7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
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: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 2.0
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (A, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Note: This version of this film is available as part of Arrow's The Psycho Collection.
Psycho would hardly seem on its face(s) to be a property that would be easily "franchise-able", which may be why it took so long for the
first sequel to Alfred Hitchcock's memorable original to come out. One way or the other, though, the four Psycho films aggregated in this
handsomely packaged new(ish) set from Arrow have what I personally consider to be some remarkably facile "updates" to a story that is by now so
well known that even those who
haven't seen the 1960 classic (and I found out after I posted my review of Universal's first Blu-ray release of that film that there were an inordinately
huge amount of folks who hadn't) know the "big secret". However, knowledge of that "big secret" arguably partially informs the at least
intermittently
rather smart attempts at revisiting the inimitable character of Norman Bates in Psycho II and Psycho III, if admittedly that same
intelligence may not extend to the
made for television Psycho IV.
Psycho II is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Arrow Video with an HVEC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow has included the same booklet for its 4K UHD and 1080 sets, and that booklet includes the following information on the restoration:
Psycho II is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with stereo 2.0 and 5.1 audio. The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K resolution by NBC Universal. The film was restored in 4K and graded in SDR and HDR10 by Heavenly Movie Corp.Psycho II looked pretty good in its first 1080 release from Shout! for Region A, but it did show some anomalies, especially with regard to differing densities and especially some highly variable grain structure, and while those aspects have been improved here, they're still noticeable. Intermittent scenes, as in the opening courtroom vignette, can look just slightly washed out, and any number of lower light scenes see some pretty dramatic upticks in chunky, at times rather yellow, grain. Still, detail levels are surprisingly fulsome throughout the presentation, and the film's nice use of some extreme close-ups helps to elevate fine detail levels. My score is 4.25.
Psycho II features both an LPCM 2.0 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, which to my ears basically duplicate the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and 5.1 tracks I reviewed on the old Shout! release. 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. Optional English subtitles are available.
- Commentary by film critics Michael Brooke and Johnny Mains
- Commentary by screenwriter Tom Holland
- A Sequel to a Classic (HD; 5:58)
- The House on the Hill (HD; 2:06)
- Personality Profile: Anthony Perkins (HD; 1:56)
- Personality Profile: Richard Franklin (HD; 2:05)
- Still Crazy After All These Years (HD; 6:44)
- Behind the Scenes (HD; 1:44)
- Anthony Perkins Interview (HD; 1:23)
- Vera Miles Interview (HD; 1:26)
- Janet Leigh Interview (HD; 1:34)
- Jerry Goldsmith Demo (1:50) is in LPCM 2.0 and plays to a black screen.
- Trailers (HD; 5:41)
- TV Spots (HD; 2:01)
- Image Gallery (HD)
- Audio Press Kit: Promotional Record (HD; 1:53:06) is in Dolby Digital 2.0 and plays to the film.
- Promotional Record Gallery (HD)
I saw Psycho II in theaters when it was originally released, not really expecting it to amount to very much, and came out of the theater kind of pleasantly surprised by how smart it generally was. The good news is revisiting the film hasn't diminished my appreciation in any major way. Technical merits are generally secure and as usual Arrow has aggregated some excellent supplements. Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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Extended Director's Cut
2018
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Lenticular Cover
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