Plot: What’s it about?
The other night I was convinced by my friends to sit down and watch Halloween for my first time( Don’t Laugh). They had seen it many times and this new limited release on dvd gave us another reason why to watch it. I honestly was 3 when the movie came out and up until I was 12, I wasn’t allowed to see an ‘R’ rated movie. My original thoughts going into the movie were that a movie this old can’t be scary, it is just another slasher flick with crummy music and bad acting. I guess I had remembered the last time I watched a “scary” movie (Blair Witch) and came out bored. Was I wrong or was I right, Keep reading and find out. Halloween Limited Edition is a 2 dvd set that includes the original widescreen version with remastered 5.1 sound and an anamorphic transfer to top it off, also included are a boatload of extras. The 2 disc includes the original ‘R’ rated TV version with about 11 minutes of network footage edited in. The 2nd disc is also 2.35:1 widescreen anamorphic and 2.0 mono. Both discs are also THX certified, if it matters. The double amaray keep case features a neat holographic image of Michael Myers and sports the “limited edition” tag. The limited edition is also limited to about 30,000 discs as well( side note: they released a movie only version of the disc as well with the extras but it didnt include the 2nd disc) Now, on to the movie.
Being my first time seeing Halloween, I didn’t know what to think at first. I sat down turned off the lights and cranked up the sound and let er’ rip. This John Carpenter classic opens with a simple introduction of Michael Myers and his first killing. The music I found was terrific and set the mood. The movie continues on and introduces a very young Jamie Lee Curtis as she is in her high school years and enjoying life. As Halloween night approaches, the high school kids are getting rowled up and are all planning on doing something. Michael Myers returns back to the small Illinois town to ruin the night for the whole town, mainly the kids. What surprised me the most about Halloween was the fact there wasn’t all the blood and gore that are an everyday thing in today’s horror flicks. The mood is general subdued and BAM!! you are caught off guard and something happens. Generally the something happening is Michael appearing or killing someone. The acting is generally good and really this movie sets the standard for horror movies and the mood music that they present(the remastered soundtrack helps too.) As the movie ended, we began to discuss what we just saw. For myself, I was generally scared and the mood was tense. This was truly a great movie. My friends who watched it with me had seen Halloween a number of times and they too were as scared as I was. The remastered soundtrack made all the difference. So far so good.
Video: How does it look?
Anchor Bay could have released a crummy transfer and bad letterboxing but instead gave us the best transfer seen possible for any video format. It’s 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio was preserved and beautifully rendered and anamorphically enhanced to boot. I checked the laserdisc (friends’ criterion disc) and verified it was correct also I noticed how superior the dvd looked. The laserdisc was grainy and not great at all. The dvd has a new transfer that is cinematographer approved and is sometimes better than some of the newer movies. There is also a P&S version for those who actually care about that.
Audio: How does it sound?
Normally I am very skeptical about remastered soundtracks from mono movie as evident by Ten Commandments. It wasn’t that great. Halloween, on the other hand, changes my view on that and released a soundtrack that puts the scary back into a scary movie. The DD 5.1 soundtrack delivers and puts you in the mood. There wasn’t much split surround action, but let’s face it this movie was made back in 1978. What we have now is a real treat.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Beyond the fact the limited edition has two cuts of the movie and both are 2.35:1 anamorphic, the Limited Edition features two trailers, multiple TV and radio spots, behind the scenes photographs, marketing and publicity stills, and a full fledged documentary Halloween Unmasked 2000. The only thing missing was a commentary, which BTW is on the criterion laserdisc. The commentary would be nice but I am not complaining especially after you consider the picture improvements, sound improvements, and other extras. This set is truly limited and will go fast, so run and snag a copy if you can find it.
