Trivia / Psycho II

• Acting in the Dark: The final scene of Norman hitting Mrs. Spool with the shovel was not given to cast and crew until the last day of shooting. All the shooting scripts ended with a message saying: "The final scene will be distributed to cast and crew on the last day of shooting". The only people that knew about the ending were director Richard Franklin and writer Tom Holland.
• Actor-Inspired Element: The scene in Norman's childhood bedroom where Mary comforts him on the bed was added by screenwriter Tom Holland at the request of Anthony Perkins, who felt that his character needed a moving moment with the character of Mary Loomis.
• Actor Leaves, Character Dies: Sam Loomis is said to have died in-between films due to John Gavin being busy serving as Ambassador to Mexico.
• Creator Backlash: Meg Tilly had such a bad time on set that she didn't attend the premiere and has not discussed it in detail. She didn't watch the finished film for almost 40 years, but finally did in 2021 (through a livestream on her YouTube channel), and while she found it very scary, she said she enjoyed it overall.
• Darkhorse Casting: It was decided to cast an unknown as Mary opposite the veteran Anthony Perkins. The little-known Meg Tilly was cast.
• He Also Did: Tom Holland previously did Class of 1984 went on to write or co-write and direct Fright Night (1985) and Child's Play (1988)
• Hostility on the Set: Meg Tilly was never allowed to watch any sort of television as a child, and so had never seen the original film and was unaware of its significance. She didn't understand why the press was giving all the attention to Anthony Perkins for his comeback role in this movie, and one day on the set Perkins overheard her say, "Why is Tony getting all the attention?" Perkins was upset, didn't talk to her during filming, and recommended that she be replaced, even though half of her scenes had already been shot. Meg later admitted that while Perkins was "very mean" to her, she understood how stressed he was supporting his family while struggling with his career. She also accused director Richard Franklin of treating her poorly, but didn't elaborate much.
• Playing Against Type: Robert Loggia, best-known for playing gangsters and other tough guys, plays a kind and soft-spoken psychiatrist here.
• Prop Recycling: The set designers found many props and decor from the original film to use again, including their version of a notorious painting. The Rape of Lucretia returned to cover up Norman's peep hole in the wall of his office. It also saw a return in Psycho III.
• Real-Life Relative: The reflection of young Norman Bates in the doorknob when he flashes back to his mother's poisoning is Anthony Perkins' son Oz Perkins.
• Recycled Set: The original house set was used and the motel was reconstructed.
• Role Reprise: Anthony Perkins and Vera Miles return from the first film as does Virginia Gregg as the voice of Mrs. Bates.
• Sequel Gap: The film came out 23 years after the original.
• Star-Making Role: Robert Loggia regarded this film as his breakthrough.
• Throw It In!: The way that Norman says "cutlery" in the scene in the kitchen was conceived during a table read of the script. Anthony Perkins accidentally stuttered when he said the line and director Richard Franklin loved it and told him to say it like that in the film.
• What Could Have Been:
  • The original attempt at a sequel, entitled The Return of Norman. Can be read about here.
  • Early on, the studio wanted Jamie Lee Curtis to play the role of Mary. Which woulda been a heck of a Casting Gag. Richard Franklin felt her presence would be too distracting and she was trying to move away from the horror genre. Carrie Fisher, Meg Ryan and Kathleen Turner were also considered.
  • Anthony Perkins initially wasn't going to reprise his role as Norman. But he quickly accepted when he found out that Universal was interested in recasting the part with another actor (with one of the names thrown around being Christopher Walken!).
  • Brian De Palma was asked to direct. De Palma's Production Posse cast member Dennis Franz as Warren Toomey is what remains of the former's involvement.
  • Sam Loomis from the original was supposed to return, but John Gavin was unavailable, as he had been appointed Ambassador to Mexico by his old friend Ronald Reagan in 1981.
  • Sheriff Hunt was originally called Sheriff Chambers and Dr. Raymond was originally called Dr. William Richmond in the script. They were both characters from the original film but their names were changed at the last minute.
  • In the original screenplay, there was dialogue between Mary and Dr. Raymond when he is driving her to work but it was cut.
  • In the shooting script an extended scene in the sheriff's office at the end of the movie reveals Mary survives the gunshot and "she'll pull through okay" but goes mad.
  • John Williams was originally suggested to compose the film.

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