13 Reads of Horror! - Psycho II by Robert Bloch

One of the greatest horror sequels happens to be 1983's Psycho II starring Anthony Perkins. What many people probably don't know is that there's another Psycho II! Yep, Robert Bloch (the author of the original Psycho novel) wrote a sequel that was released in 1982. He had finished writing the book before Universal Studios had finished the screenplay for their sequel film. The sequels have two completely different plots. Robert Bloch's sequel is more of a satire about Hollywood gory horror films. The 1983 film involved Norman Bates being released from a mental institution and reenters society. Universals Studios didn't like Robert Bloch's sequel and desperately attempted to stop him from publishing it. They feared it would hurt their movie. Bloch went ahead with his novel and Universal Studios refused to invite him to any Psycho II screenings.

Robert Bloch's Psycho II is set 20 years after the original novel and during this time Norman Bates has been in a mental hospital receiving treatment for his multiple personalities, which seems to have finally been cured. However, after two visiting nuns arrive at the hospital, Norman snaps. He kills one of the nuns, puts on her hammock, and escapes in a van. The authorities finds the charred remains of the van along with two bodies - one female and one male, which the latter being believed to be Norman Bates.

Later, somebody goes on a killing spree, starting with Sam and Lilia Loomis in Fairvale. Then the killer heads to Hollywood, where a movie studio is making a movie about Norman Bates.

Has "Mother" returned to protect Norman again?

Final Thoughts

I have owned copies of both Psycho II and the third novel, Psycho House, for many years now but I never got around to reading them. Well, that is until today when when I read Psycho II for the first time. It's not your typical horror sequel. (SPOILER WARNING) Norman Bates dies very early on in the novel by a random hitchhiker. The main killer for most of the story is Norman's doctor! Yep, that's the big twist. Sorry for spoiling it for everyone.

Compared to the original 1959 novel, the sequel is better written with more descriptions. However, story doesn't play out very well and the ending twist feels too forced as if it was just there for shock value. The plot of a killer on the set of a movie based on the murders that occurred in the previous installment reminds of the horror film Scream 3 (2000), which might have borrowed the plot from the Psycho II novel.

Overall, while well-written, Psycho II doesn't feel like a natural sequel to the classic 1959 thriller. Killing off Norman was a big mistake by the author and was probably done to Bloch's distaste for the Universal Studio's Psycho II being made without his contribution. Personally, I prefer the 1983 film over the 1982 novel but the novel has a few good merits going for it. Like I said, it's well-written and there's plenty of scary moments. In the end, it doesn't matter how anyone feels about the novel as it will also be part of the Psycho lore.