Movie Review - Psycho II

Psycho II (1983)

Starring Anthony Perkins, Meg Tilly, Vera Miles, Robert Loggia, and Dennis Franz

Directed by Richard Franklin

***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

I don't know if it's sacrilegious to say this seeing as how Psycho is my favorite movie of all time, but I kinda liked Psycho II.  Twenty-two years after his hospitalization, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) is released from the mental hospital against the opposition of Lila Crane (Vera Miles), the sister of Marion, one of Bates's kills from the first film.  While Norman's psychologist (Robert Loggia) seems to think he's come to terms with the fact that his mother has died, once Norman returns home to the Bates Motel and gets himself a job at a local diner, he begins to think that his mother is speaking to him again.  Although his young co-worker Mary (Meg Tilly) tries to help him keep his sanity, Norman just may be falling back into his old homicidal tendencies.

There's no mistaking Psycho II for a masterpiece, but it's a nice follow-up to the story presented in Alfred Hitchcock's classic.  Mr. Perkins continues to play Norman rather deftly, teetering on the edge of insanity throughout much of the flick, complete with the recognizable tics that made his performance in the first film so effective.  Vera Miles is back as Lila Crane and her character, although perhaps a bit too over-the-top, seems to be on a legitimate believable trajectory from the first film.

Ultimately, what makes this sequel fare a little better with a lover of Hitchcock's original is that director Richard Franklin plays loving homage to its predecessor.  There are scenes and dialog that are replicated with just slight tweaks to make you a bit nostalgic for the original.  Admittedly, the film skews a bit campy and silly, but it's light years better than I expected it to be.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-