The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s resident Spider-Man has been all over the headlines recently after dropping some fresh information on his in-development fourth outing under the spandex, but it’s another Tom Holland that’s been reflecting on an entirely different legacy.
40 years ago, the American-born writer, filmmaker, and actor penned the screenplay for Psycho II, which was viewed with skepticism at the time given the titanic reputation Alfred Hitchcock’s legendary original holds not just within the context of the horror genre, but cinema as a whole.
To the surprise of many, though, it was a genuinely excellent and atmospheric follow-up, one that now holds a reputation as being among the most unsung, underrated, and unheralded scary successors there’s ever been. In an interview with Fangoria looking back at the milestone anniversary, Holland admitted that he was fully aware of the pressure and expectation.
“It was. Totally terrifying. Psycho II was either going to be this huge opportunity or a death rattle. One or the other, but it turned out to be a huge opportunity. And this started out as a cable movie because in 1982, the cable systems were starting to come in, which is why if you look at the end credits on Psycho II, you’ll see Oak Communications. So, basically, it started out being a TV movie. Universal was throwing it away. They had no idea that the title alone had a resonance and didn’t realize how huge an icon Tony Perkins as Norman Bates was.”
Now lauded as a gem in its own right, Holland is entirely right when he suggests one of the many reasons why Psycho II has stood the test of time is down to the fact it “stands out from those other slashers because it’s character-driven.” The remake might have been pilloried for good reason, but the sequel to Hitchcock great gets a pass and then some.