Thirteen or so years before that, the people involved with Psycho II faced the same dilemma: how do you make a sequel to a film that many consider to be the greatest horror film of all time, a cinematic classic? The answer, of course, is the same--do something different. Psycho II is a great, accessible piece of psychological horror, intelligently scripted, well-directed, and brilliantly acted. Anthony Perkins, returning to the role that both defined and sorely limited much of his career, gives a performance of imbalance and fragility; we feel for him and hope that he isn't the one making people drop like flies this time around. And while Vera Miles may overact a bit, she's balanced by the good turn by Meg Tilly as Norman's new friend and confidant.

Psycho II manages a rare feat--it keeps us off-balance and unsure throughout its run; we don't know what's real and what is not. Since we don't always experience events directly from Norman's point of view, we're forced to accept what he thinks is true . . . but we always know that Norman's mind may be making everything up. The film has put us, essentially and subtly, into the hands of, well, a madman. Truly, even the camera and microphone are used as tools of deception in this film; nothing Norman experiences is necessarily what it seems.

Psycho II uses characters new and old to shed light on Norman's inner workings as well as on the events of the first movie--a welcome expansion on an already rich text. In fact, it's only at the end of Psycho II that the film forgets its class and place. Its predecessor upped the ante in terms of film violence, but by 1983, blood and guts were already all over cinema, and a couple of scenes at the end of this film come off as silly instead of being (as they were likely intended to be) shocking. However, though I may not have liked the couple of scenes of gratuitous violence near the end of the film, the ending itself is a masterstroke--a bit of pitch black humor of which I think Hitch himself might have approved.

RATING

COLD ANALYSIS

3.5 -ATMOSPHERE

1.75 -GORE

3.5 -HUMOR

3.75 -SCARES

3.75 -TENSION

I finally watched it on laserdisc, and I just went slack-jawed with shock; Psycho II is a really great sequel! I was pleasantly surprised that this sequel was very well written and very well done. The way the movie continues the events of the orginal is both acceptable and interesting. The story, which I won't spoil, continously generates a feeling of paranoia, suspense, and dread. Franklin does a commendable job of giving the film a very eerie, creepy, and somber atmosphere. But there is some great dark humor present as well, and whatever violence is in the film isn't over the top and is very much appropriate.

It also helped that the performances were believable and three-dimensional. From the very likeable and compassionate Mary (Meg Tilly), the hateable Mr. Toomy (Dennis Franz), to the feisty and vengeful Lila Crane-Loomis (Vera Miles), every one in the cast is solid. There are no flat characters in the movie. And I can't possibly write this review without mentioning one of the most beloved gems in horror movies, the late, great Anthony Perkins. He carries on his role as Norman Bates with style and sympathy. I'm also glad that his relationship with Mary wasn't clichéd with romance or melodrama. Their friendship is one of the film's highlights. In addition, of course, who could forget the very shocking plot twists. Nothing in this film is what it seems from the start. Overall, this ends up one of the best horror sequels ever done. Give it a try, and be pleasantly suprised by it as well.