The ninth entry in the Halloween horror franchise is Rob Zombie's brutal and reverent remake of John Carpenter's 1978 genre cornerstone. First we're subjected to a necessarily painful prequel that surveys the troubled (to say the least) childhood of 10-year-old Michael Myers (Daeg Faerch). Then Zombie's script flashes forward 17 years to Myers' escape from a mental institution. Now a full-grown psychopath (and played by the giant Tyler Mane), he takes to the streets in search of his sister, cutting down everyone in his path. Potential targets include Malcolm McDowell, Brad Dourif, Sheri Moon Zombie, William Forsythe, Udo Kier, Danny Trejo, and Tom Towles. "Horrific as it is, Halloween isn't so much a horror film as a biopic, and a superb one at that" (Nathan Lee, The Village Voice).

Rob Zombie---USA---2007---120 mins.

• Letterboxed