Batfans have been clamouring for this one for a long time. Faithfully based on Jeph Loeb’s run of the comics, THE LONG HALLOWEEN follows Batman (Jensen Ackles) on the tail of a holiday-themed serial killer as he works with DA Harvey Dent (Josh Duhamel) and more reluctantly Catwoman (Niya Rivera) to clean up the crime-ridden streets of Gotham. This is a tense and gripping film, only losing momentum and focus (like in the comic, to be fair) when the Joker (Troy Baker doing a Mark Hamill impression) sidetracks Bats by attempting to gas Gotham from a biplane. This is as dark and macabre as you might expect from the title and is at its best when digging into the tangled psychologies of the equally compelling Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent. The central mystery is far from solved at the films end which makes Part Two a tantalising prospect, especially when it seems at the moment that they’ve made some interesting tweaks to the story’s ultimate destination. SSP