Customer Reviews

Psycho 2 [VHS]

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(39)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

How can you top the original PSYCHO?

You can't.

But you can do it justice, and PSYCHO II accomplishes that. Its most important key to success, coming over 20 years after the first film, is the return of the same performers - Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, and the HOUSE. Using the same exact house/motel set lends this sequel incalculable credibility and continuity. Without it, the movie probably would have been "just another sequel."

Perkins is simply outstanding as Norman (gotta love the way he says "cu- u- utlery") and Meg Tilly and Robert Loggia are nicely cast in their roles. The plot has a nice handful of twists throughout, and a whopper of an afterthought ending. Jerry Goldsmith provides a fine score, wisely avoiding the temptation to mimic Herrmann's original.

The DVD presentation is full-frame, but DON'T let that stop you from buying it. The film is open-matte, which means a widescreen version would simply MASK the top and bottom. In other words, this is NOT a pan-and-scan presentation. There is nothing chopped off at the sides. Instead, you're seeing MORE picture here than you would if it were presented in widescreen format.

Picture and sound quality are good, and the lack of extras is not too disappointing, really, and it's a decent price.

To sum up: great acting, good direction from a Hitchcock apprentice, good score, good plot, good picture and sound, and excellent continuity from the original film. If you're a devotee of Hitchcock's film and you've never seen this, I urge you to give it a try. It really does do justice to the original.

Smart, entertaining and creepy sequal to the masterpiece Pyscho. Stars anthony perkins in his returning role as Norman Bates. Very clever plot and really good acting. Norman is coming home after being declared sane nearly 22 years later but marion cranes sister isnt to happy about that so her and her daughter devise a plan/ wont say what it is cause i dont want to give story away but the movie is excellent and more murders happen. The ending is also clever. Meg Tilly is excellent as Lila loomis's daughter/ all the actors in the movie are good but she stands out and norman is excellent as always. Dvd also includes the shower scene from the original psycho. This is probably the best sequal to a horror film ive ever seen. First rate thriller. Highly recomended.

Finally, I can use my Goodtimes DVD of Psycho 2 for a coaster! A belated thanks to Universal for finally giving this superior sequel a decent DVD release.

As for the film itself, it's certainly one of the best sequels ever made. It's 22 years later, and Norman Bates is judged restored to sanity. He takes back his roadside motel from a sleazy manager (a pre-NYPD BLUE Dennis Franz), and takes in a seemingly innocent waitress (Meg Tilly). But even though Norman has put his past behind him, he starts getting notes from "Mother." And someone (Norman?) is dressing up like Mrs. Bates and soon the Bates Motel is back in business, 1960-style.

There are a few surprises--although the identity of the murderer is fairly obvious long before it's revealed. Director Richard Franklin even throws in an admirable Hitchcock cameo! The pacing is deliberate and slow by today's standards, but the performances should hold your attention. Anthony Perkins deserves special mention for recreating his role as the screen's most sympathetic serial killer; his "toasted cheese sandwich" speech is probably the most emotional scene in all four PSYCHO films.

Psycho 2 is a first-rate sequel, one made with obvious care and attention to characters...a far cry from the seemingly endless cycle of slasher films being released around the same time.

The original "Psycho," a classic in the great tradition of Hitckcock'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. Sequels, especially those of the horror genre, tend to be very trite and uninvolving, which is why, after watching "Psycho II," I was in a state of shock over how good it actually was. Of course, it's not Hitchcock, and will never live up to the caliber of the first film, but for what it's worth, it gets its formula right and keeps it right.

The movie picks up many years later, after the horrific murders at the Bates Motel, and Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) has just been released back into the world despite harsh protest from Lila Crane (Vera Miles), the sister who stopped at nothing to find her sister, Bates's shower victim. He returns to the motel, a drug-ridden sex house run by a sleazy man, and to his home, the place where his mental problems all began.

And soon they begin resurfacing. He is haunted once again by the voice of his mother, as well as by images of events gone by. At his new job, he is befriended by Mary Samuels (Meg Tilly), who, after being kicked out by her boyfriend, moves into Norman's house. From the beginning, she feels very uncomfortable there, even more so when strange, incriminating things occur. Of course, all eyes look to Norman, but we know that he is not responsible. But who is?

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.

There's also a very nice suspense and mystery factor to be dealt with, something unusual in horror sequels. The movie wastes no time in setting Norman up for a fall that is not his fault, and up until the point when we know who is actually behind everything that goes on, the movie is very tense and interesting.

And then we have a nicely done climax, in which all is revealed to the viewer, and we realize what has been going on. But just as we can begin to feel some sort of slight sympathy for Norman, the movie goes on, and in the final, anticlimactic sequence involving a woman claiming to be his mother, the movie ends with yet another possibility of a sequel, and things go sour.

But, for what it's worth, "Psycho II" stands on its own as one of the better horror sequels to come along ever. It stays in touch with the nuances of the original, and plays on its old tricks in new ways. The mystery and intrigue can sometimes reach a fever pitch, though the ending is a bit unfitting. All-in-all, a well-crafted thriller.

Psycho 2 deviates from the typical slasher formula in a couple of significant respects. First and foremost, it has a bigger budget feel to it, as befits the sequel to such a classic. But second, it features a cast that is comprised almost entirely of adults. There is only one teenaged couple in the movie, and, suffice it to say, they are not there for long.

Nevertheless, this IS a slasher movie, through and through. One of my favorites, in fact. The basic premise of the film is this: a young girl moves into the Bates mansion with Norman(soon after his release from the mental hospital.) From the moment she enters the house, the audience realizes that she is in mortal danger. However, part of the film's brilliance lies in the fact that we never really know for sure whether she is in danger from Norman...........or someone else. There are only two people, ostensibly, in the house, after all. But there are gradual indications that something else altogether is transpiring.

For people who don't watch these kinds of movies very often, it can be easy to forget that many of the better-known early 80's slasher films(Friday the 13th, Prom Night,Happy Birthday to Me) were as much mysteries as they were horror films. Psycho 2 falls within that tradition. Two people, in a big, creepy house. Strange things begin to happen. Is it because one of them is dangerous? Or perhaps both? Or could there be a third party who is insinuating themself into the proceedings? Or another, completely unforeseen factor?

Some movies attempt this kind of plot device, and they wind up overcomplicating things. Psycho 2 avoids that pitfall. The movie establishes a couple of really strong elements, and then they hammer away at those themes relentlessly. Any plot holes are simply overwhelmed by the fact that you are made to feel as if you are IN that house........like you are in your own little corner of the universe, isolated with these characters and that big old house.

When the mystery is resolved, it is in a way that some may find satisfying, while others may not. But it is handled so well, up to that point, that it really doesn't matter. (most mysteries are more fascinating BEFORE you know the solution).

In this film, Norman Bates is making an honest attempt to lead a normal life and move on from his mental illness. This is an interesting process to watch, because a part of him seems like a legitimately nice man who is trying to do right. However, we, as the audience, know that the other side to his personality is always there, and you never know for sure when it will resurface.

The exposition scene towards the end of the film is an especially nice touch. If you'll recall, the original Psycho ended with a psychiatrist explaining what Norman was and how his mental illness had led him to his various actions. This film features a similar scene. It takes place right at the end of the film, in the sheriff's office, just like in the original. However, in THIS version, what sounds like an accurate retrospection is actually the complete reverse. The sheriff and his listeners completely misunderstand what has transpired.

As a result of this honest misunderstanding, the truly dangerous person is allowed to simply walk out of the police station at the end........with a friendly handshake and well wishes from the sheriff.

This is an incredible film. One of the very finest of its kind. The film's heroine is made to walk this harrowing tightrope, figuratively speaking, as she is stalked by danger that is LITERALLY all around her, day and night. The film's greatest strength is that it is able to immerse the audience in her dilemma, making it feel as if it is OUR dilemma, as well.

The final scene is almost lyrically macabre. It is an incredible moment of culmination. And,especially,of restoration. It is one of the indelible images in slasher movie history.

22 years later after the incident at the Bates Motel, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) has been released out of the mental institute for the criminally insane and is back home. Even though he's back, he still feels haunted by mother's voice and has a second job as a cook at a diner, he's gotten strange phone calls and notes from someone playing Mother so he or she can drive him back to his original state of insanity.

Very good sequel to Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece of horror has good acting and has Perkins reprising his role as everyone's favorite looney with Meg Tilly, Vera Mills (From the original), Robert Loggia and Dennis Franz co-star. Jerry Goldsmith's score is half as good as the original's score and there's plenty of good scares to make one hell of a good sequel to an all-time masterpiece, there's also a nice twist at the end of this movie.

The DVD has good picture and sound quality with the only extra being the theatrical trailer, if you liked the original then i suggest you give this a try.

Finally we can see with this Widescreen version of Psycho II!! WE get to see the genuis of Dean Cundey The Director of Photography.

This Movie as good as the first one! Sure the first is a masterpiece and I really do like it slightly better, But Psycho II is really a 4 star movie! Amazing directing, Amazing Acting, Amazing MUSIC by Jerry Goldsmith.

I dont want to ruin the movie for anyone, so just buy it and I promise you will really enjoy of this movie.

Norman Bates is back in this surprisingly good sequel. It continues 22 years after the previous film and consists of Bates being declared 'sane' and allowed to return home. But some people won't let him rest and soon Bates finds himself losing his mind again, or is someone framing him? Is mother really dead? or is Norman just still a 'psycho'? All though this film is nothing compared to the first, it is definitely worth a look...

I'm glad Universal has released Psycho 2 and 3 and in 16:9 Widescreen.I have always loved The Psycho movies and I thought Anthony Perkins was a great actor,it's so sad that he's no longer with us.I hope Universal will update the orginal classic for 16:9 TV's soon,the first release of Pyscho was not bad but it could of been alot better,the Laserdisc version got a THX transfer,why not the same for DVD? I remember seeing Pyscho 2 for the first time when I was kid and I remember being on the Edge of my seat.Great Movie!! I dont think 3 was as good as 2.And you think at the end of 3 that Norman would never be released from the mental ward ever again,but he does for 1 more Psycho movie Pyscho IV:The Begining,I hope Universal will release that movie as well on DVD,you get to see Henry Thomas as a Teenage Norman Bates.Great stuff!

I saw this movie in the theatre when it came out in 1982 and have been a big admirer or it ever since. Norman Bates is released from incarceration in a mental facility, and seems to have all his faculties about him if not a bit stiff and nervous. But lo and behold, the sister of the woman he brutally murdered in the original Psycho is out for revenge. Norman returns to his duties at his hotel to find it's being used as a haven for drugs and prostitution, and on those grounds he fires the manager (Dennis Franz). He takes a job at a local diner where he befriends the despondent Mary. Mary reluctantly agrees to stay with Norman while she works out problems she's having with her boyfriend. As it turns out, Lila Loomis, the sister of Marian Crane, is hellbent on driving Norman Bates crazy again by leaving notes as his dead mother, calling him as his dead mother, and sneaking around the house. Slowly, Norman begins to question his own sanity when people are being reported killed that he has no recollection of. Maybe he did do it after all, he wonders. 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? Buy this movie and find out if he deserves another chance.