13 Nights of Shocktober: Psycho II

by A. J.

This is my favorite time of year, second only to Christmas. Autumn has arrived, the weather is cooling down, and October becomes the month-long celebration of scary movies called Shocktober. There are a lot of horror movies out there, but as a genre, horror is still looked down upon by some mainstream critics and moviegoers. It doesn’t help that, admittedly, there are so few quality horror movies made but, like comedy, it’s a very difficult and subjective genre. So, in the days leading up Halloween I’ll be posting some recommendations for scary movies to help you celebrate Shocktober.

Night 9: Welcome home, Norman: Psycho II

How could anyone dare to make a sequel to one of the greatest films ever made by one of the greatest directors that ever lived? How could a sequel ever live up to the original Psycho, especially when it’s made 22 years later? Would it be just a schlocky 80s slasher embarrassment? Well, no. It’d be impossible for any film to live up to Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 masterpiece, but when taken on its own Psycho II is a very good, solid, and satisfying movie. In the shadow of Psycho, Psycho II is a successful sequel.

Anthony Perkins reprises his role as Norman Bates. Norman has been found not guilty by reason of insanity of the murders in the first movie, and now, 22 years later, he has been declared sane and released into normal society. Vera Miles also returns as Lila Loomis, formerly Lila Crane, the sister of Marion Crane who was murdered so famously in the shower. Lila strongly objects Norman’s release, protesting in court that he is still a homicidal maniac.  However, Norman moves back home and takes a job as a cook at a local diner where he meets and awkwardly befriends Mary, played by Meg Tilly. When Norman finds out that she has nowhere to stay he offers her a room in his house; it’s as awkward as you might expect, but they become unlikely friends.

 

Anthony Perkins, who was so memorable in the first movie, is still great in the role of Norman, but this time he gets to play a different take on the character. This Norman is aware of his troubled past, that Mother was all in his head, and is doing his best to be a normal, regular citizen. However, it seems that no one else is ready to have Norman back, everyone still sees him as a psycho. Suspicious things start to happen almost as soon as he arrives back home. He receives mysterious notes and phone calls from “Mother.” Is he slipping back into insanity? Is someone playing a mean prank on him?

Norman finds out that while he was away a sleazy motel manager, played by Dennis Franz, turned the Bates Motel, which Norman still owns along with the house, into what he sheepishly refers to as “an adult motel.” He fires the manager who is murdered shortly thereafter by a mysterious figure.

Psycho II is a full blown slasher movie. There is a body count and a kills are graphic, but unlike other 80s slasher movies, there is more than just the kills to this movie. There is a real mystery and intriguing plot. A lot of care and thought went into this slasher sequel; which is a rare statement to make. Norman is the prime suspect as more bodies pile up and people go missing. Though she can’t account for where he was for every murder, Mary believes Norman is innocent. She also believes there is someone hiding in the house with her and Norman. We want to believe he's innocent too, not only because Mary trusts him, but because Anthony Perkins is such an amazing actor that we just cannot believe that shy, polite, sweet, meek Norman could ever hurt anyone (again).

Psycho II succeeds because of the smart script by Tom Holland and an extraordinary performance by Anthony Perkins. Perkins was so good in the first movie as Norman Bates that audiences couldn’t see him as anything else. Though he’s playing the same character, Perkins hits so many different notes perfectly as Norman that Psycho II feels like a showcase to remind you that he is a great actor. Psycho II plays with your assumptions about Norman and expectations, or lack thereof, for sequels to deliver a sequel that is a thrilling mystery with a twist (or two) of its own. There are many, many sequels that are uninspired rehashes of the original film, but Psycho II is one sequel that should not be underestimated.