Halloween (35th Anniversary Edition) (Blu-ray Review)
Directed By: John Carpenter
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence, P.J. Soles
Rated: R/Region A/2:35/1080p/Number of Discs 1
Available from Anchor Bay
For this very special release, Anchor Bay and Trancas went back to the vaults to present this legendary terror classic as never before, including creating an all-new HD transfer personally supervised by the film’s original cinematographer, Academy-Award® nominee Dean Cundey (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Apollo 13, the Back to the Future trilogy). Halloween stars Jamie Lee Curtis (A Fish Called Wanda, True Lies) in her debut role. Anyone who’s ever watched a horror film in the last 35 years knows the story of Michael Myers, who as a child, butchered his sister with a kitchen knife. Committed to a mental institution and watched over by Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance, Halloween II, IV & V, Fantastic Voyage), he engineers his escape 15 years later, returning to his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois on Halloween night to terrorize anyone who gets in his way, including babysitter Laurie Strode (Curtis).
Anchor Bay gives us a 35 year celebration of one of the more iconic horror movies you will ever find. This time it comes in a digibook form with a brand new transfer. As for the movie, Halloween is a near perfect slasher affair. The eerie Michael Myers stalks an unknown babysitter named Laurie and if you will remember in the original movie here we had no idea as to why. We also have a film that is masterfully shot with a stalking killer who seems to appear and vanish just out of sight of our characters, who have no idea of the terror that awaits them on one of the more exciting nights of the year, Halloween. This movie wasn’t the first slasher film, but it opened the door for everything we’d get in the 80s and it does so with very little in the way of blood and gore. In Halloween it is more about style and atmosphere.
And what an atmosphere this film brings to the table. The world’s most chilling and memorable theme has to come from Halloween. It is almost as iconic as Michael Myers himself. You also can never overlook the characters of Laurie and Dr. Lomis, brought to life on screen by Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence respectfully. Of course I’m sure this is something you already know. Odds are this won’t be your first version of Halloween and perhaps not even your friend Blu-ray. So to answer the questions I’m sure you have. The answer is YES. Yes, this transfer is far superior than the original Blu-ray. We have a look that tones down the brightness, makes the skin colors more normal, and seems to bring out a more nature and detailed look. As a matter of fact I’d say this was the perfect transfer for this movie. If you own the previous release you won’t be let down if you double dip or perhaps quadruple dip for this.
– Digibook with embossed cover and foil accents. Booklet inside featuring 20 pages of photos along with an essay about the film.
– All-new audio commentary with writer/director John Carpenter and star Jamie Lee Curtis
– All-new featurette entitled “The Night She Came Home” – a documentary-style piece showing Jamie Lee Curtis attending a fan convention.
– On Location: 25 Years Later featurette
– Trailer
– Old TV and radio spots
– TV version footage – footage added in for the film’s TV airings.
