Psycho II Year: 1983 Director: Richard Franklin Written by: Tom Holland Threat: Psychopath Weapon of Choice: Knife IMDb page:

Other movies in this series:
none

Rish's Reviews
Of course you're skeptical when somebody makes a sequel to a classic film. Especially when the most famous name associated with the original is the director's, and he's not doing the sequel. I gave this a rent with that skepticism in mind, and found that this was a really cool movie. I was happy I saw it.
It has been two decades since the incidents of the first film, and Norman Bates is finally being released from the mental institution. The doctors think he has been cured, but has he? If everything's fine with him, then why does he see a female shadow in the upstairs window where his mother used to sit? Why does he hear her voice? And what happens when an attractive young woman seeks refuge in the Bates Motel?
It's been eight years since I saw the original Psycho, and fifteen since I saw Psycho III. Wow, I had forgotten what a sad and well-meaning character Norman is. Perkins makes him just as likable as in 1960, but even more tortured and sympathetic this time around. Like in the original, we tend to side with him, even root for him, despite knowing about the murders he committed. The rest of the cast is also very good. Vera Miles also returns as Lila Loomis, the sister of Janet Leigh's character, who hounds Norman and is angrily opposed to his release from captivity. Meg Tilly plays her daughter, and comes across as surprisingly sweet. Dennis Franz is the typical sleazy, despicable character he always played before "NYPD Blue" came along. Robert Loggia is usually good in everything (well, except for Innocent Blood). Did anyone see that disturbingly hilarious commercial he did for orange juice a few years back? You wouldn't believe me if I told you.
The film featured some cool matte paintings. Man, I miss those.
There are some great moments of violence here. Oddly, this had a sad score, rather than a scary one. Written by Tom Holland, who adapted a couple of Stephen King stories, as well as directing Child's Play and Fright Night, this had an excellent script. One unique quality about it was that it took quite the opposite of the usual No One Believes Only Witness tack--the kindly town sheriff believes Norman over those who accuse him.
A very well done film. It does the original proud, in my opinion.
I'd Recommend It To: Fans of the first film and Eighties psychological horror (no pun intended).
Posted: October 17. 2005

Total Skulls: 16

Sequel
Sequel setup
Rips off earlier film
Horror film showing on TV/in theater in movie
Future celebrity appears		Dennis Franz, Meg Tilly
Former celebrity appears
Bad title
Bad premise
Bad acting
Bad dialogue
Bad execution
MTV Editing
OTS
Girl unnecessarily gets naked
Wanton sex
Death associated with sex
Unfulfilled promise of nudity
Characters forget about threat
Secluded location
Power is cut
Phone lines are cut
Someone investigates a strange noise
Someone runs up stairs instead of going out front door
Camera is the killer
Victims cower in front of a window/door
Victim locks self in with killer
Victim running from killer inexplicably falls
Toilet stall scene
Shower/bath scene
Car stalls or won't start
Cat jumps out
Fake scare
Laughable scare
Stupid discovery of corpse
Dream sequence
Hallucination/Vision
No one believes only witness
Crazy, drunk, old man knows the truth
Warning goes unheeded
Music detracts from scene
Death in first five minutes
x years before/later
Flashback sequence
Dark and stormy night
Killer doesn't stay dead
Killer wears a mask
Killer is in closet
Killer is in car with victim
Villain is more sympathetic than heroes
Unscary villain/monster
Beheading
Blood fountain
Blood spatters - camera, wall, etc.
Poor death effect
Excessive gore
No one dies at all
Virgin survives
Geek/Nerd survives
Little kid lamely survives
Dog/Pet miraculously survives
Unresolved subplots
"It was all a dream" ending
Unbelievably happy ending
Unbelievably crappy ending
What the hell?