Breck Eisner’s remake of a lesser-known George Romero horror show from 1973, a therefore more defensible remake than those of the Dead series, for which we can hope that Romero (credited as executive producer) received decent compensation. The no-nonsense line of action to do with a contagion of homicidal lunacy in rural Iowa, caused and exacerbated by military misconduct (if it matters), is mostly routine, but the scene in the car wash, with the assailants obscured by shampoo suds and rotating brushes, rises slightly above. Timothy Olyphant, though he’s got the voice for it, does not look likely by this route to become the next Clint Eastwood, yet he gives a creditable effort as the town sheriff, together with the plain-named Joe Anderson as his good-ole-boy deputy. And while it may seem a little strange to regard as a Scream Queen someone who has worked with Woody Allen, Robert Benton, Marc Forster, Lisa Cholodenko, among others, Radha Mitchell appears hell-bent on getting us used to the idea. (2010) — Duncan Shepherd