Psycho II

A sequel to Hitchcock's 1960 film, made twenty-three years later. Norman Bates is released from a psychiatric hospital. The doctors have judged him well, the court has agreed, and he returns to his old house and motel. He finds work in a diner and tries to build an ordinary life. Then the strangeness begins. Notes appear in the house claiming to be from his mother, calls come, and people around him start to disappear. Norman cannot trust his own mind, and neither can the audience; the film holds that uncertainty for a long time. The idea for the sequel is well chosen: the first film closed its subject, and the question here is whether recovery is possible and whether the people around him will permit it. Most of the town does not want Norman back. Anthony Perkins returns to the part, and his performance is the film's strongest element; Norman stands here as fragile rather than threatening. Vera Miles also continues from the first film. Richard Franklin directed. A far better sequel than expected, for anyone who likes classic horror series and thrillers built on character. For a viewer expecting the first film's level of tension, this is more of a psychological thriller and the pace is slow.