Psycho II

The return of Norman Bates

The enormous commercial success of Psycho, motivated studio executives to produce the sequel of original film. Psycho II is a film based on the original film’s storyline and the storytelling conditions as the villain character of Psycho - Norman Bates - is back to Bates Hotel after 22 years in mental institution.

Psycho II

Psycho II was produced in 1983 by Bernard Schwartz and Hilton A. Green. The script was developed by Tom Holland and it was directed by Richard Franklin. Psycho II distributed by Universal Studios.

I need to highlight that there is also the Psycho II novel but t it’s not related with the film Psycho II. The novel Psycho II was written by Robert Bloch as sequel to novel Psycho I.

The Plot of Psycho II

Do not play with filthy girls

- Mother Bates -

Norman Bates is back, he’s trying to reconstruct his motel and his life after 22 years in a mental institution. Lila Loonis (the part is played by Vera Milles) has a different idea and with her daughter Mary Loomis is trying to drive Norman Bates crazy and put him back into a mental institution.  

Handwritten notes of mother Bates are found, telephone calls to Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) from a mysterious voice pretending to be the mother Bates. A mysterious figure in a black dress stairs out of the upstairs window resembling the mother Bates. Unexpected and unexplained killings occur at Bates Hotel and the mind of Norman Bates is again trapped into a logarithm of schizophrenia - into the twilight of death and live - between the personality of Norman and his mother.


To be continued

Psycho Sequels and Prequels

The enormous box office success of Psycho motivated producers to release two sequels and a prequel film : Psycho II (1983), Psycho III (1986) and Psycho IV : The Beginning.

Also, there was a pilot spin - off “Bates Motell” and before the release of Psycho IV : The Beginning was released as a TV movie.

Imitations of Psycho

The low budget approach of Psycho and the great story with a twist - ending, inspire a large studio executives and directors to produce relative to Psycho movies : among them I can mention the Homicidal (1961), Strait - Jacket (1964), I saw what you did (1967), also Hammer studio produced Paranoia (Freddie Francis, 1963), Maniac (Michael Careras, 1963) and Hysteria (Freddie Francis, 1963). Also there were The Taste of Fear (Seth Holt, 1961), Fanatic (Silvio Narizzano - the script was developed by Richard Matheson, 1965).

Films and other productions related with Psycho

In 2005 Jonathan M. Parisen, directed the film “A Conversation with Norman”.

Also, there is the film Hitchcock (on production stage now) - directed by Sacha Gerrasi - and the film is about the relationship of Alfred Hitchcock with his wife Alma Recille during the production of Psycho in 1959. Anthony Hopkins will play the part of Alfred Hitcthcock, Helen Mirren will play the part of Alma Reville, Scarlet Johansason as Janet Leigh, Jessica Beil as Vera Milles and James Darey as Anthony Perkins.

An independent documentary film about Psycho

The Psycho legacy released on DVD is an Independent Documentary Film about the influence and impact of Psycho on Cinema. It coveres also the sequels of Psycho like Psycho II, Psycho III and the prequel Psycho IV : The Beginning.

Bates Motel a New Television Series

Bates Motel produced by A&E TV network and it covers the Bates family before the storyline of the original film and especially the early life of Norman Bates.

Elias Stoikos

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