IT’S 22 YEARS LATER, AND NORMAN BATES IS FINALLY COMING HOME.

Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) has finally been released from the asylum and returns to his motel and mansion, but the memories and new guests put him to the test.

When he first saw Psycho (1960), director Richard Franklin fell in love with movies. Two decades later he delivered a sequel that is surprisingly watchable. It comes nowhere close to the original, but it stands on its own because of Perkins’s performance and an intelligent script that has a few surprises.

A bit uneven when it comes to the pace, but engaging, and it’s also fun to see Vera Miles again. 

1983-U.S. 113 min. Color. Directed by Richard Franklin. Screenplay: Tom Holland. Music: Jerry Goldsmith. Cast: Anthony Perkins (Norman Bates), Vera Miles (Lila Loomis), Meg Tilly (Mary Samuels), Robert Loggia, Dennis Franz, Hugh Gillin. 

Trivia: Young Norman Bates is played by Perkins’s son Osgood. Before Perkins was secured, Christopher Walken was considered for the lead; Jamie Lee Curtis was also considered for a role. Followed by Psycho III (1986).