John Carpenter’s “Halloween” has been a favorite of mine over the years. When I first heard about this new edition, I was excited because the film was getting a new transfer and the fact that this looked like this was going to be a very good blu-ray.
The classic horror film follows Michael Myers, a mental patient who escapes from the hospital on the eve of Halloween. He goes back to a town called Haddonfield, IL fifteen years later after killing his sister in cold blood. There, he begin to stalk a young girl and her friends. Once the night comes, his reign of terror begins and the only person that can stop him is his psychiatrist that knows that he has come home to finish what he started.
One of things that made this film a classic was John Carpenter’s direction. He does a very good job making sure the scenes build up tension. Whether it was the way the film was shot to Carpenter’s score of the film, everything kept you on the edge of your seat. It helped enhance the story and it kept my interest. The other thing that made his direction work was the way he directed the action sequences. Those scenes were suspenseful and scary at times. It kept you on edge of your seat, especially with last twenty minutes of the film. Every time Michael Myers appeared on screen, I felt scared which is very rare for a masked villain of this genre. It’s a combination of the look of the mask and the way the finale played out that has kept my interest for almost fifteen years, when I first saw the television version of the film.
The acting was also as good as the film itself. Carpenter does a very good job making sure the performances were as good as his direction. He takes his time to make sure the performances fit the film’s dark tone. It made the characters interesting and you’re invested in them. The other thing that I like about the acting was that both Jamie Lee Curtis and the late Donald Pleasances did a very good job making sure that the characters stood out from the film’s main character. The film can be as good as your villain, but you need actors to help make the villain feel scary. Whether it’s Curtis as one of the three stalked babysitters or Pleasances as the person trying to stop Myers’ reign of terror, both of them did a very good job making sure their performances were also crucial parts of the film to the film’s success.
The screenplay written by Carpenter and Debra Hill also was a major part in why the film is a classic today. One of the things that this did very well was to make everything have a dark and frightening tone to them. Whether it was the beginning of the film to the film’s final scene, it gave me that terrifying feel that you don’t see in many slasher films. The other thing that the screenplay does very well, it manages to keep you scared. The writers did a very good job writing scenes that were scary and kept you on the edge of your seat. That’s what made the film’s story work very well, as I was interested where the film was going and providing some very scary moments that are still scary to this day.
Blu-Ray Extras:
The extras start off with a brand new commentary track featuring direction john Carpenter and Actress Jamie Lee Curtis. This was a very good commentary track. The track goes over a lot of things like how the film was shot to how some of the scenes were created. They also provide interesting stories about the film and talk about Carpenter directing style. It’s definitely worth a listen for fans of the film.
After the commentary track, the next featurette is “The Night She Came Home”. The featurette goes into James Lee Curtis appearance at Horrorhound Weekend that took place back in November 2012. The featurette an interview with Jamie Lee Curtis along with interviews from Halloween fans talking about her appearance in the film. This feels more like a reality piece than a documentary. It goes more into her appearance at the convention than about her talking about the film. It was okay, but it felt too long.
The next featurette is “On Location: 25 Years Later”. The featurette is imported from the film’s first blu-ray edition. The featurette goes into the locations that were used in the film. It was a good look at the locations that were used in the film, even though it felt short.
The disc wraps up with scenes from the TV version of the film, trailers and TV spots. The only problem that I have with this release was that it could’ve used a retrospective documentary on the film. It would’ve been nice to have it on the disc given the importance of the film, as I’m interested in that.
Final Summary:
“Halloween” 30th anniversary edition blu-ray was a good disc, even though it lacks a retrospective documentary. It’s worth the purchase for its great HD remastered look and it’s commentary track with John Carpenter and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Review Rating: Five Stars
Blu-Ray Extras: Two and a Half Stars
