My Review of Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)

 

Written by Tom Hardy And Kelly Marcel

Directed by Andy Serkis

Cletus: "Welcome back, Eddie Brock. It's been a long time. I miss you ... so much."

The biggest trick ever played on a studio was Sony gaining success with their Venom movies. It gave the false impression that audiences wanted movies adjacent to Spider-Man when in reality, I think they just like Tom Hardy in this role. Anyways, on to the review.

The end of the first movie had Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) meeting Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) in prison. This was at the behest of Detective Patrick Mulligan (Stephen Graham) and it was a meeting that didn't exactly go all that well either.  Not dissimilar to Eddie's life in general as this movie pointed out.

Yes, Eddie and Venom had this odd couple dynamic going well, until they didn't. There was only so much chocolate and chickens that Venom could consume and Eddie was tired of having to try and reign the symbiote in at times. Worse than that, another encounter with Cletus Kasady only resulted in the latter getting his own symbiote and Eddie and Venom going their separate ways.

Watching Venom trying to get new hosts while going to Mrs Chen (Peggy Lu) for comfort was amusing while Eddie was coping without being bonded to Venom as well as his ex-girlfriend Anne Weying (Michelle Williams) being engaged to nice doctor Dan Lewis (Reid Scott). Dan was also dealing with Venom being back on the scene again.

As for the main villain plot, Carnage bonded to Cletus. Cletus wanted to free his girlfriend Frances Barrison/Shriek (Naomie Harris) and Shriek wanted to kill Mulligan. Oh and Carnage didn't especially care for Shriek, creating conflict between him and Cletus. Not to mention the links between Venom and Carnage to boot.

Like the first movie, you've got a rushed third act that's a bit messy on the CGI battle between Venom and Carnage. Annie's got the thankless damsel in distress role, Shriek's poorly utilised and even Cletus got swiftly dealt with after being separated from Carnage. Oh and the movie totally rifled off the end of The Dark Knight and not in a good way.

- Tom Hardy got a story by credit for the movie as well as a producer credit too.

- Mid credit scene had Eddie and Venom see Spider-Man (Tom Holland) on the TV along with J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons).

- Andy Serkis agreed to make the movie if he got to film it in the UK. He was also in the MCU.

- This was originally scheduled for October 2020 but got pushed to 2021 due to COVID.

Standout music: Carl Cox's Carnage, Johnny Cash's San Quentin and Little Simz's Venom.

- Chronology: A few months from where the first movie left off as well as 1996 for the Cletus and Frances backstory.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage isn't the worst sequel you'll see but it's definitely not without its problems. The pacing was rough in parts, Carnage and Shriek are poorly developed and its got a very messy third act. Still the buddy duo between Eddie and Venom did a lot of heavy lifting.

Rating: 6 out of 10

My Review of American Horror Story: Delicate - The Auteur

 

Written by Halley Feiffer 

Directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton

Anna: "You're a monster."

Siobhan: "Oh, no babe. I'm so much worse."

The last few seasons this show has developed a very annoying habit of short changing viewers with shorter and rushed finales and it's a habit that very much needs to stop. The sad thing was that I saw this coming.

Picking up from the last episode, Anna got into ambulance with Dex and Kamal. Within moments, Ivy was revealed to be the driver and both Dex and Kamal were killed off, along with some pointlessly misandry from Ivy to boot.

Then we had Anna surrounded by Ivy, Nicolette, Talia, Sonia and Susan (yes, that's the superfan's name), only for her then to give birth to a demon baby and become paralysed. Trying to renege on a devilish deal does have it's drawbacks.

So, what was the endgame of this season along? Well, this witchy cult are called Delicates and their Auteur was Siobhan (surprising no one). Their goal was to recruit women who wanted it all, birth super powered children and basically live in a matriarchal society. Thematically, it did make sense.

Unfortunately, it's all very rushed exposition with Siobhan also admitting that she was Dex's real mother and that 75% of Anna's baby was hers too. Oh and despite goading Ivy into killing her, Siobhan had no problem in killing Ivy as well. Then there was Anna's choices.

Truth be told, Anna either had misfortune if she refused to join the Delicates or join them and keep producing demon kids. When it seemed like Anna was going to submit, along came Adeline to help Anna using Hestia's power in order to wipe Siobhan out. That scene alone was extremely rushed.

Anyways, if the season had the ongoing narrative of whether or not women can have it all, this episode proved they could. Anna ended the season with an Oscar, a human child and power of her own. It's just a pity the season didn't do a stonger job of having her get all of this stuff organically. Things really just kept happening to Anna. As a character, she had very little agency.

- An opening flashback showed Siobhan meeting Anna at an IVF support group while another one had Siobhan recruiting Dr Hill.

- Anna was sporting the Delicates spiked green heels. Nicolette was recruited to groom Anna for this entire plot.

- Ms Preacher's first name was revealed to be Mavis. She was killed off screen.

- I was hoping this episode would show us clips from the very movie that Anna won a freaking Oscar for. 

- The Ashleys really were just there to make up the numbers, though one of seemed happy about having male sex slaves.

- Chronology: Early 2024 as well as 2019 flashbacks for Anna/Siobhan and a 1970s one for Siobhan/Dr Hill.

I didn't hate The Auteur as a finale but it was unsatisfying and very rushed. I don't know what future the show will have beyond next season but changes in how it's approached need to be taken on board. The finales definitely need to be longer and the heavy focus on Anna would've worked had she been better developed, which she wasn't. 

Rating: 7 out of 10 

A Varied Mood Board Of Shows

I know it's been freaking long since I've done one of these but here's another snapshot of stuff I've been watching over the last few months.

Big Mood: Channel 4 have found a new niche of comedies with a more serious undertone and none serious than this one. Lydia West and Nicola Coughlan are on fine form as the level headed Eddie and the flightier Maggie, and both make for a believable friendship. Throughout the six part series, you had Maggie battling both her bipolar and writers block while Eddie struggled to keep her dead father's along pub alive and dealt with an unwanted pregnancy. There's not many laughs to be had with the show but there's a good insight into friendships and mental health.

Celebrity Big Brother: While ITV2 certainly got the parent series right, I have to admit the celebrity version on ITV was something more of a mixed bag. Way too many influencer types, other unrecognisable celebs and one that seemed more fitted for the Daily Mail style audience. On the other hand, there was something entertaining in watching Louis Walsh make a prat out of himself yet while the winner was decent enough I suppose. It just felt a bit of a letdown after last years much better civilian series.

Ripley: Prior to watching this, the reception seemed to be mixed at best. Some loved seeing a newer version of The Talented Mr Ripley. Others were put off by the black and white format and felt Andrew Scott was too old for the role of Tom Ripley. Personally, I think he's the best thing but there were times where Ripley was almost too inept to live (that boat scene in the third episode being the best example). The show's gorgeous looking, beautifully capturing the 1960s time period and Italian setting. The lacklustre ratings on Netflix and audience antipathy on the other hand does however indicate that we shouldn't expect seconds for this one.

True Detective: I don't know. I liked the first episode of this season but I have to admit, the show just fell apart as it went along. The finale both felt rushed in some parts and a slog in others and despite a good partnership with Jodie Foster and Kali Reiss,  just didn't care enough about either Danvers or Navarro to be really invested as the season concluded. Some wasted actors and a barely contained misandry in the writing didn't help at times either.

Wreck: Back in late 2022, the returned BBC3 struck gold with this nautical slasher/horror series and while the second series traded the cruise ship setting for a wellness centre in Slovenia, it lost none of it's groove. Throughout the six episodes of this second series, we lost so many characters, gained some new ones (and lost some of them), got some great character development, inventive kills, bits of romance, alliances switched up and a promise of more vengeance. What I'm trying to say here is that I really hope BBC3 commission at least one more series of this delightfully batshit crazy show. 

• Joshua Jackson will lead upcoming ABC medical drama, Dr Odyssey, created by Ryan Murphy.
• Speaking of Ryan Murphy, he will produce another horror series on FX called Grotesquerie with Niecy Nash, Leslie Manville and Courtney B. Vance heading up the cast.
• So Help Me Todd has been cancelled by CBS after two seasons.
• Fallout has been renewed for a second season by Amazon.
• Production for the second season of Gen V has been halted following the recent death of Chance Perdomo last month.
• Season 4 of The Boys will premiere on Amazon from June 13th.
• Grey's Anatomy has been renewed for a 21st season while spin off Station 19 will conclude next month after seven seasons.
• CSI: Vegas has been cancelled after three seasons by CBS.
• Seth McFarlane has admitted that Family Guy won't be ending any time soon.
• The third season of Netflix's Sweet Tooth is coming soon and will be the show's last one.
• ITV have announced that the fourteenth series of Vera will be it's last.
• CBS have changed their minds again and given S.W.A.T. an eighth season.
• Netflix have renewed The Witcher for a fifth and final season ahead of it's fourth season. Liam Hemsworth replaced Henry Cavill in the lead role. 

My Review of Late Night With The Devil (2023)

 

Written And Directed by Colin Cairnes And Cameron Cairnes

Jack: "Ladies and gentlemen, please stay tuned for a live television first as we attempt to commune with the Devil."

Time for a horror trip, and what a trip of a movie this one turned out to be. Formatted in a documentary style, here was a movie about a show where the unimaginable happened on live air.

The show in question being late night show, Night Owls where the host, Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) was not only dealing with the loss of his wife, Madeleine (Georgina Haig) but also his talk show in desperate need of ratings. Cue Halloween night.

A night appropriate for some spooky shenanigans, Jack's first guest included a psychic named Christou (Fayssal Bazzi) who tried to talk to the audience with spirits that had mixed results. The mixed results being something that the second guest of the night was willing to use to their advantage.

Former magician turned skeptic Carmichael Haig (Ian Bliss) was a bit too happy to denounce Christou's psychic abilities and was even more keen to antagonise Jack at every turn. As the movie progressed, this would be something that Carmichael would deeply regret.

The main crux of the movie however involved Jack's interview with Dr June Ross-Mitchell (Laura Gordon) and a young girl named Lilly (Ingrid Torelli). Lily in particular played host to a demon named Mr Wriggles and when the latter came out to play, shit went down in the studio and even Carmichael's attempt to disprove it with poor Gus (Rhys Auteri) went horribly wrong.

It's really the final act that made this whole movie for me. The terror of Lilly's possession along with Jack's connection with The Grove, along with the price of his fame and the last scene. Let's just say this movie ended on a very appropriately dark note.

- Lilly had been held prisoner by a Satanic church that worshipped Abraxas before she was rescued by June. June wrote a book called Conversation With The Devil.

- David Dastmalchian got cast as Jack Delroy due to the directors reading article he wrote for Fangoria about late night regional horror TV hosts.

- The Grove in here were a reference to a real life sect of a similar name.

- Chronology: Halloween 1977. Despite being an American movie set in New York City, this was filmed in Melbourne, Australia.

Late Night With The Devil might be one of the creepiest horror movies to come out this year. The studio setting along with the time period worked brilliantly. David Dastmalchian gave such a brilliant performance and that end scene was brutal. I loved this one.

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024)

 

Written by Shay Hatten And Kurt Johnstad And Zack Snyder 

Directed by Zack Snyder

Kora: "Their nightmare is you and I fighting together."

Jimmy: "You must know, you cannot win."

Has it really been four months since the first part of this wannabe Star Wars saga? Yes, it has and in that time, we've also Dune Part II finally get released too. Okay, enough snarking, review time, lads.

Four months might have passed between releases of this series but time has moved slower here. First of all, secondary baddie Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein) was revealed to be alive and needless to say, he was determined to get both the Scargiver and nuke the planet/moon Veldt and not entirely in that order.

The Scargiver being deserter soldier, Kora/Arthelais (Sofia Boutella), who with her own band of misfits and warriors were going to be a massive pain in the backside for Noble and still largely unseen Regent Balisarius (Fra Free). I mean, they're really holding off that inevitable reunion between Kora and Balisarius for a reason, but the little we actually saw here left a lot to be desired.

Kora's crew again comprised of General Titus (Djimon Hounsou), skilled assassin Nemesis (Doona Bae), slave Prince Tarak (Staz Nair), soldier Millius (Elise Duffy) and humble farmer, Gunnar (Michiel Huisman). Yeah, it's them along with Sam (Charlotte Maggi), Aris (Sky Yang) and Jimmy the mechanical Knight (Anthony Hopkins) along with glorified redshirts to keep Veldt from getting massacred by Noble and company.

The first of this movie felt like a lot of padding. Between an overemphasised montage of wheat collecting and well intended flashbacks sloppily done, I felt like some of the first half could've been shorter. As for the second half, I had the opposite issue to be honest.

If the first half dragged like hell to get to the main battles, the second half almost went overboard with it. Yes, it descended into mindless violence, certain characters died and others that were assumed to be dead. Well, one of them turned out to be alive and there's the hook for the next movie.

- The director cuts for both parts will be released on Netflix later in the summer. You'll get six hours of this.

- Kora "killed" Princess Issa in flashbacks and I actually thought the character was going to regenerate. The romance with Kora and Gunnar was very rushed.

- I did like the various banners that Sam made for the characters.  It seemed like a secondary romance between her and Aris was being hinted at.

- The Bloodaxes have done sweet naff all to help so far. Maybe the cuts are where they're better utilised.

- Zack Snyder has mentioned wanting this to be a six movie saga. Now whether Netflix let that happen is another thing.

- Chronology: Essentially where the first movie left off. Not a lot of time passed either. 

Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver should've been a marked improvement on an underwhelming first entry. Look, I've seen worse movies but this wasn't good. It should've been but it's all over the freaking place and if I were Netflix, I'd be hesitant to continue this franchise unless major improvements were made to it.

Rating: 6 out of 10

My Review of Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990)

 

Written by Joseph Stefano

Directed by Mick Garris

Norman (to Fran): "Oh, I've killed before and now, I'm gonna have to do it again."

Into the fourth movie of this series and we got something that not only served as a prequel but also a sequel that only went and ignored the previous two sequels. Don't you just love it when a horror franchise does that?

Ignoring the crazy aunt that pretended to be his mother, we have a Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) who was released from the asylum he had spent a long time in calling a late night radio show, hosted by Fran Ambrose (CCH Pounder). This would be the main plot of this movie.

The radio show in question was about men who killed their mothers, a topic that Norman was well versed in and one where he was better to articulate than the experts Fran had on her show. Fran got so enamoured with Norman, the experts themselves were almost quickly written out of the movie to accommodate Norman himself.

Getting to the prequel aspect of the film we had a lot of flashbacks with a young Norman (Henry Thomas) and the toxic, co-dependent relationship with his mother Norma (Olivia Hussey). Throughout the flashbacks we had Norma emasculate her son incessantly, only for Norman to eventually snap and kill both Norma and her lover, Chet Rudolph (Thomas Schuster). To be fair, Norma had it coming.

Of course Mommy Dearest and her feckless boyfriend weren't the only victims of Norman's in flashbacks. Norman's dalliances with two different women, spurred his "mother" persona into murder. Then there was also the fact that Fran realised Norman was on the verge of killing again.

The would be victim being Norman's own wife, Connie (Donna Mitchell). Norman was tempted to murder his wife because she fell pregnant against his wishes and a reunion between the couple in the Bates family home really could've the same way as the sequels did. Norman came close to succumbing to his mother yet again before choosing a different path.

- The writer for this movie was the same as the original movie. However this aired on Showtime instead of being a theatrical release.

- Janet Leigh (Marion Crane from the first movie) did an introduction for the movie's broadcast.

- Anthony Perkins has a different pitch that was more akin to a black comedy that the studio rejected in favour of what we ended up.

- Chronology: 1940, 1949, 1951 and 1990. Norman's birthday factored into the movie, set during one night.

Psycho IV: The Beginning does feel like a marked improvement on the previous movie and managed to pull off the prequel with a sequel idea rather well. Anthony Perkins gave a strong final performance as his most infamous character with Henry Thomas, Olivia Hussey and CCH Pounder all providing fantastic support. It's a bit underrated this one.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Immaculate (2024)

 

Written by Andrew Lobel

Directed by Michael Mohan

Sister Cecelia: "I know God saved me for a reason but I'm still searching for what that reason is."

Time for a religious experience. I'm sure this film won't be unsettling at all. Well, that a brief hope but then we had an opening scene where poor Sister Mary (Simona Tabosa) got buried alive for trying to escape a Roman Catholic convent. That scene alone was the tip of the brutalness we'd get here.

For the main focus pivoted around a young nun named Cecelia (Sydney Sweeney). An American nun who was brought to the same Roman Catholic convent that Sister Mary failed to escape from. For Sister Cecelia, she was about to undergo one hellish experience throughout the movie.

The experience being a mysterious pregnancy and one that Father Sal Tedeschi (Alvaro Morte) would take an overt interest. During the first half of this movie he appeared to be an ally to Cecelia, sympathetically listening to what drove her into the church in the first place but then, Cecelia's miraculous pregnancy changed everything at the convent.

There was fellow Sister Isabelle (Guilia Heathfield Di Renzi) trying to murder Cecelia and berating the latter for being chosen instead of her while poor Sister Gwen (Benedetta Porcaroli) also paid the price for trying to warn about the strange goings on. Of course, for Cecelia, it'd only get worse.

With her health getting worse, nuns dying around her and a conveniently placed warning via 2 Corinthians 11: 14, it turned out that Cecelia's pregnancy was more planned than divine intervention. I mean, not that much of a shocker but for poor Cecelia, finding out that she was a pawn in a much larger scheme wasn't what she was hoping for.

The idea of the convent using nuns to try and bring about the next messiah was delightfully demented as an idea. No wonder Cecelia ended up snapping as she ended up killing Deacon Enzo (Giuseppe Lo Piccolo), the Mother Superior (Dora Romano) and of course, the mastermind himself, Tedeschi while the birth scene itself and how Cecelia dealt with the "miracle" ended this movie on a dicey note.

- Sydney Sweeney auditioned for this movie a decade ago, it didn't work out back then and a few years ago she got a director and the movie made.

- The movie literally has it's own "twin movie" with The First Omen, which came out the same month and with the same idea.

- Standout music: Carol Of The Bells and Ave Maria, the latter used in an unsettling way.

- Chronology: I initially thought this was going to be a movie set in the past but a few incidents did indicate it was a present day story.

Immaculate made for a rather creepy look into religious horror, evoking a seemingly forgotten subgenre of film while giving a stellar performance from Sydney Sweeney and good scares and gore. However the third act/trimester did feel a tad rushed but other than that, I liked this one.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Psycho III (1986)

 

Written by Charles Edward Pogue

Directed by Anthony Perkins 

Sheriff Hunt: "Why, Norman, why? Good God son. You'll never get out again. We're gonna have you locked up forever."

Norman: "But I'll be free. I'll finally be free."

Following the events of the previous movie, any hope for Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) to be rehabilitated had gone out the window. He had relapsed and murdered Emma Spool (Claudia Bryar) and was keeping her body like he had done with his mother beforehand.

On top of that, he had more threats coming out of the woodwork. Emma's disappearance had been noted and none more than by journalist Tracy Venable (Roberta Maxwell), who seemed determined to prove that Norman was bad again. Unfortunately for Norman, she wasn't the only problem he had to face in this movie.

Norman also had to deal with the slippery wannabe musician Duane Duke (Jeff Fahey) who charmed himself into Norman's good graces by getting a job at the motel but then also teamed up with Tracy to stab him in the back. Duane however overplayed his hand when he realised that Norman didn't respond well to blackmail.

With two foils for Norman, there was also the fallen nun Maureen Coyle (Diana Scarwid). Yes, she looked too much like Marion Crane and there was certainly a point to that too. It also didn't take too long for Norman to fall in love with her, sleep with her as well as save her from a suicide attempt.

Norman's love story with Maureen certainly presented a new element to the character but his issues towards women and sex were further compounded by his mother's influence on him. Needless to say, it didn't end well for Maureen and it nearly didn't end well for Tracy either, until Norman broke his mother's hold on him.

The last scene where he was arrested by Sheriff Hunt (Hugh Gillin) seemed more like a victory for Norman where he admitted to finally being free. Also the movie's decision to reverse the Emma Spool revelation from the last one was a wise decision.

- Anthony Perkins made his director debut with this movie. He'd only direct one more prior to his death. He wanted it in black and white but Universal said no.

- Was it me or did the opening scene feel like a homage to The Exorcist? I thought I was watching the wrong movie at first.

- The last movie for Virginia Gregg who played Norma Bates in the first three movies.

- Chronology: A month has passed since the events of the second movie.

Psycho III certainly did it's best to keep up the momentum from the last one and I did appreciate the continuity from it. It's not quite as strong but in spite of his technical inexperience, I think Anthony Perkins did a decent job pulling double duty here.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of Baby Reindeer (2024)

 

Written by Richard Gadd

Directed by Weronika Tofilska And Josephine Bornebusch

Donny: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is, uh, my stalker. Say hello to Martha."

Ah, Netflix. This month you spoil us with two shows focusing on male protagonists and very different ones too. While Ripley revelled in a cold and chilling turn with a murderous main character, this show went in a darker route without murder on the table.

The premise seemed simple. You had aspiring comedian Donny Dunn (Richard Gadd) working in a pub where one day he showed a bit of kindness to a sad woman named Martha Scott (Jessica Gunning). It was a kindness that Donny would soon regret when Martha would become fixated with him, a fixation that got extreme as the seven part series progressed.

Throughout the series, we saw Donny both try to fend off Martha's volatile advances while somewhat being fascinated by her obsession with him. However with Martha revealed as a lawyer with a history of stalking and a better knowledge of the law that Donny, it was hard for the latter to get the authorities to take his plight seriously. That's often the most frustrating but realistic part of this series.

Martha's obsession with Donny not only had him suffer but the loved ones around him. Throughout the series we get to see his relationships with an ex girlfriend named Keeley (Shalom Brune-Franklin) and her mother, Liz (Nina Sosanya) as well as his parents, Gerry (Mark Lewis Jones) and Elle (Amanda Root) and the effect Martha's reign of terror would have on them as well.

A big relationship that was emphasised was Donny's relationship with a transwoman named Teri (Nava Mau). It's a beautiful relationship, sadly marred by Martha's presence but also one where Donny got some insight into his bisexuality. There's a gorgeously written coming out scene that Donny had with his parents in the last episode, coupled by a funny moment where Gerry encouraged his son to win Teri back. 

The highlight of the series though came at some of the most brutal moments and they stemmed from Donny being mentored by TV writer Darrien (Tom Goodman-Hill), with the former being sexually assaulted by the latter. There's a scene where Donny broke down at a competition and went into painful, raw detail about his attack to a moved crowd that might contain one of the best performances I've seen in a long time.

By the time the series came to its conclusion, Donny's life had gotten better through getting work and Martha being charged for her relentless harassment of him and his loved ones but the end scene. That scene really added a very complicated sting to a compelling series.

- The series was largely based on Richard Gadd's own experience with a stalker. I did like how he's talked about giving Martha layers as a character.

- The title for the show got explained in the finale. It involved Martha having a toy Reindeer that gave her comfort as a child.

- Donny gave Martha a cup of tea as well as free diet Coke when she visited the Harp. A barman gave Donny a free double Vodka and Coke.

- At least two of the episodes have the link www.wannatalkaboutit.com 

- Throughout the episodes, there's a lot of emails shown onscreen between Donny and Martha.

- Chronology: August 2015 to March 2017, detailing Martha's obsession with Donny. Edinburgh and London based.

Baby Reindeer might easily be the best series of 2024 so far and there's still eight months left in the year. Star making performances from Richard Gadd and Jessica Gunning along with an unflinching look into stalking, mental health, sexual assault and coming to terms with sexuality, this show's an absolute must see.

Rating: 10 out of 10

My Review of Psycho II (1983)

 

Written by Tom Holland 

Directed by Richard Franklin

Norman: "I don't kill people anymore."

I've been meaning to rewatch this series and review the sequels for a while. Advance warning: I actually dig sequels to a movie that didn't need them in the first place. It's largely down to Anthony Perkins of course. 

Over twenty years after the events of the first movie, a seemingly rehabilitated Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) has been released from the asylum and needless to say, he's got quite the battle ahead of him. It's a battle from different sides.

For Norman, there's an effort on his part to atone for his actions by working in a diner and it's there where Norman struck up an unlikely friendship with young waitress Mary Samuels (Meg Tilly). Perhaps he saw Mary as a means of amending what he did to Marion all those years ago.

However in spite of his best intentions to get on with his life, others weren't so keen on letting him be. Former motel manager Warren Toomey (Dennis Franz) went out of way to antagonise Norman and later ended up dead as a result and worse than that, Norman was both seeing and getting phone calls from his "mother", which did a number on his sanity.

Of course the main reveals from this sequel came in pairs. First of all, it was disgruntled Lila Loomis (Vera Miles) who was behind Norman's distress for most of this movie along with the reveal of Mary being her daughter. Mary felt bad about her part in Norman's downward spiral but it came at a massive to both of them.

As for the real big twist. No, it wasn't Norman eventually snapping and reverting back to his dependency on his mother. Instead it was the reveal of Emma Spool (Claudia Bryar) being supposedly Norman's real mother and the actual killer in this movie. I'm not sure I liked that reveal in itself but the aftermath of it certainly ended the movie on a macabre note that worked for me.

- The book Psycho II came out a year before this movie was released with an entirely different plot and outcome for Norman.

- Anthony Perkins son, Oz played a younger version of Norman during the movie as well.

-  This sequel would've been a TV movie had they not gotten Anthony Perkins to play Norman Bates again.

- Chronology: 22 years since the events of the first Psycho movie. Sam Loomis died between movies.

Psycho II easily could've been a disastrous sequel but it more than acquitted itself. Both Anthony Perkins and Meg Tilly (who apparently didn't get along) are excellent and play off each other so well. There's a tragedy in Norman trying his hardest to be good, nearly succeeding and slipping back to his old ways. 

Rating: 8 out of 10