the plot: Nell (Bettis) and Steven (Roam) move into the Lusman Arms, a crumbling apartment building in Hollywood. While Steven, a med student on call at the local ER, is at work, Nell tries to adjust to her quirky neighbors and the decaying Gothic atmosphere of the Lusman. The sound of hammering echoes through the walls at night, and there are strange occultic symbols etched into the walls and floors of the building. When tenants start to disappear, the tenacious Nell mounts an investigation, aided by Chas (Howard), an elderly actor who's lived at the Lusman since it was built in the 1920s. Nell soon uncovers the Lusman's violent history, as well as a secret series of apartments hidden in the depths of the building where there's an unknown tenant with an unhealthy fascination for hardware.

why it's good: Toolbox Murders is a remake of 1978's The Toolbox Murders, a largely forgettable slasher flick. Hooper's update, though a largely by-the-numbers affair, is a suspenseful gore-fest that manages to eschew some of the more tired tropes of the genre (there's no gratuitous sex or nudity, which may be a plus or minus, depending how you look at it), while fully embracing others (the Home Depot-lovin' killer's first three victims are comely young women). The occult subplot that writers Jace Anderson and Adam Gierasch inject into the second half gives the film a little extra juice, but ultimately turns the film into a derivative rip-off. It's worth remembering that Hooper did much more with much less in his seminal The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, itself the subject of a 2003 remake. With Toolbox, Hooper seems to be reasserting his place in the realm of horror filmmakers, but it's unclear if he's still got the goods. One thing's for sure: you'll never look at a pair of hedge clippers the same way again.

why you should own it: Toolbox is Hooper's best work in years, so fans will want to own it. The Lions Gate DVD has a smattering of features-deleted scenes and commentary from Hooper and other crew members-but it's nothing too special. Casual viewers would be better off picking up Chainsaw for an example of Hooper's greatness.