MovieChat Forums > Psycho II (1983) Discussion > The best sequel ever made.

The best sequel ever made.


Absolutely hands down. This film does it all. It has amazing characters. I freaking love Lila. She's so good and one of my fave cinematic characters of all time. Norman has depth as usual as his character is so unique and Anthony Perkins does a great job playing him with possibly his best performance as him and Meg Tilly is great as well. I even like Dr. Raymond as a character as it adds some difference to the characters in the film. The story/concept is absolutely amazing. It does everything a sequel SHOULD DO. Or a GOOD sequel that is. It takes the story from the first film, uses it as a background in the one, builds upon it with an entirely new story that moves the story along. The suspense is unbearable as I feel this is one of the most suspenseful films of all time. It has the best mystery any film ever made with the best twists and turns your mind will be blows. It's such a fun thrill ride with amazing elements you'll love. The cinematography is AMAZING in this film as every shot is so beautiful and artistic I love it. Just like the first film. Then again this film was shot by Dean Cundey so that says a lot. He also shot some other well known horror films such as John Carpenter's Halloween and it's first two really good sequels. He also shot John Carpenter's The Fog and John Carpenter's The Thing. Outside of the horror genre he shot the ENTIRE Back to the Future Trilogy which are some of my faves films of all time so as you can see anything with Dean Cundey attached I'll love. He's also shot other well-known films. Anyway, back to this film, the film will absolutely astound you from its story, cinematography, acting, score which is reminiscent to the first film, everything. It's a must see for any fan of mystery-thrillers cuz it's much more than your run-in-the-mill slasher film or your average sequel. Horror sequel that is. Very reminiscent to the 'Giallo' films which intrigue me. It's a thrill ride from beginning to end. One of the best movie-watching experiences ever. You won't believe the secrets it hold and how it ends.

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I agree. I wasn't expecting much when I saw it for the first time; sequels usually don't live up to the legacies of the originals but Psycho II is a perfect example of a sequel that works and doesn't try to imitate the original but rather builds on it. I absolutely loved it, it truly is an amazing sequel especially considering its genre. Good horror sequels are hard to come by. Psycho III and IV weren't bad but their nothing compared to II.

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I think you're overreacting. This film is just OK, it pales in comparison to the Hitchcock film. This should have never been done. They obviously had to wait for Hitchcock to die because he would have had none of it. There are far better sequels out there, Godfather, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter etc. You could argue saying that those films were intended to have sequels, but they are still better than this. The thing is nothing could top put the original film. But even with that this film is just quite mediocre. There was no reason to extend this story. It's funny they use the famous shower scene at the beginning of the film to introduce it, as if trying to use the first film as some sort of bait, I don't know. It's entertaining, I give it that, but nothing more than your average thriller, there's nothing 'masterpiece' about it. Anthony and Vera Miles must have needed the money to take part in this.

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I have to completely agree! I loved this when I saw it back in the early 80's when it came out (and I was a teenager, lol). But, upon buying a copy of it on DVD a couple of years ago, I was so disappointed, and turned around and sold it to a used DVD/book store.

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meh

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I have just rediscovered Psycho and all its sequels. I bought a box set of DVDs and am working my way through them one by one. I love your enthusiasm for Psycho II. I started watching it this morning and have to agree with much of what you said.

The first film is a psychological thriller centered around the disappearance of Marion Crane. It's a traumatic murder and you care about her. But in the sequels the bodies drop like flies and you don't really care about any of them very much. Everyone around Norman ends up dead. I know that's the whole point but it means the characters don't really have any depth- there's no point caring about them because they're just there to be killed. I do like the sequels very much, but for pure depth of character I prefer the original Psycho.

Having said that, I love Tony Perkins/Norman in all of the movies, and I thought it was so unfair that he was trying his best to get on with his life but no one would leave him alone.

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thehalloweencollection, what a great post. I completely agree. This sequel strikes the perfect balance of progressing the story in a new direction, not trying to imitate the original, but still being extremely true to, and respectful of, it.

And yes, it's a brilliant mystery. So many twists.

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I really enjoyed this movie, but in my opinion the best sequel ever made was "the Bride of Frankenstein"

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[deleted]

In the wake of the many MANY mindless slasher flicks released in the 80s, this film was way better than it had any right to be. It's almost as good as the original.

I wouldn't name it the best sequel ever, but it's definitely the best slasher sequel for sure. 8.5/10

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Loved it. The plot was perfect picking up the pieces and making it believeable. Meg seemed like a tortureed soul who wanted to do the right thing, but torn between her mother's revenge or her love for Norman.

Also Norman was sympathetic himself. He really seemed like a changed man until they interfered with his life.

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Good pick with Bride of Frankenstein. I’d also add Terminator 2 and ALIENS. The Empire Strikes Back is also great.

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WRONG... this is what the original Psycho would have looked like if William Castle had directed it. Cheesy and inept. Where did that staircase leading to the back stairs, at the top of the main stair case, come from? Why did the kitchen have a gas stove but the house was heated by coal as the coal pile in the basement would indicate? In the original the fruit cellar was beyond and two steps below the basement but apparently that disappeared as the food stored was now on a shelf in the basement. A basement with windows AND exterior cellar doors. (Hardly suitable for storing fruit/vegies.) And most glaring of all, why the hell would a mental hospital put a man in charge of managing a psychoitc, sociopath's hotel for TWENTY YEARS. The 80's were the beginning of the end for American cinema and story telling.

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It's a very good film with a number of great scenes. Not sure I'd go as far to call it the best sequel ever though.

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No way. Rob Zombies Halloween 2 is the best sequel ever made

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you just made my shitlist, buddy

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Halloween Kills is even better than that one!

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Well, does The Last Jedi qualify as a sequel?

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isn't is a prequel?

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You could say its a sequel to The Force Awakens

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The best sequel ever made (as validated by the Motion Picture Academy) is: The Godfather, Part II, which won Best Picture of 1974 even as The Godfather won Best Picture of 1972.

And unlike Psycho II, The Godfather Part II was scored by the same man who scored the original -- Nino Rota. Psycho II couldn't use Bernard Herrmann -- because he had been dead 7 years -- but that wasn't HIS fault.

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Yea thats a good answer. Personally I prefer The Next Karate Kid. What a shame Cobra Kai series has yet to acknowledge it

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