Movie Review (Classic)-----PSYCHO II

A month ago, I finished reading the terrific book ALFRED HITCHCOCK AND THE MAKING OF PSYCHO.  It made my mouth water to watch the original PSYCHO again.  It still holds up as one of the scariest movies ever made.  It also made me rewatch the 1983 sequel PSYCHO II.  22 years after the release of the original, it was daring to revisit the Bates Motel, but Universal took the project on and it turned into a moneymaking franchise for them.  PSYCHO II was a box office success and paved the way for the less successful PSYCHO III and the made for TV prequel PSYCHO IV: THE BEGINNING.  This sequel begins in a courtroom where Norman Bates is about to be released from 22 years behind bars for the murders he committed in PSYCHO.  Vera Miles returns in her role of Lila Loomis (now widowed after marrying Sam Loomis from the original story).  Lila is still out to avenge the murder of her sister Marion at the hands of Norman and can't believe that he is about to be let loose on the public again.  But Norman returns to the infamous Bates Motel and that creepy house determined to stay sane and keep "Mother" at bay.  Well, we know how that all turns out....  PSYCHO II is one of the better sequels in terms of script and style.  There are shades of Hitchcock all over the place and the mystery within the plot actually keeps you guessing until the very end.  I had a great time rewatching PSYCHO II.  It's pretty effective and Anthony Perkins is terrific in his return to the role that made him famous.  Vera Miles is outrageously over the top and Meg Tilly adds great support also.  If you've never seen PSYCHO II, give it a shot.  It's fun and manages to provide a few jumps and jolts.  It's a bit gory which is certainly a sign of the times in which it was made, but that's one of the few drawbacks.  The end of PSYCHO II is fantastic and absolutely should have brought the series to a close.  PSYCHO III continues the story but just doesn't hold up.  PSYCHO IV: THE BEGINNING is an attempt at showing the audience what brought Norman to become "Mother" and Olivia Hussey gives a terrific performance as Mrs. Bates, but it still disappoints.  But if you're looking for a fun frightening double feature some night, PSYCHO and PSYCHO II back to back will show you a good time and a sleepless night.