Keeley Coleman
The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;
Calum Hutton
It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
Sabah Hensley
This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama
lojitsu
A-Z Horror Movie of the Day..."Psycho 2" (R - 1983 - US)Sub-Genre: Slasher/Thriller
My Score: 6.2Cast=6 Acting=7 Plot=7 Ending=6 Story=5
Scare=6 Jump=6 F/X=7 Intense=5 Twist=7After twenty-two years of psychiatric care, Norman Bates attempts to return to a life of solitude, but the specters of his crimes - and his mother - continue to haunt him. "Norman was not convicted of murder. He was found not guilty by reasons of insanity, and since he is no longer insane, he has the right to live a normal life like you and I." Twenty-Three years later they do a sequel? Well it wasn't bad...I liked parts of it. I think what I missed most was Hitchcock's cinematography...that flair of terror was just not there. Second verse, same as the first...a little bit louder and a little bit worse.
Paul Magne Haakonsen
To me then it is sort of odd to make a sequel 23 years after the release of the first movie."Psycho II" was adequate in terms of entertainment, and had an okay story. But it just never reached the same level of its predecessor.It was certainly nice to see Anthony Perkins back in the role of Norman Bates, and also nice to see Meg Tilly perform in this movie.This turned out to be an adequate movie, although you shouldn't get your hopes up for something outstanding. Nor does it really live up to its predecessor in terms of originality or entertainment."Psycho II" hardly has enough contents to support multiple viewings.
slimer8489
Okay, so I'm a big Alfred Hitchcock fan. He's my filmmaking idol and I owe so much to him. One of my favorites of his is Psycho, which I really loved. Naturally, I would check out the sequels.Usually, a sequel to a really great movie (especially if the original director is not involved) is doomed to fail. But not always. Definitely not in this movie. I actually enjoyed Psycho II. I liked how it continued the story and turned Norman Bates into a sympathetic character this time around. He's trying to start fresh and live a normal life, but his demons still haunt him and some of the townspeople remind him of his horrid past. This story is quite fresh and original. I like how Norman is trying to change. I'm so glad Universal chose to not follow the Psycho II book, which was about Norman going to Hollywood. That would have been stupid.Not only is the story good, but once again, Anthony Perkins nails the part of Norman Bates. He still acts so awkwardly. The music, done by Jerry Goldsmith, is also good. But nothing can top Bernard Herrmann's famous score of the original. Like the first film, it had a great twist ending that you didn't see coming, but one thing I hated about the ending is the shark-jumping moment where we find out that (spoiler alert) Norma Bates didn't give birth to Norman. It was her sister. Yeah. I'm just as appalled as you are.Overall, this is a pretty good sequel that doesn't deserve the hate that it gets. Of course, it's not trying to top the Alfred Hitchcock classic. It's trying to do its own thing. Also, it's not a cheap retread of the previous film. That was saved for the next movie.
Predrag
The original "Psycho," a classic in the great tradition of Hitchcock's many films, brought so much to the world of movies that it was hard to imagine that any sequel to a movie as stupendous as this would be any good. It's hard to believe that this movie is as good as it is, though it's not so hard to explain why. The movie gets it right by choosing to place most of the movie in the Bates home, which was rarely seen in the first film. Recalling the way in which that house looked so foreboding from the outside, it's absolutely intriguing to actually see the guts of it, to get to see the inside of the house. Seeing everything inside makes the voices and images that haunt Norman believable and convincing. Perkins must also be commended for the film's surprising success. He is able to keep the timidity and degree of gentility that his character possessed in the first outing, and that's what makes us able to care more for him in this film. The beauty of this film is the mystery, that you never truly know what plot twist the film is going to take, in the spirit of Hitchcock. Exhuming graves, dredging the swamp, deception, and murder are some thrilling elements of this film. The atmosphere is wonderful, with some incredible cinematography and a soundtrack that compliments it's dark beauty perfectly. Will Norman Bates be driven back into the insane asylum? All in all, this movie isn't as good as the original, but it's a worthy sequel worth watching.Overall rating: 8 out of 10.
