The original “Psycho” is a true horror thriller classic from Alfred Hitchcock. Over two decades had gone by and Hitchcock passed away when “Psycho II” was finally made. Many people view this as an unnecessary film and I certainly feared that it would be a lousy cash-in. However, “Psycho II” is surprisingly very engaging and its creativity helps make it one of the best horror sequels ever made.

More than twenty years after the events of the original film, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins “Friendly Persuasion”) is supposedly cured and released from psychiatric care. He attempts to live a normal life but becomes haunted by spectres from his old life and not everybody thinks a man with such a depraved past should be let loose.

It’s great to see Anthony Perkins return to the role that made him so well-known. I really like how this movie evolves Norman’s character and we actually find ourselves rooting for him to lead a normal life. Perkins does an excellent job and elevates the already good material. Vera Miles (“The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”) returns too as Lila Loomis and I like how her character has changed significantly as well. Meg Tilly (“The Big Chill”) is really good as a young woman by the name of Mary, who befriends Norman.

“Psycho” is arguably the granddaddy of the slasher genre as it came before “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Halloween” and I was significantly worried that this was going to just be a standard slasher flick. Thankfully, the script is very intelligent and the acting is great. I think it is good that the film is light on gore but is shrouded in twists and turns. It’s undoubtedly not as iconic as the original but I think it is a sequel that should not be ignored. It is a real shame that people do not talk about “Psycho II” more often.