10 More Horror Movie Sequels That Had No Right To Be This Good

2. Psycho II

Psycho II
Universal Pictures

Much like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, 1983's Psycho II faced so many problems due to what it had to live up to and because of the sheer amount of time that had passed since its predecessor was released.

Whereas the gap between The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and TCM 2 was 12 years, it was actually a staggering 23 years before that first Psycho sequel arrived - only adding further to the pressure of attempting to follow-up on Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 masterpiece.

Clearly it would be impossible to make a movie as flawless as Psycho, but Psycho II manages to provide a great update on Norman Bates. With Anthony Perkins back in the saddle, we pick things up with Norman as he's freed from a mental asylum just as a new batch of murders take place in and around the Bates Motel. Showing a wide variety of emotions in an exquisite performance, Perkins' Norman is genuinely unsure whether his 'Mother' persona is responsible for this bloodshed, or whether something else entirely is at play.

Psycho II brilliantly plays with the formula of the first movie to create a gripping mystery that makes that 23-year wait all worth it.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.