10 Movie Sequels Way Better Than They Had Any Right To Be
3. Psycho II
Cinema does not come any more iconic than Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. The godfather of the slasher genre and one of the British filmmaker's most masterful works, Psycho is fittingly jagged and disjointed, its compositions and set design reflective of not just Saul Bass' immortal opening titles, but of the conflicted psyche of Norman Bates. Fear, threat and torment vibrate from every frame, with the image of the oppressive Bates residence looming over Norman's meagre motel the perfect metaphor for his plight. It is Hitchcock's most visually rich work - a unique example that should, in theory, invoke protest at the thought of being sequelised, rebooted, or remade.
This is perhaps why the first of several Psycho sequels that were developed in the 1980s has taken a long time to get a cult following. A few years after the passing of Hitchcock, and with horror sequels very much the norm, the idea of putting a number next to Psycho and franchising it would've seemed ludicrous and maybe even a bit depressing, no matter that Anthony Perkins had returned to the role of Norman, or that the film was being helmed by Richard Franklin, a then up-and-coming Australian filmmaker who had just directed the positively received horror film Roadgames.
Psycho II, which released in 1983, was met with a mixed response but today is more highly regarded - and justifiably so. While not as technically deep as Hitchcock's film, Franklin and screenwriter Tom Holland found the perfect way of revisiting the character of Norman Bates, telling a story of a recently-released Norman trying to readjust to life and society, all the while the victims of his first rampage - namely Lila Loomis, played by fellow original Psycho actor Vera Miles - attempt to get him re-committed.
From this premise, and with the talents of the brilliant Perkins, Franklin peels back the layers of the vulnerable Norman and restores his humanity. While still rooted in the same genre roots as its predecessor - with plenty of chills to accompany it - Psycho II is ultimately a sympathetic yet unpredictable character study about reform, nurture, and nature. Perkins anchors it all tremendously, with him and Franklin delivering a film way better than one with the title "Psycho II" arguably deserves.