After twenty-two years, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) is declared sane and released from a mental hospital. While Norman’s psychiatrist (Robert Loggia) is pleased, the same can’t be said for Mrs. Loomis (Vera Miles). As fans of the original will recall, Mrs. Loomis is the sister Marion Crane, the woman killed in the shower years earlier. Understandably, she wants Norman locked up forever. To make matters worse, state funding cuts mean there will be no halfway house to ease Norman’s transition back into society. Instead, he is free to move back into the dilapidated house on the hill above the Bates Motel.
Still as nutty as a fruitcake, Anthony Perkins plays Norman pretty much the same way he did in 1960, twitches and all. More subdued, he comes across as a slightly more sympathetic character. He gets a job washing dishes at a local diner. At the diner, he begins wooing a pretty waitress named Mary (Meg Tilly) who eventually agrees to move in with Norman as his roommate.
Naturally, it’s not long before in Norman’s words, it starts again. Long dead, his “mother” starts calling him. The plot thickens, as a series of murders begin, but to say much more would ruin the film for those who haven’t seen it. Alfred Hitchcock was a mentor of sorts for director Richard Franklin, and he was smart enough to let Anthony Perkins take the bull by the horns, overacting a bit to bring Norman Bates to loony life. Meg Tilly does an okay job here; her innocence makes her a nice contrast to Norman. The interplay between the two of them keeps things interesting and a key section of the film depends on the success of their relationship.
Given the director’s relationship with Alfred Hitchcock, it’s no surprise that Hitch’s influence is apparent in terms of deliberate pacing and subtle clues to the final mystery. The suspense is palpable at times (though nowhere near the level of the original), and is executed surprisingly well.
Presented in the 1.84:1 aspect ratio, Shout Factory’s 1080p’s presentation is very nice looking. There’s a nice layer of grain throughout, and some of the matte work shows its age. I also noticed a few lowlight shots that exhibit a bit of crush. Aside from that, detail is solid in close-ups and colors aren’t necessarily what you’d call bright, but suitable.
Psycho II features both a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix recreating the film’s original sound design, as well as a repurposed DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix. Both of these tracks offer impressive fidelity and nice dynamic range. The 5.1 mix has a nice sense of realism, providing even sound effects and clean, clear dialogue.
English subtitles are available.
The following special features are included:
- Audio Commentary with Writer Tom Holland: Hosted by Rob Galluzzo, writer-producer-director of the excellent documentary The Psycho Legacy, Holland discusses how since this was his first big gig, he didn’t want to mess it up. The two also discuss various scenes, how things were accomplished, etc.
- Cast and Crew Interviews (HD, 35:21). This is a vintage Universal EPK which features quite a few scenes from the film (as well as the original Psycho), interspersed with interviews with participants from both films (including some archival footage of Hitchcock). The audio is pretty rough at times, even going silent for a few seconds.
- Play Film with Cast and Crew Interviews – Audio Only. These are not the same interviews featured in the EPK listed above. Here, a narrator gives some background information and then cast and crew chime in. These may have been culled from radio spots/interviews.
- Trailers (HD, 3:43) There are two trailers.
- TV Spots (HD, 2:01) There are four TV spots.
- Still Gallery (HD, 6:37) There are 77 still images. These include production, promotional, and behind-the-scenes shots.
