#5 Psycho II (1983)

Sequels, particularly in the horror genre tend to be very uninspired, usually just changing a few tiny variables and re-doing the original title in a cheaper and tackier way. A new bunch of teens comes to the same summer cottage and the old antagonist raises from dead. There are overall a bit more titties than in the previous instalment to keep the male audience paying, but otherwise it's the same old same old once again.

This was pretty much what I was expecting here, a young inn keeper moving in the mansion and getting possessed by the evil, cut to a new version of the shower scene and so on.

Instead, what we have here is events taking place 23 years after the first version when Anthony Perkins returns to the role of Norman Bates who is being released from asylum. He comes back to the mansion and tries to rehabilitate to the society, but soon finds himself agonised by the house and the memories of his mother. From there on the movie takes a surprising direction.

All in all pretty good as far as sequels go. Perkins is perfect as Bates who seems dead inside most of the times, but you soon end up hoping things would start to look up for him in the end. The movie also features Dennis Franz, who would go on after this movie to play the role of Lt. Norman Buntz in Hill Street Blues, one of the most iconic TV series of 80's.

71%

Good!

Summary : The old charm of classic Psycho mixed with 80's goofy and gorey killing sequences still makes up for a solid movie

Eighties-o-meter: 45%