'Psycho II' is one of the best sequels in any genre. Anthony Perkins continues to find new layers as Norman Bates as we enter a new dangerous chapter of legacy.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Dec 31, 2024

A worthy attempt to reckon with the original picture’s legacy.

| Oct 28, 2024

Simultaneously the franchise's best and most frustrating sequel — complicating the clarity of its interrogation of America's relationship with mental health with a cacophonous and clumsy ending.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 13, 2023

Far, far better than 23-years-later follow-up to Psycho had any right to be, on top of being far, far better than a slasher sequel had any right to be in 1983.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Sep 4, 2022

Shockingly good for a 23-years-later sequel, making the bold choice to make the original's antagonist its protagonist. And you know what? It works. It works very, very well.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Dec 29, 2020

It doesn't stop being a repetition. [Full Review in Spanish]

| Sep 3, 2019

Franklin's consummate handling of suspense, black humour and several paradigm-shifting twists mak[e] this a worthy sequel to the original, and a convincing evocation of the old master's ghost.

| Jul 31, 2017

A person would have to be as crazy as Norman Bates to even think about helming a sequel to Psycho, but the shocking truth is that this intelligent follow-up in no way soils the memory of its classic predecessor.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 16, 2013

[Blu-ray Review] A psychologically scary and handsomely mounted thriller.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 23, 2013

You can chide Psycho II for its hubris, and the fact that it won't ever get within shouting distance of a classic. But for a quiet summer escape with an old motel owner we used to know... yeah, it could be a lot worse.

| Original Score: B | Jun 5, 2013

A surprisingly decent sequel to Alfred Hitchcock's landmark slasher...

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Oct 10, 2011

This sequel to Alfred Hitchcock's classic is surprisingly good.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Oct 20, 2008

Director Richard Franklin deftly keeps the suspense and tension on high while dolling out dozens of shock-of-recognitions shots drawn from the audience's familiarity with Psycho.

| Oct 20, 2008

Though far from a worthy successor to the original (but why make impossible demands?) the film clearly could have been much worse.

| Oct 20, 2008

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 17, 2008

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Feb 18, 2007

Scary and fun, it's as worthy a sequel as one might reasonably expect.

| Jun 24, 2006

It’s an obvious cash-grab and an attempt to capitalize on the slasher craze of the early 1980s, but a strong performance by Anthony Perkins and some clever twists helps this rise above run-of-the-mill sequel fodder.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Sep 9, 2005

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jul 8, 2005

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Jun 14, 2005