...quite an effective little thriller, with enough suspense and shivers to satisfy most veteran horror-movie fans.
Audio:
The audio options are the film's original monaural soundtrack or a new Dolby Digital 5.1 remastering made, again quoting from the promotional blurb, "from the original 16-track music studio master and the recently discovered original 35mm magnetic dialogue and effects tracks." Obviously, you will want to listen in DD 5.1 unless you're a dedicated purist. Be that as it may, the new sonics are not of out-and-out audiophile quality, being a bit soft and subdued most of the time, with a narrow spread across the front channels and even more so in the rear.
Extras:
The Limited Edition of "Halloween" provides two separate discs. The first, main disc contains the two screen formats mentioned above, plus a host of extras, all conveniently housed on a single, dual-layered side. The most prominent bonus item is a twenty-five minute documentary titled "Halloween Unmasked 2000," featuring newly produced interviews with the cast and crew. There are also a number of gallery stills; talent bios; scene selections; TV, radio, and theatrical trailers; and behind-the-scenes stuff. Did you know that the filmmakers used a slightly modified William Shatner mask for Michael to wear? You thought he looked familiar, didn't you? Handsome animated menus, too.
The second disc in the package contains the television version of the film, presented in 2.20:1 widescreen and mono only, with about twelve minutes of additional footage created to make up for scenes the TV censors found necessary to cut.
Parting Thoughts:
I don't think we can underestimate the impact "Halloween" had on the horror-movie market, nor on the independent-film market. For about a quarter of a million dollars, it returned over fifty million. Maybe only "Night of the Living Dead" before it and "The Blair Witch Project" after it created such a stir. This new release of "Halloween" finally does it justice.
The audio options are the film's original monaural soundtrack or a new Dolby Digital 5.1 remastering made, again quoting from the promotional blurb, "from the original 16-track music studio master and the recently discovered original 35mm magnetic dialogue and effects tracks." Obviously, you will want to listen in DD 5.1 unless you're a dedicated purist. Be that as it may, the new sonics are not of out-and-out audiophile quality, being a bit soft and subdued most of the time, with a narrow spread across the front channels and even more so in the rear.
Extras:
The Limited Edition of "Halloween" provides two separate discs. The first, main disc contains the two screen formats mentioned above, plus a host of extras, all conveniently housed on a single, dual-layered side. The most prominent bonus item is a twenty-five minute documentary titled "Halloween Unmasked 2000," featuring newly produced interviews with the cast and crew. There are also a number of gallery stills; talent bios; scene selections; TV, radio, and theatrical trailers; and behind-the-scenes stuff. Did you know that the filmmakers used a slightly modified William Shatner mask for Michael to wear? You thought he looked familiar, didn't you? Handsome animated menus, too.
The second disc in the package contains the television version of the film, presented in 2.20:1 widescreen and mono only, with about twelve minutes of additional footage created to make up for scenes the TV censors found necessary to cut.
Parting Thoughts:
I don't think we can underestimate the impact "Halloween" had on the horror-movie market, nor on the independent-film market. For about a quarter of a million dollars, it returned over fifty million. Maybe only "Night of the Living Dead" before it and "The Blair Witch Project" after it created such a stir. This new release of "Halloween" finally does it justice.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]2756[/release]