'Halloween' in July?

Halloween: Resurrection -- R
Starring: Busta Rhymes, Jamie Lee Curtis
Directed by: Rick Rosenthal
Showing: Showplace West 12 Jamie Lee Curtis is back once again for the eighth installment of the "Halloween" franchise, but only for a brief while. Michael Myers is as relentless as a Rolling Stones tour manager. It turns out that Laurie Strode (Curtis) had decapitated the wrong guy in a mask in the last episode. Kind of like when you walk into the wrong classroom on the first day of school. So we can all relate, right? Freddie Harris' (Busta Rhymes) Internet reality show "Dangertainment" brings six college students to the house of Michael Myers to find out the truth behind this killer. Things turn ugly when the scariest knife-wielding maniac since "Sling Blade" shows up to give the cast a lesson in how to properly use a Ginsu (insert tasteless O.J. analogy here). Naturally, the crew finds out just a little too late that the cast is being slaughtered one by one. Although there are a few elements that have crossed over from modern horror movies, this sequel resembles the first two of the series more than something like "Scream." This is a good thing. For some reason this Michael Myers seems more like the original. He moves in the same mechanical way and hides in dark corners and appears out of nowhere. The suspense is amplified by the gritty, reality-TV show look of the film. It's not "Blair Witch" by any means, but that's also a good thing. It does occasionally allow for unusual cuts and a sometimes hokey sub-plot. Overall, these elements work because, along with the original music, they add a lot to the suspense and mood. Even at the predictable times when Myers is just about to stab someone, you still can't help but jump. After the film gets rolling, the adrenaline rush is pretty constant. And that's really what a good horror flick is about after all. "Halloween: Resurrection" certainly isn't as good as the original, but then what horror film can really compete with "Halloween?" This one ranks just above "H20," but isn't quite as good as "Halloween II." The flick has its share of scares and once it gets rolling the mood is pretty strong -- derivative but ultimately entertaining.