ALSO SHOWING

combination gives the film a knowing air, as when one of Ally’s friends asks why her grandma is still making such a big deal out of Myers given his deeds, though awful, have been replaced by worse horrors. There are amusing moments too, including Jibrail Nantambu stealing a scene as a youngster with the bad fortune to be babysat this Halloween.

The killing, when it starts, is gruesome. Myers does so much of it the act becomes routine to the point of boring. So much so that the mind wanders and questions pile up – never a good thing to happen when you are supposed to be suspending disbelief.

FAHRENHEIT 11/9 (15)**

Dir: Michael Moore

Runtime: 128 minutes

MICHAEL Moore’s documentary assault on Donald Trump is at once magnificently angry and toweringly stupid. The helmer of Bowling for Columbine takes as his starting point November 9, the day after the 2016 election, and asks how Trump won, despite nearly all predictions (not Moore’s: he had been warning about The Donald for years). Moore is on winning form when shining a light on the poisoned water scandal in Flint (which happened before Trump took office), recent school shootings and the rising tide of intolerance in America. What a pity he loses the plot completely when the Hitler comparisons begin and his film takes a turn for the ridiculous and offensive.

GOOSEBUMPS 2: HAUNTED HALLOWEEN (PG) ***

Dir: Ari Sandel

With: Wendi McLendon-Covey, Madison Iseman, Ken Jeong

IF you are after a good-natured Halloween caper, look no further than this follow-up to the 2015 hit. Sonny and Sam (Jeremy Ray Taylor, Caleel Harris) think they have hit the jackpot when their career as junk removers starts in a big house. All they come away with, though, is a ventriloquist’s dummy which turns out to be far more than he seems. Cue mayhem as big sis and mum (the ever-amusing Wendi McLendon-Covey) get in on the action. Watch out for author RL Stine, on whose books the series is based, in a cameo. Some scenes are pretty scary, and that’s before we get to the dummy who laughs like Timmy Mallett.

Why, for example, is it so difficult to stop Myers given he walks everywhere? A toddler on a tricycle could outpace him, never mind a police car.

Where this Halloween scores, apart from the casting of Curtis, is in fashioning the story from the main victim’s viewpoint. The Laurie of 2018 is no longer a young, terrified babysitter but a gun-toting grandma who is mad as hell at Myers and is not going to take any more.

Curtis, to her credit, plays Laurie as an ordinary grandma, with no make-up, glasses, wild hair and supermarket jeans. Shock horror: actor allowed to look her own age on screen. What will they think of next?

Another to look out for this week is the Italian drama Dogman **** . Directed by Matteo Garrone of Gomorra fame, it is the story of a dog groomer who loves his daughter and his furry charges. Marcello is a gentle soul, less able than most in the down-at-heel seaside town to resist the demands of local bully Simoncino. It is a failing for which he pays a high price. Far from a cuddly watch, but Marcello Fonte delivers an unforgettable performance as the runt of the pack. He won best actor at Cannes, with the canine cast scooping the Palm Dog.