Psycho II - Suspend your disbelief and enjoy

Everyone knows the original 'Psycho' film and how it impacted on both film and the horror genre tremendously.  It was certainly a benchmark for other similar movies to aspire to during its day, but it does seem a little bit dated when viewed today.  I guess because nearly two decades had elapsed between 'Psycho' and the first sequel, 'Psycho II,' horror had evolved into something less subtle and more gory - namely the 'teen slasher.'

Therefore, 'Psycho II' seems to feel the need to compete with films like 'Friday 13th' and 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,' meaning it doesn't really feel like a film set in the same series, despite using all the same characters, locations and plenty of references back to the original.

I could live with that.  I'm a fan of enough mindless slasher flicks to get some small enjoyment out of most of them.  However, every time I tried to really get into 'Psycho II' something completely unbelievable happened and totally dragged me out of it.  Even if I was to give the brief plot synopsis by saying that after only serving 22 years for numerous murders, Norman Bates is declared 'no longer insane' and allowed to return to his old life working in a motel.  Right at the beginning I was kind of finding it hard to believe that someone who had murdered so many people would just be allowed to resume his old life with few changes.  Plus he was just able to walk right into running his old motel as means of work.

This may only be one of many plot holes which were to follow.  Anthony Perkins is decent enough as Bates and is just about capable of shouldering the whole film.  However, it's his co-star/female lead who seems to just not be up to the task.  I know that horror films are hardly well known for their Oscar winning performances, but Meg Tilly really did seem to come across like she was simply reading her lines.

Naturally, there are kills and the film does its best to try and make you wonder who's doing them.  I found this a bit of an odd approach when it's technically a sequel about a serial killer.  But then I suppose, if you wait until the end, you'll see where it's going and will understand why all the kills are shrouded in mystery.

'Psycho II' isn't a bad film, but it certainly lacks the creepy foreboding and originality of Alfred Hitchcock's boundary-breaking classic, while at the same time, if you're looking for a slasher film then there are plenty more that have done it better.  It just comes across as a typically forgettable horror sequel to an infinitely more memorable piece of work.

6/10 May just keep you awake if Freddy Krueger was haunting your nights