Customer Reviews

Psycho II

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

How about that? Usually you watch a movie and go, "nyah.. the book was better." And, oddly, Psycho is that rare breed where both the first movie and the second are better than the books. Of course, the original Psycho is a good story, and the movie is a flawless masterpiece. But this is something different altogether - now we can say "yeah, the movie's pretty excellent actually. But the book? Gah - what the Hell was Bloch thinking?!"

Trust me, this is one time you'll be glad Bloch didn't get a say in the making of the movie (the story is 100% different). Whereas the movie has Norman going back to the motel and taking up where he left off, in this there's an (admittedly ahead of its time) idea of the original story of Psycho being made into a movie, (eat yer heart out Scream 2). But instead of making Norman, like, a PART of the story, they turn the whole book into some stupid who-dunnit filled with boring characters and really stupid plot devices. And the ending will have you throwing the book straight out the window.

I really wanted to like this, because I've enjoyed the entire Psycho movie series (even the fairly naff fourth part). But Bloch succeeds in taking Norman Bates and completely ruining him. Thankfully this book has been largely ignored, because it really doesn't deserve to be part of the Bates' legacy.

Stick with the movies.

The_Curmudgeon_Hates_You@yahoo.co.uk

This sequel is quite diffrent from the original. Actually, it's nothing like the original. There's a surprise ending, but that's pretty much where the similarities (besides Norman) of the original end. Norman Bates' character is greatly alterted. He is no longer the tender, lovable character of the original. He's, in fact, quite unlikable. A cold-blooded killer, unlike the original, where his killings where not his own, so to speak (mother is gone in this one). He's your average slaughteror, a Jason type character you could say. This turned me off to the book a little, but besides that, this book is ALMOST as good as the original. The surprise ending is better than the first's, in my opinion, and the story is quite intresting. But if your looking for a better Psycho sequel, I'd suggest Psycho House.

This sequel to Psycho starts off quite strongly with Norman Bates escaping from the Mental Hospital and leaving a horrible body count in his wake and ambiguity over whether he survived his escape or died in a mysterious fire. The Police think he is dead, but Norman's doctor thinks he's alive and on his way to Hollywood to kill the cast and crew of a movie based on his life and crimes.
Sadly after the first 100 pages or so, The story sags badly. Norman Bated disappears from the book (Whether or not he appears at the end is part of the mystery), and the reader must wade through 150 pages of dull story about the cast and crew of the film deciding whether to make the movie or cancel for fear of Norman coming to kill them. This segment of the book is devoid of suspense and could have really been trimmed down. Also, many of the characters spout long anti-violence speeches and criticisms of the cruelty and hypocrisy of Hollywood life, and the glorification of violence in gory 1980's splatter films. These detours stick out like a sore thumb, and do nothing to further the plot.

This book warrants *** due to the great first part of the book, but the good ending doesn't justify the sagging middle. I hope Psycho House, the final installment in the trilogy, is better than this.

If you loved Psycho then you will also love Psycho II. Psycho House isn't bad either. Readers just get so absorbed in Bloch's writing and storyline. This story is set for the current day, or rather the day the book was written, and takes you from the dark and rainy mental hospital to the glamour of Hollywood. It keeps you guessing all the way to the end and you will find yourself running back to the bookstore (or logging on)to get the 3rd installment. I just wish there was a 4th! The character of Norman Bates is incredible!

First off this is NOTHING like the movie "Psycho 2". In the early 1980s Universal Studios decided they wanted to do a sequel to the classic 1960 "Psycho". They hired the writer of the original--Robert Bloch--to write a sequel. He did...and Universal was horrified. They refused to film it and got ANOTHER script from a different writer. So the book and movie were released around the same time...but were totally different. The film is very good with an intricate plot. But the book is too...but in different ways.

The book starts Norman Bates still in the asylum. He is (seemingly) cured. But a nun visits him and something breaks in him. He kills her, rapes her (in that order) and escapes from the asylum in her nuns habit. (The rape of the nun was probably enough to send Universal executives crazy and probably prevented them from filming it). He's on the loose with his doctor in hot pursuit. Then it's discovered that they're filming a movie of Norman's life (called "Crazy Lady") in Hollywood. On a hunch the doctor goes there and finds accidents are plaguing the set. Then one night he sees Norman in a supermarket...

This isn't perfect. It meanders sometimes and motivations are somewhat strange but it moves quickly and there are multiple twists and turns at the end that you won't see coming. The characterizations are excellent and there are many creepy scenes and (thankfully) not much blood and gore. Well worth reading.

Also possessed by sequelitis.


While the first Psycho novel is a pretty good book, this one is only half the book the first was, at least in quality, as you can see by the rating.

Norman escapes and goes all Slasher, which is really not why it was interesting to start with.

The movie is more relateble to he Psycho I,,,, Anyway this is pretty good it has the classic touch, it is event sead just like Alferd Hitchcock did this inspired Psycho II,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
The differnce here is Norman is more cold blood guy, Mother isnt in it thoe 22 years of mental rehab payed off it seemed like.
In the movie,, Norman is him nice,tender self if your nice to him and his motel, and mother hs a big play.