Quotation Quiz:

"It's your nose you know. Fans are funny that way, they take a dislike to things. They'll pick on a nose"
"Aw... You pick your own"

From which film does this witty banter come? The answer is at the bottom of the page.

Our feature presentation: Halloween

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" - in many instances these words should be tattooed to the foreheads of Hollywood execs who, instead of searching for new and exciting concepts, use the words "reboot" or "re-imagining" as an excuse to blatantly regurgitate an idea that made money years before. Surprisingly, Rob Zombie (not his real name) and his take on John Carpenter's 1978 indie classic "Halloween" is a better example of tinsel-town's fondness for remakes.

For the uninitiated, "Halloween" tells the story of Michael Myers who, as a child, kills his mother, her boyfriend and his older sister. Committed to an insane asylum, he remains there for fifteen years, before escaping to wreak havoc amongst the residents of Haddonfield. His primary target becomes Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton) who, along with Michael's former psychologist Dr. Sam Loomis (Malcolm McDowell), must face "the boogeyman".

Carpenter's original "Halloween" cost $325,000 and went on to gross somewhere in the region of $47million in the United States alone, making it one of the most successful independent productions of all time. It redefined the horror genre, setting in stone certain rules which all future slasher pics would adhere to; for example, the pure, innocent teen survives and those who are promiscuous, drink or do drugs don't. Zombie's version could never have hoped to have such an impact and, with an estimated budget of $15 million, the production values are much higher but where this version excels is in the narrative. The film's running time of 109 minutes (compared to Carpenter's 91 minutes) allows Zombie to really paint a picture of the tortured Michael Myers, making this once supernatural figure almost human.

This version also differs in its use of gore. Carpenter's filmmaking was very suggestive, leaving a lot to the imagination. Zombie, whose previous work includes "House Of 1000 Corpses" and "The Devil's Rejects", does blood by the bucket full and, as a result, the film loses that sense of detachedness - which mirrored Michael's own - that the original thrived on.

Zombie's "Halloween" is a rare creature which is faithful enough to Carpenter's vision whilst updating the mythos for a horror-going movie audience in 2007. Old and new fans alike will love this fright-filled scare-fest but it's really not for the feint of heart.

"Halloween" is on general release now.

Forthcoming attractions:

Showing nationwide, "Am I bovvad?" comedienne Catherine Tate takes to the big screen in "Mrs. Ratcliffe's Revolution", a Brit-com from the producers of "East Is East". Dragged to then-East Germany by her English teacher husband (Iain Glen), Dorothy Ratcliffe (Tate) aids a student in his bid to escape to the West. A comic farce with dodgy accents and "Some Like It Hot"-esque cross-dressing.

1998's "Elizabeth" cleared up at the Oscars, scooping seven awards including Best Music, Best Actress (Cate Blanchett) and Best Picture. "Elizabeth: The Golden Age", released in the UK on November 2nd, sees Elizabeth I (Blanchett) preparing for war. There's forbidden love, political wranglings and assassination plots aplenty in this epic sequel. Clive Owen and Geoffrey Rush also star.

Moviewatch grapevine

"Indiana Jones IV" now has a title. Next summer, we'll see Professor Henry "Indiana" Jones Jnr. (Harrison Ford) and Transformers' Shia LaBeouf (possibly playing Indy's son) in "Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull". The film was be set in the 1950s.

In an update from last month's column, superhero team-up movie "Justice League" is in production with "Mad Max" (and, of all things, "Happy Feet") director George Miller at the helm. Jessica Biel ("Blade: Trinity", "I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry") has reportedly turned down an offer to fill Lynda Carter's boots as Wonder Woman for the 2010 release.

2009 will see yet another Roald Dahl book adapted for the big screen. Following in the footsteps of "Charlie And The Chocolate Factory", "The BFG", "The Witches", "James And The Giant Peach" and "Matilda" is "Fantastic Mr Fox" - the tale of said fox who constantly outwits three farmers who are angry at him for eating their produce. George Clooney, Cate Blanchett and Bill Murray are set to voice characters in this stop-motion animation.

And finally, talking all things stop-motion, gothic moviemaking genius Tim Burton seems set to return to the genre with a feature length remake of his "Frankenweenie" short. Expect more ghoulish goings on a la "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Corpse Bride".

Quotation quiz answer:

And the quote comes from Paul's Grandfather (Wilfred Bramble) talking to Ringo Starr in "A Hard Day's Night".

This month's Moviewatch was guest written by Tom Shires