7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.9 |
Norman Bates is released from the mental institution and returns home. Then the grisly murders start up afresh. Has he returned to his old ways?
Starring: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, Meg Tilly, Robert Loggia, Dennis FranzHorror | 100% |
Mystery | 13% |
Thriller | 10% |
Psychological thriller | 8% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.84:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
There’s hubris and then there’s hubris. It’s one thing to churn out a sequel to a relatively run of the mill effort that’s done well at the box office (consider the ever growing Fast and Furious franchise for an excellent example), but it’s something else entirely to attempt to craft a sequel (or two. . .or three. . .) for one of the most iconic and legendary movies in the entire history of film. And yet that’s exactly what happened with Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock’s still alarming 1960 opus which peered into the labyrinthine mind of one Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). As I mentioned in the review of that film, younger audiences who have been raised on the slice and dice, hyperkinetically edited rash of slasher films that came in Psycho’s wake are often downright puzzled by Hitch’s rather languid pace in Psycho, where the justly lionized shower sequence doesn’t even take place until well past the 45 minute mark. Hitchcock obviously had more on his mind than mere titillating scares, and Psycho is an object lesson in how mood can permeate a film and deliver a much more chilling experience than mere shots of blood and guts spewing out all over the place. And so we come to Psycho II and Psycho III, two rather different sequels which appeared respectively in 1983 and 1986. Original Psycho author Robert Bloch had actually written his own sequel novel in 1982, but Universal went its own route in crafting the first sequel a year later (though there’s one rather odd link between Bloch’s follow-up and the second sequel, discussed in Psycho III’s review). Universal actually didn’t have huge hopes for the first sequel and originally planned for it to go straight to video and/or cable, but they were overwhelmed with public interest and press coverage, and ultimately agreed to release the film theatrically, where it did surprisingly well with both critics and at the box office. That of course only encouraged the bean counters at the studio, who quickly greenlit Psycho III, though in this case lightning didn’t strike twice, at least in terms of revenues. Critics still found a lot to like in the second sequel, but audiences had evidently had enough of Norman and Mother—at least for a little while (as the somewhat linked Psycho IV: The Beginning and Bates Motel prove). While the chiaroscuro shadow of the original Psycho looms fairly large over both of these properties, the good news is that both of them were made by people who obviously wanted to honor—at least in part—the spirit of Hitchcock’s masterpiece, and the results are generally much better than might be expected.
Psycho II is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Factory with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.84:1. This is a generally extremely nice looking high definition presentation. The elements are in very good condition, and a noticeable but unobtrusive layer of fine grain is in evidence throughout the presentation. Some of the matte work shows its age and the higher resolution of the Blu-ray literally reveals the seams (those who have gone on the Universal Studios tour will remember that the Bates Mansion is really rather small and is surrounded by other sets, necessitating process photography to make it look like it's out in the open—see screenshot 7 for a good example). Cinematographer Dean Cundley, then quite well known for his collaborations with John Carpenter, had gained the nickname "Prince of Darkness", and there are in fact several low light sequences here that suffer from minor but noticeable crush. Fine detail pops quite well in close-ups. Colors seem just a tad anemic at times, but overall this is a very respectable job from Shout!
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 (the packaging incorrectly lists a nonexistent 4.0 audio option). Both of these tracks sport great fidelity and admirable dynamic range, The 5.1 mix is not overly artificial sounding, tending to posit discrete channelization only in some expected ways, including sound effects (the slash of the knife) or in Jerry Goldsmith's nice score, which does not mimic Bernard Herrmann's iconic work in the original film. Dialogue is always cleanly presented and easy to hear.
I remember going to see Psycho II lo those many years ago with very low expectations but still a sense of anticipation. I was more than pleasantly surprised by how smart this film was, especially with regard to its nicely convoluted plot and its series of cascading revelations which inform its last few minutes. Make no mistake about it—neither of the sequels that Shout! is releasing are on a par with Hitchcock's original, but they're both rather unexpectedly enjoyable. I tend to like Psycho II a bit more than Psycho III, for its tone of intentional ambivalence and its series of neat little plot twists, but your mileage of course may vary. This Blu-ray features great video, audio and supplements and comes Highly recommended.
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