Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho is often considered to be the origin of modern slasher films. In early 1980s, during the peak of that genre’s popularity, it seemed that its every successful title would get multiple sequels. It was inevitable that even Psycho, despite being made two decades earlier and enjoying reputation of undisputed classic, would have the same fate. It finally happened with Psycho II, 1982 film directed by Richard Franklin.
A year before this film Robert Bloch, author of the original novel, wrote the sequel of its own, also titled Psycho II, with the plot featuring deranged killer Norman Bates escaping the psychiatric hospital in order to prevent the film about his life. Hollywood studio executives didn’t have much understanding for this satirical approach and the script by Tom Holland was much more conventional. The plot begins twenty two years after the series of murders depicted in the first film. Their perpetrator Norman Bates (played by Anthony Hopkins) has been apparently cured and is getting released from psychiatric hospital, much to displeasure of Lila Loomis (played by Vera Miles), sister of one of his victims. Norman returns to his old house and, despite still owning the infamous Bates Motel, tries to start normal life by working as a helper in local diner. When he finds out that motel manager Wayne Toomey (played by Dennis Franz) allowed rampant drug use at the premises, he fires him, leading to altercation. Norman, on the other hand, befriends Mary (played by Meg Tilly), young waitress at the diner who had fallen on hard times and who accepts Norman’s offer of accommodation. Norman, however, soon begins to see glimpses of his dead mother and even receive telephone calls featuring her voice. He begins to fear that he is slipping out of sanity, while Mary believes that he might be the victim of elaborate and vicious tricks.
Before the premiere, many critics and cinephiles were expressing hostility towards Psycho II (although in less degree than with Gus Van Sant’s “shot for shot” remake a decade and half later), mainly because the mere idea of the sequel looked like it would spoil Hitchcock’s legacy. Furthermore, inevitable comparisons between the two films were bound to make the sequel look weak. Some of those fears proved to be unfounded. Australian director Richard Franklin, known as as an associate and student of Hitchcock, whose methods he had used in his Hitchcockian thriller Roadgames, did a solid by applying a lot of suspense and tight editing. His efforts were aided by Anthony Perkins, actor whose career affected by typecasting based on the role of Norman Bates in Psycho. In this film he plays an older, more experienced and, ultimately, more sympathetic character for whom the audience to root for during his struggle to preserve hardly-gained sanity. Meg Tilly also does a very good job in her first major and potentially thankless role.
On the other hand, script gives some hints about potentially intriguing idea of confronting Norman Bates as the more “normal” or “innocent” serial killer who operated in more “innocent” era with the sociopathic, manipulative and downright evil killers that came out of woodwork in early 1980s. Unfortunately, this idea haven’t been properly explored and in the end Psycho II succumbs to cliches, with predictability being unsuccessfully fought with rather unconvincing twist at the end. Musical score by Jerry Goldsmith, although passable, sounds mediocre compared with Bernard Herrmann’s in the previous film. Despite those flaws, fans of slasher films can enjoy this film. Psycho II had success at the box office and led to few more sequels in next years.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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