Like its lumbering serial killer Michael Myers, Halloween is the horror franchise that just won't die. Resurrected in Rob Zombie's better-than-expected 2007 remake, the series seems cursed to repeat the same pattern of diminishing returns. This half-baked sequel starts with babysitter Laurie Strode (a permanently shell-shocked Scout Taylor-Compton) being rushed to hospital after surviving her night of terror. Despite a crafty narrative trick in the first half hour, Zombie's screenplay is often silly, with Michael's surreal visions of his mother (Sheri Moon Zombie) proving terribly misjudged. Yet the musician-turned-director has a refreshingly offbeat sensibility (like using Moody Blues standard Nights in White Satin to creepy effect) and an unflinching eye for the depraved and disturbing. A long-winded subplot sees psychiatrist Dr Loomis (Malcolm McDowell) cashing in on his former patient's reputation. Presumably it's a satirical swipe at our obsession with violence - but it seems rather rich given the film's own penchant for brutal bloodletting.

Laurie Strode struggles to come to terms with her brother Michael's deadly return to Haddonfield, Illinois. Meanwhile, Michael prepares for another reunion with his sister.