Halloween: Resurrection

THE GIST: Three years have passed since Laurie Strode last faced off against her brother Michael Myers, whom she believed to have decapitated, only to find out that he had switched places with an innocent and careless paramedic. Now she's in a psychiatric hospital, while Michael is still out there, looking for her. Meanwhile, Myers's childhood home is now the location for a cheap reality show about the murderous villain.

Leave it to the producers of this venerable cinematic property to immediately proceed to squander its newly rehabilitated name.

After so many misfires (episode two wasn't good, but it was followed by awful three, very bad four, and bad five and six) the original Halloween finally had a decent sequel with H20, only to then fall back into the mud with Halloween: Resurrection.

I hope Jamie Lee Curtis got paid really well for the small part she plays here, because she features prominently in the poster in what can only be called misleading advertising.

After she departs, it's all downhill fast. The movie actually changes pretty radically from a Michael Myers's story to a freewheeling slasher that's very similar to the countless copycats made in Halloween's wake.

The actors aren't all well cast (Busta Rhymes and Tyra Banks are here mostly for name-recognition) and the script is lame, to the point that I couldn't care less for what would inevitably happen to everyone. They get what they deserve, so to speak.

THE BOTTOM LINE: It really is impressive the longevity of the Halloween franchise, which speaks more to the audience's wishes for some good scares than the actual quality of the final products. Another one for the dustbin.

Grade: 4