"The Hitcher," a 2007 remake, follows the rules of remakes for today's movie going primary demographic. My mantra is this: Don't go if you don't like bloody horror films. Stay home and rent "Schindler's List" for an uplifting morality tale.

You will not be forced into buying a $9.75 ticket to "The Hitcher." You have a choice. You can choose to see "Freedom Writers." It has a message about doing good.

Yes, I saw the 1986 original and this remake is far superior to last year's remake of "The Wicker Man" and the recent holiday horror movie, "Black Christmas."

College students Grace (Sophie Bush) and Jim (Zachary Knighton) are going through a pouring rain New Mexico to meet up with some friends during Spring Break. Happily going along, they nearly run over a man standing drenched next to his disabled car. Wisely, or callously, they don't stop.

Soon they come to a rest stop – Grace has a weak bladder – and Jim runs right into the man – John Ryder (Sean Bean). He is embarrassed into giving Ryder a lift to the nearby motel. In the car, Ryder pulls a knife and everything goes haywire from there on.

Ryder is a traveling killer and as a predator, he starts hunting Grace and Jim on his "killing spree".

This remake (and, don't forget, the original was slammed by critics) is short on psychological motivation. Ryder is a killer who likes killing. Enough said. Every crazy serial killer knows who to target – that's why all victims die. They are not carrying guns, knives, or cell phones that work in bad weather. Victims are trusting, kind, and not prepared to fight back. And in movies, they are all young and wear skimpy clothes (the bikini clad girls of "Turistas").

The original had blank-faced C. Thomas Howell as Jim and Rutger Hauer as Ryder. Hauer, who I still believe (though totally unfounded) was blacklisted by a jealous Harrison Ford, used a threatening sex vibe that gave his Ryder a deeper, more frightening edge. Sean Bean, has the muscularity and hard face that suits the role, but now that the writers have added Grace, the character's homoerotic subtext is quashed. He's not after Jim as a sport. He's just making his way across America hitching rides and killing families.

What makes a good horror movie? I screamed out loud, I was shocked by the brutality, and the villain scared me. When I got home I put a switchblade in my coat pocket.

(We at zboneman.com are excited to welcome the prolific and multi-talented writer Victoria Alexander to our staff. Critic for http://www.filmsinreview.com/ and pundit and humorist responsible for the candid and fearlessly funny "The Devil's Hammer," her column appears every Monday on http://fromthebalcony.com. Start off your week with a good hard laugh. It's a thrill to have her on board. Victoria Alexander answers every email and can be contacted directly at .)