Psycho 2(1983)

I really love this movie. It is one of my all-time faves. I have to say that it is definitely a worthy sequel to Psycho(1960). I felt that Psycho 3 was very good also. The fourth installment was not as good as the others, but it was entertaining. I managed to get a copy of the rare movie 'Bates Motel', which was supposed to be a pilot for a new TV series based on the motel, but it wasn't picked up. I will be reviewing that in due course.

Anyway, we are taken to a courtroom where Norman Bates(Anthony Perkins) is being released after serving his time in a mental institution. There is one person who is not happy- Marion Crane's sister, Lila Loomis(Vera Miles). She thinks that Norman is not sane and that he needs to be sent back to the institution. Norman is taken back to the Motel and the house by his doctor, Bill Raymond(Robert Loggia). He looks around and he feels a little lost as he hasn't been alone in the house since the murders. His doctor tells him to get in touch if he needs to. He meets the new motel manager, Warren Toomey(Dennis Franz) and he takes an instant dislike to him.

Norman gets a job at the local diner and it is there that he meets Mary(Meg Tilly). She has been thrown out of her place and Norman offers her a place to stay. Also working at the diner is Mrs. Spool(Claudia Bryar) who is kind to Norman. Mary and Norman arrive at the motel to find that Mr. Toomey has been letting all sorts of things happen there. Norman is not happy and he tells Mary to go up to the house while he sorts him out. He fires him and Toomey is not happy. Mary stays at the house that night and the next day, she tells him that she has found a place to stay. Norman begins to get phone calls and notes from his mother and people are beginning to be killed. Is it mother?

Mary arrives at the house and tells Norman that she needs to stay so she moves in with him for a while. Norman begins to settle down and he gives up his job at the diner to do up the motel again. He and Mary seem to get along well, but there are strange things happening around the house. Norman is locked into the attic by someone and he later finds the door open. He is questioned by the cops about the murders of some local kids, but he doesn't know anything about it. They have a look in the cellar which has been tidied up. Mary tells them that she tidied it up and when they have gone, Norman asks her why she has lied to the cops. She tells him that they were going to arrest him and she knows that he was not responsible for those killings.

Mary goes to meet someone and it turns out to be Lila Loomis. It comes out that Lila is Mary's mother and that she has been trying to get Norman into trouble and drive him crazy again. Mary tells her that she doesn't want any more to do with it as she likes Norman. Lila was making the phone calls and planting the notes around the house. Mary is worried as people are getting killed and she doesn't believe that Norman did it. The doctor discovers that Lila and Mary were working together to cause Norman to become crazy again and he lets Norman know. Norman asks her why but the phone rings and he answers it. It is mother. It looks as if Norman has gone insane again.

Bodies start popping up all over the place. Mary tries to talk to him and make him see that his mother is dead and that he can get away from the motel,but he wont listen. She tries to dress up as his mother to tell him to stop, but she ends up killing the doctor. Norman runs after her and tries to kill her but he slips on a mound of coal among which is the body of Lila Loomis. Mary turns against Norman now and she tries to kill HIM but is shot by the cops. Norman is cleared of the murders and he goes back home. They think that Mary is the one who killed the victims. The final twist of the movie comes when Mrs. Spool arrives at the house to see Norman and to tell him that she is his real mother. He responds by hitting her over the head with a shovel and killing her. It seems that Mother has come home after all.....

One of the best Psycho sequels. I am giving this one a 10/10.