Halloween

THE GIST: Ten-year-old Michael Myers, bullied in school and mistreated at home, finally snaps and goes on a killing rampage. He's committed to a mental institution, but eventually breaks free and sets about to find his younger sister.

This version of Halloween is a remake of the 1978 original, and while I'm usually wary of remakes, it's actually pretty well made. Director Rob Zombie is well known in the horror circuit and the respect he has for the original material clearly shows.

Zombie's version tweaks the script of the original by revealing the connection between future Laurie Strode and Myers right away, which actually speeds things along. I also like that he takes pains to show Michael's troubled upbringing and his evolution into the monster we all know during the years of confinement in a mental institution.

THE BOTTOM LINE: I actually think this version of Halloween is better than the original, because it is more thorough and better fleshed out. If you are a fan of the saga don't discount this one just because it's a remake; and don't immediately think less of it because Zombie dared to toil with a Carpenter creation. I found it superior.

Grade: 7