more orders that are placed on a wheel, while Ralph prepares the food. Mary starts to take Warren's order. Instead, Toomey insults her and suggests that she and Norman had slept together the previous night. Norman is slowly becoming angry at Warren's remarks, but tries to maintain his composure. Norman grabs an order off the wheel, but instead it is a note from Mother! It says "Don't let that whore in my house again!" Norman is shocked by this, and bumps into the french fry fryer, spraying hot oil on Ralph's arm.Enraged, Norman confronts Toomey, and Toomey picks a fight with Norman in front of the customers. Norman sees a knife laying nearby and Warren goads Norman into picking it up and using it. Norman doesn't pick it up, and Warren calls him a "chicken," and then leaves. Norman is so traumatized by seeing the note, that he quits his job.Later that night, Mary comes back to the house and tells Norman she has reconsidered and would like to stay with him. She was very impressed with how he handled Toomey earlier. Mary goes upstairs to take a shower. Afterward, she has a funny feeling that she is being watched. In fact, there is a small peephole cut into the wall opposite the shower, and someone's eye is seen looking through the hole at her.Norman is playing the piano in the living room and is startled to hear a loud car horn blaring below. Warren Toomey is outside and he is very drunk, and he is honking the horn to get Norman's attention. He shouts that he is packing his things and moving out. Then the phone rings. Norman answers it, and after a pause, he says angrily, "What? Who is this? My mother is dead! Mr. Toomey, if this is you, you're sicker than I ever was!" Norman hangs up and looks out the front window. The lights to the office are still on, and Norman is convinced it was Toomey who called. Just then, a figure in a black dress comes into the office and murders Toomey by stabbing him as he packs to leave the motel. The murder goes unnoticed, as "Mother" spends all night in the motel parlor cleaning up the evidence of her crime.The next day, Norman's doctor, Dr. Raymond, pays a visit asking Norman why he quit his job at the diner and Norman tells Dr. Raymond that he has decided to dedicate himself to fixing up his motel to make it a legimate business. Norman also tells Dr. Raymond that he has been receiving notes as well as annymous phone calls from someone claiming to be his late mother. Dr. Raymond agrees to look into it.Up in the house, Mary is putting on makeup when she sees a flicker of light relfected in the bathroom mirror and realizes that there is a small hole in the wall leading to Mother's bedroom. Worried, Mary runs out of the house and down the hill where she meets with Norman still talking with Dr. Raymond. She casualy introduces herself to Norman's doctor and explains that she used to work at the diner as well and is now staying on the property to help Norman fix up his motel. Dr. Raymond thanks Norman for his time and drives away.Dr. Raymond goes to the police station in nearby Fairview where he meets Sheriff John Hunt (Hugh Gillin) and tells him about Norman telling him about receiving prank phone calls from someone claiming to be his mother and wants a tap put on Norman's phone, but the sheriff refuses because there are no grounds for that nor has there been any evidence of a crime being committed as of yet. Dr. Raymond leaves and says that he will get to the bottom of what is going on at the Bates Motel.Later that day, while painting part of the motel building, Norman begins to doubt his sanity when he sees a figure standing in the window of this mother's old bedroom. He walks up to the house, where he enters his mother's old bedroom to find it looks exactly as it did 22 years ago. A sound lures him into the attic, where he is locked in by an unseen person.While he is up there, another murder happens in the basement of the house: two teenagers sneak into the basement to smoke pot and make out, but suddenly the figure in the black dress appears and knifes the boy to death. The girl escapes and later returns with the sheriff. In the meantime, Mary finds Norman sleeping in the attic, but the door is unlocked.The sheriff and his deputy arrive at the Bates house where they ring the doorbell and they question Norman and Mary (both of them clearly acting very tense) about the alleged murder. The sheriff investigates the fruit cellar where the killing took place hours earlier, but finds it suspiciously neat and orderly. Norman is confused and wants to admit that something strange is going on, but Mary interjects and claims that she has cleaned up the basement herself. Mary also give Norman an alibi by saying that she was with him all afternoon and they both were not in the house when the alleged murder took place. After the sheriff and deputy leave, Norman is aghast. "Why did you lie to the sheriff like that?" he asks. Mary says, "I had to say something, they were going to arrest you!"All the evidence suggests that Norman is back to his old ways, but Mary is insistent. "It couldn't have been you, you're not like that anymore." Later that evening, Mary is startled when she discovers someone looking at her through the peephole in the bathroom wall. She calls out to Norman, but Norman is downstairs and out of reach... so it can't be him. Mary draws a gun and starts checking the house, but the gun saddens Norman. "That's because of me, isn't it?" he says. They are horrified to find a bloody rag that someone has stuffed down the bathroom toilet. Norman is despondent, convinced that his blackouts are re-ocurring and that he is responsible for the bloody rag, and whatever crime it is connected with.Mary says she's going down to check the motel, and one of the film's many plot twists occurs. In the parlor of the motel is Lila Loomis--Mary's mother. She's the one who has been calling Norman saying she's his mother, even going so far as to dress up as her and allowing him to see her in the window, before disappearing and adding to his frail mental state. Mary has been helping her, and was responsible for restoring Mother's room at the house and locking Norman in the attic as well as leaving all of the notes from Mother for Norman to find at the house and at the diner, but Mary's growing feelings for Norman have been causing her to reconsider her actions. It also explains how she knows Norman could not have been responsible for the murder of any young boy in the basement of the house because he was locked in the attic during that time. However, Lila sees the murder as a happy coincidence, not caring if Norman would be re-committed over a murder that wasn't his crime.The next day, Dr. Raymond discovers Mary's true identity and informs Norman exactly who has been living with him. He also orders Norma Bates' body to be exhumed, just to prove to Norman that she can't be the one haunting him.Back at the house, when Norman confront's Mary, she admits to Norman that she has been part of Lila's ruse, but that Lila won't stop. "Why did you stop?" Norman asks. Just then the phone rings, and Norman angrily answers it right away, saying "Hello, Mrs. Loomis?" Suddenly Norman's tone changes and he says "I'm sorry... Mother." Mary gets angry and picks up an extension to confront Lila, but there's nobody on the line with Norman as whoever was on the other line hangs up when Mary speaks into the phone.Mary goes to Lila's hotel and they have a big fight that's overheard by a hotel bartender. Mary tells Lila that she wants her to stop bothering Norman, and Lila accuses her of being in love with a psychopath. Lila, convinced that she's winning the "good" fight, hurries over to the house for one final push over the edge for Norman. She is being followed by Dr. Raymond.Lila sneaks into the cellar and removes her "Mother" costume from under a loose stone in the floor. However, she is confronted by another "Mother" figure in a black dress and is killed with a butcher knife through the mouth. Dr. Raymond enters the house looking around, and sees the cellar door wide open. He enters the cellar, but no one is in sight (implying that "Mother" may have hid the body and slipped away through the cellar exit which is never locked). Norman enters the cellar and asks Dr. Raymond what is he doing there. The doctor tells Norman that he has been following Lila Loomis, but Norman seems oddly disinterested, making Dr. Raymond leave.Meanwhile, Mary discovers that Mr. Toomey's car has been retrieved from the swamp, with Toomey's body in the trunk. Sheriff Hunt questions Mary about being the daughter of Lila Loomis and that Dr. Raymond had visited him to inform him about his suspicions about her. When Mary overhears the sheriff talking to his deputies about bringing Norman in for questioning she slips away.Mary returns to the house and tries to get Norman to escape with her. "They'll lock you up again!" she pleads. Norman refuses to run, and instead tries to get Mary to admit to what she's been doing to him. The phone rings at the house and Norman answers and starts to speak to his "Mother". But it is Dr. Raymond on the other line calling from the motel parlor who tells Norman that he contacted the local phone company and they had traced the phone calls to the house from the parlor phone at the motel. Once again, Mary listens in and discovers that nobody is on the line with Norman (Dr. Raymond hangs up). But then, Norman begins talking about Mary to the voice on the phone and says "Oh no, Mother. You can't make me... KILL her..."Terrified, Mary goes down to the cellar and dresses up as Mother, complete with a large butcher knife, and goes to confront Norman in the outfit. It is at this point that things rapidly spiral out of control. Norman refuses to acknowledge Mary standing in front of him in the costume, so Mary instead goes upstairs to the extension phone and tries to talk Norman into hanging up. But she hears on the other end that Norman is only talking to a dial tone... for there is no one on the other line. Mary realizes that Norman has turned completely insane again due to her and Lila's manipulation of events.Losing sight of Norman, Mary is startled when someone grabs her from behind, and she plunges the butcher knife into Dr. Raymond, who has sneaked back into the house to expose Norman's tormentors. Stabbed, Raymond's body falls over the balcony and lands in the foyer. Mary runs downstairs and is confronted by a now deranged Norman, who swears to cover up for "Mother." "Norman, I am not your mother, I am Mary!" she frantically tells him. Norman tries to reach for the knife, but Mary stabs him in the chest. Norman backs Mary down the steps into the basement, and Mary keeps stabbing Norman, once in the palm of each hand. Norman grabs the knife blade firmly with both hands, with Mary still holding onto the other end, which severely cuts Norman's palms even further and a lot of blood pours out. Norman is weak from blood loss and stumbles on a pile of coal, knocking it loose and revealing Lila's body. Mary, distraught at seeing her mother's dead body, attacks him and is killed when the police enter and shoot her dead.At the police station that evening, the sheriff puts together a fairly inaccurate account of the what we know has happened, identifying Mary as the murderer of the teenage boy as well as Toomey, and that she may have killed Lila as well. Having received medical treatment for his wounds, Norman is sitting a short distance away in a daze and goes along with the story... and the movie goes on to its final twist.Norman returns to the Bates house where he shovels coal into the house furnace as well as wanders aimlessly around the house, now alone. A little later, Norman makes a sandwich for himself when a woman walks up the steps. Norman has boiled water and set a place for a meal when there is a knock at the back door; he answers the door to find Emma Spool, from the diner. Ms. Spool sits at the table and Norman gives her a cup of poison tea. Out of the blue, Norman asks her, "Are you really my mother?" She tells him that she is his real mother and that Norma Bates was her sister and his aunt. "I was too young to have a baby, besides I had problems of my own," she tells him, alluding to the fact that she as well was institutionalized. "You had already been put away by the time I got out. So I decided to wait for you." She reveals that she's the one who has been killing anybody who would make trouble for her son. As she sips the poison tea, she begins to gag.Norman suddenly kills her with a blow to the head with the coal shovel. Emma's chair collapses underneath her and she tumbles onto the floor. As she lies dying, Norman closes the curtains to the kitchen and then picks up her body and carries her upstairs to his mother's room. The audience hears the familiar voice of Mother, warning Norman not to go messing with "filthy girls" again. The final shots show Norman (murderously psychotic once again) reopening the Bates Motel and standing in front of the house... waiting.

Review: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, Robert Loggia and Meg Tilly are all great and turn in very good performances.
What a pleasure it is to see good old Norman in this rather decent sequel to the acclaimed the movie 'Psycho' - Anthony Perkins' role in this film is one fantastic, also an interesting and unpredictable plot buffers up the quality of this film, a great film, and a hidden gem....RECOMMENDED.
Psycho II is a fine follow up to Hitchcock's original, Anthony Perkins returns as Norman Bates After twenty-two years of psychiatric care he returns to the Bates motel the scene of his previous crimes.
PSYCHO II has everything to succeed: good acting (Anthony Perkins is great!, Meg Tilly delivers and does it right), mystery, gore, a terrific script by Tom Holland (the master behind Fright Night and Child's Play), and a shocking ending.
This film delivers expectations and I'm proud to say that it's one of the best horror movies from the 80's, the decade when horror was at it's peek.Now in color Norman Bates manages to convince everyone that he is normal and ready for a normal life which is highly doubted by police and townspeople that still remember the events in 1960 when Bates started a murder spree.
It was an interesting plot and made the story work, I'm not going to say that it was un-necessary, yeah, Psycho did not need a sequel, but it wasn't a bad movie to watch.
But Anthony Perkins performs well and makes Psycho 2 worth the watch.Norman Bates is back in business, he is released from the mental institution, but when Lila Loomis finds out about this, she freaks out and sends her daughter, Mary into undercover duty to try to get Norman back where he belongs.
Even though he's back, he is still haunted by his mom's voice and has a second job as a cook at a diner, he's gotten strange phone calls and notes by something trying to play "Mother" so he or she can drive Norman back to his original state of insanity.Very good sequel to Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece of horror has good acting and has Perkins reprising his role as everyone's favorite loony with Meg Tilly, Vera Mills ( from the original) Robert Loggia and Dennis Franz co-star.
Jerry Goldsmith's score is half as good as the original's music score and there's plenty of good scares to make one hell of a sequel to an all-time masterpiece, there's a nice twist in the end to the film.For anyone who loved the original classic, i suggest you try this one you might like it..
PSYCHO II (1983)directed by: Richard Franklinstarring: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, Meg Tilly, and Robert Loggiaplot: Twenty-two years after the ordeal in the first film, Norman (Anthony Perkins) is finally released from the mental hospital while Lila (Vera Miles) protests over this.
This coincides with someone leaving notes and making calls claiming to be Norman's mother and a series of murders at the motel again.my thoughts: This sequel is, in my opinion, almost just as great as the original.Everything that makes a great sequel is here: having the surviving characters return and go through new changes; having new, interesting characters brought in; returning the story from the original and exploring new revelations or answering unanswered questions; and not totally copying the original.Norman is put through so much more in this film as he tries to redeem himself, but when someone else is stalking around, busting chops and Lila is trying to drive him over the edge, he begins to question his sanity again and even thinks he may still be doing the killings.
Meg Tilly as the sympathetic young woman with her own secrets, Robert Loggia as the caring doctor, and Dennis Franz as the sleaze ball also do a lot for this film.Richard Franklin also does a good job directing.
Anthony Perkins reportedly felt threatened as an actor playing opposite Meg Tilly (portraying a slightly-dazed cupcake who befriends Norman Bates, just out of the asylum); if true, he had good reason, for Tilly is very appealing in her role and this sequel to Alfred Hitchcock's classic screamer gains a spirit of its own--away from its predecessor--every time she's on-screen.
With the gory slasher craze in full swing, it's not all that surprising that the early 1980s saw the return of Norman Bates, the granddaddy of all knife wielding psychos; what is surprising is how good this belated sequel turns out to be.Rather than simply mimicking the dumb 'teenagers in peril' format so popular at the time, Psycho II actually proves to be an intelligent sequel worthy of the original, benefiting from a smart script by Tom 'Fright Night' Holland that introduces clever twists and turns aplenty, excellent direction from Richard Franklin, who respectfully pays homage to Hitchcock's genius while adding in some nifty tricks of his own, and terrific performances, with cutie Meg Tilly impressing as 'girl in peril' Mary, and Perkins putting in a wonderfully twitchy central turn as neurotic nut-job Norm.It was always going to be a very tall order for the film to measure up to the original classic, but this is an extremely good effort, providing atmosphere, thrills, a couple of inventive kills, some dark humour, and one hell of a memorable ending.
Richard Franklin directs this belated sequel to the late Alfred Hitchcock classic that sees Anthony Perkins return as Norman Bates, released from a mental asylum after 22 years, seemingly rehabilitated and repentant, but that doesn't satisfy Lila Crane(returning Vera Miles) who is outraged at this, and still(understandably) hates Norman, who returns to his home, and reopens the motel, with the help of old family friend Mrs. Spool.
He gets a job as a dishwasher in a local diner, where he meets a beautiful young woman(played by Meg Tilly) who befriends him, but strange events start to happen, and new murders occur, making it obvious that Norman has reverted to his old ways, or has he?
22 years after the murderous and maniacal events at Bates Motel, Norman Bates, freshly released from a mental institution, is back home; and the spectre of "Mother" is waiting to greet him.We could say it was a cynical attempt at latching onto the coat tails of the 1980s slasher boom, but in spite of having the unenviable task of being a sequel to a masterpiece, Psycho II is a rather nifty sequel.Director Richard Franklin is helped by having Anthony Perkins and Vera Miles heading up the cast list, this gives the film instant credibility, and while the mighty spectre of Hitchcock looms large, Franklin doesn't copy the maestro and brings his own visual smarts to the piece.Tom Holland's screenplay doesn't mimic either, expanding the Bates story with a series of quality twists whilst keeping the mystery element strong and the gripping factor on the high heat.
The surprise is that it turns out to be a decent little film in itself, purely because it isn't a slavish copy but instead a stand-alone psychological thriller that takes its plot in a different direction to most.Instead of emulating the then-popular slasher craze of the 1980s, PSYCHO II plays out as a whodunit for the most part.
Slowly Norman is going crazy again but it seems that, there is mysterious strangers are playing with his life.Directed by the late Richard Franklin (F/X 2:The Art of Illusions, Clock and Dagger, Link) made an surprisingly good sequel with some terrific suspenseful sequences and dark humour.
The original "Psycho", directed by Alfred Hitchcock, is one of the seminal horror films of all-time.
Jerry Goldsmith excellent score captures the Psycho-esque feel of Bernard Herrmann's original.Writer Tom Holland's offering plays out as an interesting mystery (with moments of 80's slasher) and while the passage of time that Norman has been away isn't fully taken advantage of there's enough to peak attention especially as Norman is haunted by the events as depicted in Psycho (1960) and the murders resume.Put Alfred Hitchcock's classic at the back of your mind as there will never be another movie like it, but in colour and by default brought up to date, Psycho II is probably one of the truest horror sequels.
While it does not match up to the sheer brilliance of Alfred Hitchcock's original , this is a very good movie and a more than acceptable sequel.Set 20 years after the infamous Bates Motel murders, Norman Bates has been released from the institution and must attempt to get his life back together again.I strongly urge you to watch this sequel and I can assure that you will not be disappointed..
I love this film.Plot: Taking place over 20 years after the events of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho it follows Norman Bates who has served his sentence.
The story evolves well, and the antagonist Norman Bates (Perkins) who we saw in a mental cell with his face blurred as a skeleton skull in the final scene of the original, is here presented as someone who's trying to earn himself a place back in society, and as someone the viewer really feels sympathy for.
The first time I've seen "Psycho II" ,I did not like it at all.The timing was not good,as five Hitchcock which had not been available for years ("Vertigo" " The Man Who Knew To Much" "Rope" "Trouble with Harry" and "Rear Window") were again in the movie theaters in the early eighties .And this sequel paled into insignificance next to those masterpieces.I saw it again yesterday and that time,I found it quite entertaining.In fact,taken in isolation from "Psycho I" -in spite of the prologue which is by far the best moment in the movie and for good reasons- ,succeeds measurably well.The screenplays borrows a lot from Robert Bloch's story but at least it's not a rehash like Gus Van Sant's photocopy.Perkins and Vera Miles are the only stars of the 1960 work.Oddly Lila married Sam Loomis who was actually her sister Marion's fiancé,but after all why not?Anyway he's dead.The story is far-fetched and its ending is a barrel of laughs but it's well acted and it's not that much bad compared to the adolescent movies of that time..
Anthony Perkins returns as Norman Bates and has just been released from prison.But now the killings have started again, and if Norman is not doing them who is??A great movie and is almost better than the original but just isn`t as good.The basement scene is almost as good as the shower scene from the original, but just doesn`t have the tension.A well deserved 7 out of 10.
Vera Miles, also reprising her role from the original, turns in a first-rate performance -- like Perkins, she delivers the extension of the character that you'd expect to see 22 years later.
Favorite Norman Bates quote - "You're sicker than I ever was!" You know, you'd honestly think that after waiting 22 long years to make a sequel to the original Psycho (1960), this film's producers (who had a sizable budget) would've seriously made an effort to put together a horror picture that was at least on par and somewhat respectful of its predecessor.
No. Not even that unlovable, little loony, Norman Bates.What also lost Psycho 2 some serious points was the completely unwelcome, in-your-face product placement of both Lipton Tea and Pepsi Cola.All-in-all - This was certainly one movie sequel that was not worth waiting 22 years for.
I got chance to watch this movie yesterday.Though i am very choosy in watching thriller movie and since this movie was made in 1983 i had a very little hope on this movie but to may surprise this movie was actually very good then what i expected.This movie's story took place 22 years after the first part psycho.the story is very spellbinding and there are many unexpected twists in this movie.The ending will make the viewer shocked.The acting by all artist are good and by anthony perkin very best.I recommend this movie to viewers who like watching thriller movies.This is a great homage to the legendary movie psycho.For me this is a sequel which one expect and should be.This movie is far far better then the remake of psycho by gus van sant..
But this film is legitimately good and respectful to the original Psycho, and it makes a wonderful double feature when both are watched back-to-back.The acting from the whole cast is marvelous, while the directing and lighting is very interesting.
Anthony Perkins and Meg Tilly deliver excellent performances that really sell the movie and the plot.I highly recommend this film, watch it by itself or right after the original for that wonderful double feature effect..
After 22 years at an asylum, Norman Bates (Anthony Hopkins) is declared sane and released, which is radically opposed by Lila Loomis, AKA Lila Crane from the original movie (Vera Miles).
Unfortunately, some unforgiving locals won't let him live in peace.The first half of "Psycho II" (1983) is a compelling continuation of the classic 1960 film whereupon there's an unexpected plot development around the mid-point (which is great, by the way).From there, the events tend to bog down inside the creepy house with somewhat contrived twists & turns as the creators try to keep you confused as to who's killing who.
Not just cashing in, they were labours of love, and homages to the original.Anthony Perkins played Norman Bates again and directed "Psycho III".
Some think it's the best, but I feel "Psycho II" directed by Aussie Richard Franklin probably faced the biggest challenge in being the first to dust off the Bates Motel register.Apparently the cast and crew enjoyed the experience of working with Tony Perkins except Meg Tilly; it seems they didn't get on although it may have been more him than her.
I think audience anticipation added to that effect; we wait for the equivalents of the surprises in the original: the peephole; Marion in the shower; Martin Balsam on the stairs; Mother in the rocker.There are a number of inventive deaths in all the sequels and Norman is just about the only character left standing in "Psycho II".
I honestly wasn't expecting to like this movie, I thought it was gonna be an OK sequel to a great classic, but it turned out to be as good, if not better, than the original film.I will say that a sequel to Psycho its not something I would say its necessary, but god damn this was a great movie.
Instead, Psycho II shows us the story of a more sympathetic Norman Bates, struggling to return to his old home without being bothered by the people who cant forgive him, we know he's guilty of all those murders but we also know that his mental health isn't exactly the best, abused all throughout his life Norman is not like any other normal person, not even if he tries to be.
That said, and when looked at as a stand-alone effort, what director Richard Franklin ('Patrick' / 'Cloak & Dagger'), writer Tom Holland ('Child's Play' as director/ 'Fright Night'), and cinematographer Dean Cundey ('Halloween' / 'Jurassic Park') – and let's not forget Jerry Goldsmith – accomplished is an meticulous thriller/slasher cross-over with a dark sense of humor and one of the creepiest movie performances of all time in spotlight.The tag-line alone is enough to make you shudder ('It's 22 Years Later, and Norman Bates is Coming Home') and the film starts with Norman (who else but Anthony Perkins) being released from prison, judged to have been restored to sanity and ready to integrate back into society.
After 22 years Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) is released from a mental institution and attempts to return to a life of solitude in his old Victorian mansion, but the specters of his crimes and his mother continue to haunt him, just as Marion Crane's sister Lila Loomis (Vera Miles) protests his release and sees to it that he would not harm again.It is an OK sequel to the original Psycho, one that plays your mind with its twisted plot and surprising story elements, with a story that moves quickly with horror scenes in abundance.
Though, practically nothing will live up to the genius of Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece, Psycho, it's sequel is actually very satisfying and a bloody good time, even if it isn't "scary".
Besides Norman Bates, the other returning character from the original is Marion Crane's sister, Lila Loomis, played with great intensity by Vera Miles .
Picking up 22 or 23 years after the the first movie left off, Anthony Perkins once again plays Norman Bates, who returns to his old motel as a changed man.
It was never going to be as good as the original film, but this is none-the-less a well-plotted and tightly structured sequel with solid direction by Richard Franklyn, not to mention a haunting score by Jerry Goldsmith.Nobody but the late, great Tony Perkins could have played Norman - here in all his twitchy, wry-humoured glory.
Anthony Perkins, Meg Tilly, and the  returned from the original Vera Miles were all great, and I think I heard one of them won an Oscar or was nominated or something.
"Psycho II" doesn't rehash the plot of "Psycho", but rather expands on it, creating a new plot with a new twist while using the same styles and techniques that Hitchcock used so many years before.Twenty-two years after the original murders, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) is judged sane and is released from the mental institution even though Lila Loomis (Vera Miles), sister of Marion Crane who was murdered in the shower, strongly protests it.
The story takes place 22 years after the original, with Norman Bates returning home.
The end was probably one of the best parts of the film, that's the scene where the big mystery unravels.What I also liked about this sequel was that both Anthony Perkins and Vera Miles reprised their original roles.