PSYCHO II - REVIEW

Surprisingly watchable sequel with an ageing Anthony Perkins twitching his way through his fading sanity. There are clumsy, dated effects, although they add comedy value (the knife through the mouth is always a winner) and the ending is somewhat rushed but the film is saved by some clever shots and an interesting enough storyline.

But seriously now: who asked for a Psycho sequel? Granted there was a sequel to Bloch's novel but waiting until right after Alfred Hitchcock's death to step on his feet feels somewhat unnecessary and kinda sneaky. Sure there's enough in Norman Bate's release from the institution to tell a story, it's just not a story we really needed to be told. Besides, 23 years is a very long gap between both films and attempting to match the original's class, style and mood so late in the game is futile to say the least.

Then again, after the initial feeling of WTF, once you get into Norman's more personal story you soon find yourself wanting to know more. Anthony Perkins, although a bit too old to be truly threatening, does a good job here and his gradual relapse into complete and utter madness is a compelling one to witness. Having said that, it all feels pretty inevitable. I mean, the guy could barely flip burgers for a living without losing his head...even if the real vilains in Psycho II are the people around him who taunt and tease him until it becomes impossible for him to control his sanity.

Overall, this is all very unnecessary, yes. But Norman's story, set up so masterfully by Hitchcock, is still worth a look. Perkins, a few entertaining gory moments and an intriguing (if far-fetched) storyline make this a trip worth taking. Just don't compare it to Psycho, think of it as a spin-off rather than a sequel. It'll make the pain of the idea of a Psycho II go away...