Okay, it wasn't AMAZING, but I had a lot of fun watching it and I'm a huge Psycho fan so I wasn't overly critical while watching this, also I had a lot of cold medicine in my system soooooo....
Let's jump right in!
PSYCHO II (1983)
Oh Norman, you're mad, don't you know that? You're mad as a hatter.
We open upon flashbacks to the original watching Marion in the shower and Norman watching. And cut to 22 long years later, Norman is being released from the mental institution after being deemed "restored to sanity". Lila Loomis, the sister of Marion Crane, is there to protest stating that Norman should stay behind bars. But Norman is released and is returned to his motel and his house, being monitored by Dr. Bill Raymond.
While Norman was gone, the state took care of his motel and put Warren Toomey in charge - a druggie, slimey manager who's letting the motel run into disrepair. Norman is given a job as a dishwasher at a nearby diner run by an older woman named Emma Spool and meets a waitress named Mary. The two hit it off and after Mary runs into some trouble, Norman invites her to stay at his house.
While Norman seems to be doing well, things start happening and Mother starts leaving notes and calling the house. When people around Norman start turning up dead, he fears that's going insane again.
Overall:
This a fun sequel. It is really nothing like the original but it's still fun to revisit old characters and old sets and watch all the different characters connect. There's lots of little twists and turns and reveals that I certainly didn't see coming. Anthony Perkins slips back into Bates like a comfortable old suit and that helps a lot with this film. He remains charming and handsome and you still root for him even though you know about his past. His slow break back into insanity is fascinating to watch and he pulls it off perfectly.
Mary's character is really interesting - watching her go from trying to take down Norman to trying to help him as she realizes how awful her actions are. Their relationship is so sweet and tender but also so unnerving at first because you have no idea what Norman is capable of. There's also a really great scene when Mary first arrives at the motel and Norman goes to grab the room #1 key but forces himself to take another room so as not to allow any temptation. It's so subtle but powerful.
Lila and Mary's relationship is slightly confusing once the reveal happens because in reality what child would really go along with this nutso scheme? And it does get a little murky keeping track of who's murdering who and why. Which helps with the storyline but perhaps could be slightly clearer.
The back and forth from Norman about his real mother is slightly confusing as well, and even with the final reveal, while satisfying, you still feel a little lost.
Universal decided to make this sequel due to Robert Bloch releasing his own sequel, Psycho 2. They chose director Richard Franklin who was a student of Hitchcock's and Tom Holland wrote the screenplay. The assistant director of the original Psycho, Hilton A. Green, was also contacted but he was nervous. It wasn't until he spoke to Patricia Hitchcock, the daughter of the famed director, who gave her blessing after reading the script, that Green signed on. Anthony Perkins was of course contacted but was hesitant at first so they had Christopher Walken as a backup. But after Perkins read the script he signed on because he felt like it was really Norman's story.
Psycho II is like a love letter to the first film and I am here for it!
Highlights
- The murders in this film were quite brutal and run that thin line between comical and shocking;
- Norman Bates always and forever;
- Mary's character was a fun journey to watch;
- Revisiting the motel, the swamp, the house, the basement etc;
- The twist ending.
I'm going to give Psycho II a solid 8/10...maybe even a 9/10???.....
8.5/10
Stay spooky!
For a more detailed look at Psycho II, check out my article over at Addicted to Horror Movies
No comments:
Post a Comment