At this point Johnston’s ambitious remake of the 1941 horror classic is best known for its many delays and rumored re-edits, which makes it naturally ripe for critical scorn. And, while the film does have its flaws, those with knowledge of the genre and its Gothic roots will find much to savor, particularly Shelly Johnson’s outstanding cinematography, which evokes the mist-shrouded, heavily contrasted black-and-white imagery of the original. The film quite knowingly straddles the old and the new, and even if it sometimes slips down into the crevice between the two and gets lost in the murk, it is still an enjoyable slice of classic monster mayhem. (Hollywood Jewel 16, Waco, TX)