Despite my reservations about watching Psycho 2, a sequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s technical and visual masterpiece, I actually ended up enjoying the film. While it doesn’t quite live up to the original’s lofty standards, it does an excellent job of continuing the story of Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins).
Psycho 2 begins with a flashback of a famous shower scene from the first film, perhaps a tribute to Hitchcock before the film’s title is displayed. Norman Bates is released from a mental institution for good behavior after 22 years, much to the chagrin of Lila Loomis (Vera Miles), whose sister Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) was his first victim in the original version. When Norman decides to return to his gothic mansion, there is a brilliant shot of him mounting the stairs to the house, visually demonstrating the return of old memories. Norman starts working in the local diner, where he meets a young girl named Mary (Meg Tilly) and befriends her. After she says that her boyfriend has dumped her, she accepts Norman’s invitation to stay temporarily at his house. As Norman tries to acclimate to everyday life and assimilate into society, people start getting murdered around him, and he begins receiving mysterious phone calls and letters from his “Mother,” making his psychological state volatile again.
Australian filmmaker Richard Franklin (who also made Roadgames, starring Stacey Keach) does an excellent job directing this film, which has some tense and unsettling scenes. For instance, there is an extended scene when Mary decides to spend the night at Norman’s house, where the director manages to maintain an air of unpredictability regarding Norman’s state of mind and what he will do. Tom Holland’s screenplay approaches Psycho 2 like a slasher film, deviating from Hitchcock’s approach, which works in the film’s favor because the audience’s anticipation for the killer’s identity becomes its main selling point. For example, when the killings begin to occur around Norman, given his history and mental state, which subconsciously makes him one of the suspects. But there are also scenes that are so well-crafted (using location and blocking) that they make a compelling case that he might not be the killer, forcing the audience to think both ways. Furthermore, the midway twist plays to the film’s advantage, answering some questions while leaving the most burning ones for another twist towards the end.
The film’s climactic twist is its Achilles heel since it is abruptly inserted into the story without any setup or background information and therefore doesn’t feel justified. The inclusion of this plot point felt forced and just for cheap thrills, hoping to make the twist at the end more shocking, which sadly wasn’t the case. The film also suffers from poor characterization and bad performances from the supporting characters, especially Megan Tilly, whose portrayal of Mary was unconvincing and too amateurish for the role.
However, the film succeeds because it expands on Norman Bates’ character from the original version by delving deeper into his psyche as a man struggling to move on from his traumatic past. By moving back into his old house, he is willing to face his demons and makes every effort to better himself, making us sympathetic to his plight. Also, his character progression throughout the film in terms of his mental state is impressive, both in terms of writing and acting, as Anthony Perkins gives a satisfactory performance (except for those weird twitches) of a character he was born to play.
Psycho 2 is available on Amazon Prime Video.
Psycho 2 movie links: IMDB
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