10 Horror Movie Sequels Nobody Wanted…. But Everyone Loved

Alfred Hitchcock was one of the most revered filmmakers who ever lived, and although it was made during the last quarter of his career, 1960’s Psycho was seen as a career highlight.

That distinction, alongside the fact that “legacy sequels” weren’t a thing yet, meant that 1983’s Psycho II was preemptively judged as a bafflingly blasphemous prospect. (In fact, director Richard Franklin was asked what he hoped to achieve with such a seemingly doomed endeavor.)

Having proven himself as a capable Hitchcock protégé with 1981’s Road Games, and with genre maestro Tom Holland penning the screenplay, Franklin fulfilled his mission to craft a follow-up that satisfyingly continued to tale of tragic serial killer Norman Bates.

Chiefly, it’s more of a considerate character study than a throwaway slasher, with star Anthony Perkins delivering a nuanced performance that adds pathos to Bates’ Oedipal complex and desire for rehabilitation and assimilation back into society.

His dramatic relationship with newcomer Mary Loomis is strong, too, as are the motivations behind what Mary’s mother (returning character Lila Loomis) is doing behind the scenes.

In the ensuing decades, Psycho II has only grown more beloved for offering a multifaceted character study that enriches Hitchcock’s groundbreaking feature.