ALERT VIEWERHalloween II: Horror. Starring Sheri Moon Zombie, Scout Taylor-Compton, Brad Dourif and Malcolm McDowell. Directed by Rob Zombie. (R. 101 minutes. At Bay Area theaters.)

Rob Zombie has made a thinking person's "Halloween II," and that isn't always a good thing.

Arrive a little late to the theater, and you might wonder if pretentious film students influenced by bad German cinema have commandeered the projector. Dream sequences with a white stallion and snow falling on skeletons are almost as plentiful as Michael Myers' savage butchering of human flesh. Yes, a half-naked hot woman shagging in the back of a conversion van gets impaled with a knife ... and a few minutes later we're once again exploring the surreal psyche of her masked killer.

Media: San Francisco Chronicle The trailer for "Halloween II."

Zombie's second "Halloween" remake is all gore and atmosphere, and it's not a successful blend. At this point in his career, the director seems incapable of making a film that isn't interesting. His brilliance in casting cameos alone (Howard Hesseman! Margot Kidder! Weird Al Yankovic?!?) is enough to keep most pop culture junkies engaged throughout the 101-minute running time.

But the movie lacks the strong vision and memorable carnage of Zombie's masterpiece, "The Devil's Rejects." Myers is one of the most iconic villains in horror movie history, but he seems to be holding the director back. Zombie has the talent to jump-start the genre, much as original "Halloween" director John Carpenter did back in the 1970s. This movie isn't horrible, but it seems like a waste for Zombie to keep revisiting someone else's world.

"Halloween II" begins with Myers missing and presumed dead. "Halloween" survivor Laurie Strode is emotionally damaged, and trying to forge a new family with Sheriff Lee Brackett (Brad Dourif) and his daughter. Myers' former shrink (Malcolm McDowell) has used his connections with the killer to gain fame and fortune - but remains as broken as Strode.

Those parts of the plot are strong, as are the deviations into the back alleys of Myers' hometown. Zombie and his production designers are unmatched in their ability to make living spaces look so worn and cluttered and festering that you can almost smell the decay. But the movie grinds to a halt whenever Myers' point of view is explored, mostly in repetitive fantasy sequences with his mother.

And while the gore is plentiful - and definitely pushes the boundaries of the R rating - the slayings are surprisingly repetitive and lacking impact. We get inside Myers' head, but his body seems to be going through the motions.

Sometimes it's better to have a mindless killer.

-- Advisory: This film contains profanity, nudity, sex, gore and violence, including a scene that will make you think twice about mounting deer antlers on your truck.