The makers of this film had a tough job, but they took it seriously and made about as good a Psycho sequel as you could expect in 1983. It’s not great, but you’re not gonna want to throw yourself in front of a bus, either. The setting is almost twenty-five years since the original and Norman Bates now has a clean bill of mental health from the nuthouse and is set free. Nobody wants to see a movie where Anthony Perkins plays a nice guy who works a dish washing job though, so it’s not long before he blows a gasket again. People start dying and Norman finds notes from his dead mother all over the house. The clever twist comes when we begin to question if Norman is still as knife-crazy as ever or if someone with a grudge is setting him up. Top candidate: Vera Miles, reprising her role from the original film as the sister of Marion Crane (who famously got stabbed in the shower way back). She’s hoppin’ mad that Norman’s out at all.
Anthony Perkins is great and totally INTO the part. At age 50, Norman’s still a skinny virgin who can’t stop talking about his mother, sort of innocent and creepy at the same time. Underrated 80s babe Meg Tilly is the cute young waitress who believes in him and you can all but smell the stench of Dennis Franz through screen as the nasty slob who never has long to live in horror movies. Meanwhile, this is among several 80s highlights from screenwriter Tom Holland, who also co-wrote Class of 1984 and later directed Fright Night and Child’s Play.