Considering how common sequels are today, it might be hard to believe that there was a time when they were few and far between. It wasn’t until the early ’80s that they became more commonplace, and there was still a sense of worry from studios about making them, especially for some of their classic films. A movie that seemed completely out of the realm of having a sequel was Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960s horror classic Psycho.

Largely considered one of the best films of all time, the idea of making a sequel was a bit of a head-scratcher when it came up in 1982 as a possibility. Hitchcock had passed away in 1980, and securing Norman Bates himself, Anthony Perkins, also wasn’t an easy task, which nearly made the project a made-for-cable production with a recast if Perkins wasn’t interested. Despite all the odds working against it, Psycho II was released to theaters in June 1983, and while it didn’t hit the critical heights of its predecessor, it was deemed a worthy follow-up and one that has only received more praise in the years since its original release.

Psycho II Explores Norman Bate’s Life 22 Years After the Original Film

Instead of complicating the story of the sequel, it would explore the simple notion of how someone who was once deeply troubled and committed horrendous crimes could be rehabilitated to the point of being let back out into everyday society. Would it be at all possible? That’s where things get started in the sequel, as it has been 22 years since Norman Bates (Perkins) went mad at Bates Motel, leaving bodies in his wake, and now he is being released from a mental institution and is allowed to return home to the Bates Motel to try and live a normal life. However, his past almost immediately haunts Norman, and as the murders begin again, it becomes whether Norman is going mad again or if someone else is committing the murders to frame him.

Psycho II was initially intended to be a made-for-cable movie because, even though Universal chose to make it, there was still a bit of unease about its potential, especially if they couldn’t secure the original film’s star. A story about Norman’s rehabilitation could only work if Perkins were willing to return, but the actor initially turned the project down. While the role of Norman Bates did big things for Perkins, it also stifled his career in a sense because he became so defined by the role that he was typecast and wasn’t offered roles that weren’t offbeat or weird.

It took a long time for the actor to come to terms with the role and how it defined him. If Perkins wasn’t going to have a change of heart, Christopher Walken was considered to replace him, but after reading Holland’s script, Perkins agreed to return because Norman’s story was front and center. Now, the made-for-cable production would be a major motion picture, which allowed the other pieces to fall into place much more easily.

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Working in Psycho II’s favor could be the idea of low expectations. Despite Universal moving ahead with the film, there was no fundamental reason for the movie to exist. No one explicitly asked for a sequel to Psycho, so they needed to convince audiences that even though you didn’t ask for it, another layer of this story could be told. It also helps that Franklin and his creative team didn’t try to imitate Hitchcock, which would’ve been nearly impossible.

There are homages in some of the shots, particularly when you can see Hitchcock’s silhouette in one scene or the final shot that would become the film’s poster art as Norman stands outside in the dark on the steps leading up to “mother’s” house, but the movie has more slasher sensibilities that were emerging at the time, albeit, with a bit more depth. The film is far gorier than its predecessor, although it will be considered tame by most ’80s standards, and it has a darkly funny sense of humor, which was largely absent in Hitchcock’s classic. Try not to laugh as Norman uses the largest of butcher knives to merely add mayo to a sandwich or when the camera is not so subtle about putting short objects into focus whenever Norman might be losing it.

Psycho II’s Twists and Turns Make It Stand Out

It’s the twists and turns that elevate Psycho II to a much higher level. Although the film was released in 1983, and spoilers can be found everywhere, they won’t be revealed here because half of the fun is watching them play out for the first time. The movie does a good job of making Norman and the audience believe he’s regressing to his old ways as more violence begins to surround him, but Perkins’ performance also makes the audience want to believe in him. He brings a vulnerability to the role, similar to what he did the first time around, making him weirdly likable and merely a victim of the events around him. It’s a fine line to walk, and Perkins does it masterfully.

Norman is trying his best to live a normal life, and that sincerity makes you question everything going on. You see cracks of someone who could be going crazy again, but something will happen that will make the viewer push the uneasy feeling away. This is especially true in his scenes with Tilly’s Mary, a relationship that offers its own twist but often feels very genuine. Whatever her original motives for putting herself into his life, she grows very fond of Norman, making circumstances more complicated as the film reaches its truly chaotic but fun climax.

Rumor has it that Perkins and Tilly did not get along during filming, but it goes unnoticed in their scenes together as they are some of the film’s best moments. As for the final reveal during the film’s ending, it’s a clever piece of work, and it’s a moment that would’ve surely been fun to experience in theaters when the movie was released.

The Reception and Box Office of Psycho II

Psycho II was released on June 3, 1983, and became a box office hit, placing second place during its opening weekend to Return of the Jedi with a solid $8.3 million start. When it was all said and done, the film grossed $34 million on a $5 million budget. A large curiosity factor likely led to its success, but given how unsure the studio was about going through with it, the end result had to feel like a win for Universal Pictures. During a time when Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees were achieving slasher dominance, Norman Bates got to return and sit on that throne for a little bit.

Reviews at the time of its release were mixed, and that’s something the filmmaking team expected to be the case. A sequel to Psycho was bound to put them in critical crosshairs, and that’s exactly what happened. However, the biggest seal of approval came from director Quentin Tarantino, who said that he prefers the sequel over the original, which might seem surprising to some but could be completely on-brand for someone like Tarantino. When discussing the sequel in 2005, the director said, “I’ve always been a big fan of Psycho II and a huge fan of the director, Richard Franklin, who did Road Games and Patrick before this. Those films are why Universal brought him over to do Psycho II, which was a very big deal.” Tarantino also praised Anthony Perkins’ performance, saying it was his very best.

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“Also, I feel that Psycho II has the very best performance by Anthony Perkins of all time. I completely care about Norman Bates in this thing, and that’s f*cked up.”

Other recent reviews gave the film credit for its dark humor and twists, with Empire’s Kim Newman saying, “The wittiest dark joke is that the entire world wants Norman to be mad, and ‘normality’ can only be restored if he’s got a mummified mother in the window and is ready to kill again.” Film scholar John Kenneth Muir pointed to the more human aspects of the story and how it portrays Norman sincerely, going on to say that it is a “great film on its own merits.”

Psycho II was a legacy sequel before it was cool and normal. It took a chance to follow up a true classic and knew that the best move was not to duplicate it but to forge its own path. On paper, Psycho II shouldn’t work at all, but the result is much better than it has any right to be, making it a worthy sequel that should grab your attention this spooky season. Psycho II is streaming now on Netflix.