Psycho II (1983)

Psycho II (1983), a psychological slasher film directed by Richard Franklin and written by Tom Holland, follows the story of Norman Bates after he is released from a mental institution 22 years after his infamous killing spree. Despite Lila Crane’s protests, Norman is deemed mentally sound and moves back to his old home near the Bates Motel, where he starts working at a nearby diner. After Mary, a waitress, becomes homeless and Norman offers her a place to stay at his home. Despite warnings from Dr. Bill Raymond, who advises against it, Norman hires Mary. However, things take a turn for the worse when he discovers that the new motel manager, Warren Toomey, is involved in drug dealing and gets rid of him. As Norman tries to reintegrate into society, he begins receiving mysterious phone calls and notes from ‘Mother’ wherever he goes. Eventually, Toomey’s drunken behavior leads to a confrontation with Norman who suspects him of being behind the messages.

Later on, someone in a black dress murders Toomey in what appears to be retaliation for their argument with Norman. Once, upon hearing strange noises inside the house, Norman cautiously enters his mother’s bedroom only to discover that it appears exactly as it did twenty-two years ago. Curiosity leads him to the attic, where he becomes trapped. Meanwhile, a mysterious female figure appears in front of two sneaky teenagers in the basement and fatally harms one of them. The other manages to escape. Later on, Mary joins Norman in the attic and he reveals his mother’s room, now back to its abandoned state. When questioned by the sheriff about the recent murder, Mary insists that they were together for a walk at the time. However, Norman becomes anxious as he worries it may have been him who caused the tragedy since Mary claims the door to the attic was unlocked when she found him there.