I’m quite the fan of horror. A lot of my articles for this website have been about horror films. Most everyone also knows I’m not the most discerning film fan, so that tends to put me in an even smaller section of horror fandom when it comes to franchise films. People bash the hell out of A Nightmare On Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge. That one is pretty much my favorite sequel of the franchise. So much that last October I got to meet Mark Patton the star of the film, and got him to sign my dvd of the film. The old dvd from the boxset that actually has the original film poster art too.
Then there’s the Halloween franchise. Notorious among horror fans for having more ups and downs than even the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise. A few weeks Scream Factory in collaboration with Anchor Bay and the Weinstein Company have brought us Halloween: The Complete Collection. All the Halloween films brought together. From the first all the way to Rob Zombie’s two films. This was a cause for celebration as we’ve never had a boxset of all the films together. There was a lot promised, not least of which was to finally see the Producer’s Cut of part 6 (The Curse Of Michael Myers) in its entirety. They finally released all the special features yesterday. Here they are, and I’ll be talking about each disc individually about what is new, what has been ported over from a previous release, and what was left out.
Disc 1 – John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978)
• HD transfer supervised and approved by cinematographer Dean Cundey
• NEW Audio Commentary With Director Of Photography Dean Cundey, Editor Tommy Lee Wallace And The Shape, Nick Castle
• Audio Commentary with Co-Writer/Director John Carpenter and Actress Jamie Lee Curtis.
• “The Night She Came Home” Featurette
• “On Location: 25 Years Later” Featurette
• TV Version Footage
• Television Spots
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV and Radio Spot1080p Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1); Dolby TrueHD 7.1; Original 1978 Audio in Dolby TrueHD Mono
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
To start things off, the first disc is pretty much exactly the same as the 35th anniversary Blu that came out last fall. They just added in a brand new commentary with Dean Cundey, Nick Castle, and Tommy Lee Wallace. Of course the other major draw is it has the original mono audio track that was missing from the previous releases. There was a mono track included in the previous release, but this is an updated mono track with added “lightning effects” that a lot of people didn’t like, and wanted the original mono track that played with the film in the theater.
As an audio purist myself, I like this. I wish Cameron had included the original mono track on the blu-ray releases of The Terminator.
So there’s the two new features added to the first disc. New Commentary, original 1978 mono audio.
Disc 2 – John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) (Exclusive to Deluxe Edition)
• Audio Commentary With Co-Writer/Director John Carpenter, Actress Jamie Lee Curtis and Co-Writer/Producer Debra Hill
• Featurette: Halloween: A Cut Above The Rest
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV and Radio Spots1080p Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1); Dolby Surround 5.1; PCM 5.1; Original 1978 Mono Audio
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Here we have the second disc, which is exclusive to the Deluxe edition. This is the exact same release of Halloween that Anchor Bay put out in 2007. It contains the ported over commentary from the Criterion laserdisc that was on that release.
The big difference between the first two discs is that they have different color timings. If you don’t have either the 35th Anniversary or the original 2007 release, then this release is right for you. You get both discs, one has newly added features, and you can decide which one looks better to you. The one with a bluish tint (the 2007 release) or the one personally supervised by Dean Cundy the Director Of Photography (35th Anniversary release).
Disc 3 – Halloween II (1981)
Theatrical Version• Audio commentary with director Rick Rosenthal and actor Leo Rossi (Theatrical version)
• Audio commentary with stunt co-ordinator/actor Dick Warlock (Theatrical version)
• Theatrical Version And “The Nightmare Isn’t Over: The Making Of Halloween II” Featuring Rick Rosenthal, Lance Guest, Dick Warlock, Alan Howarth, Dean Cundey, Leo Rossi and Moore…
• “Horror’s Hallowed Grounds: The Locations of Halloween II” – Host Sean Clark revisits the original shooting locations of the film
• Deleted Scenes with Optional Audio Commentary from director Rick Rosenthal
• Alternate Ending with Optional Audio Commentary from director Rick Rosenthal
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV and Radio Spots
• Still Gallery1080p Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1); DTS-HD MA 5.1
Here we have disc 3. This is the exact same disc that Scream Factory put out as one of their two inaugural Blu releases back in 2012. Everything is the same. Tons of special features in there.
Now, Universal Studios put out their own release back in 2011, but aside from only having the tv cut scenes as a special feature, the only thing different is that it contains a movie made out of clips of movies from various studios called Terror In The Aisles. If you have that release, it’s worth keeping as Terror In The Aisles is worth a look, and will never get a release on its own. The fact it got a release is a miracle in itself due to the clips of movies from different studios being included on there.
Disc 4 – Halloween II TV Cut (1981) DVD (Exclusive to Deluxe Edition)
Television Cut With Added Footage Not Seen In The Theatrical VersionStandard Definition Full-frame 1.33:1; Dolby Digital Mono
This is also the same disc that was included with Scream Factory’s Blu of Halloween II. It is exclusive to the Deluxe Edition, and will be the only dvd included. It is only on dvd as no HD master for the tv cut of part II exists. Standard definition or not, this is worth viewing as it contains alternate takes of scenes, and an extended ending. Also, since it was composed for tv, it it’s in full-frame, and not the scope format 2:35.1 like with the theatrical cut.
Disc 5 – Halloween III: Season of The Witch (1982)
• Audio Commentary with director Tommy Lee Wallace
• “Stand Alone: The Making Of Halloween III: Season Of The Witch” featuring Tommy Lee Wallace, Tom Atkins, Stacey Nelkin, Dick Warlock, Dean Cundey and more
• “Horror’s Hallowed Grounds” – Revisiting the original shooting locations
• Still Gallery
• Theatrical Trailers
• TV Spots1080p Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1); DTS-HD MA 5.1; Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0
Next up we have Halloween III. One of the best films in the entire franchise, and probably my favorite sequel. At times it’s neck and neck with Part II, but I would probably mention this one when asked which sequel I like the best. This is also the exact same release that Scream Factory put out along with Halloween II as their inaugural Blu releases in September 2012. An error was made on the press release here, though. An audio commentary with Tom Atkins was on the original release, and is not listed here. This was an oversight on their part, and it has already been confirmed that Tom Atkins’ commentary WILL BE on there as this is the same release.
Disc 6 – Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
• Audio Commentary with Actors Ellie Cornell and Danielle Harris
• Audio Commentary with Director Dwight H. Little and Author Justin Beahm
• Theatrical Trailer1080p Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1); Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Now onto the Anchor Bay discs. Halloween 4 is the same Blu disc that was released in 2012. This one is also missing the audio commentary by Alan B. McElroy that was originally on the Divimax special edition dvd as well as a Halloween 4/5 panel that was conducted for the H25 Convention. So if you have that release, hang onto it. If you want it, it’s fairly inexpensive and easy to get.
Disc 7 — Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
• Audio Commentary with Actor Don Shanks and Jeffrey Landman
• Audio Commentary with Director Dominique Othenin-Girard and Actors Danielle Harris And Jeffrey Landman
• Halloween 5: On The Set
• Halloween 5: Original Promo
• Theatrical Trailer1080p Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1); Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Halloween 5 is also a complete port of the 2012 Blu release, and is only missing a short (8 seconds) introduction from Ellie Cornell and Danielle Harris from the Divimax dvd. That really is probably the only thing missing from the set that is pretty inconsequential. It’s no reason to run out and buy the Divimax dvd unless you already have it like I do.
Halloween 5 is pretty much the worst entry in the series, and even I have to say it’s not very good. Save for once again a fun performance from Donald Pleasance. This film just suffered from being put together too fast in order to be released the following year to capitalize on the success of Part 4.
Disc 8 — Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) Theatrical Cut
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spots
• Still Gallery1080p Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1); Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English
Now we get into some newer stuff. The theatrical cut of Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers was originally released by Echo Bridge about 3 years ago on Blu with a 1080i transfer, and no extras. Here it’s presented in full 1080P and it is also in Dolby Digital 5.1 rather than just a 2.0 audio track that was on the Echo Bridge release. It also has a theatrical trailer, tv spots, and a still gallery. None of which were on the Echo Bridge Blu.
Disc 9 – Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) Producer’s Cut (Exclusive to Deluxe Edition)
• NEW High Definition Master from the original inter-negative
• NEW Audio Commentary with Screenwriter Daniel Farrands and Composer Alan Howarth (Producer’s Cut)
• NEW “Jamie’s Story” – An Interview With The Original “Jamie” Actress Danielle Harris
• NEW “The Cursed ‘Curse’” – An Interview With Producers Malek Akkad And Paul Freeman
• NEW “Acting Scared “– A Look At The Film’s Cast With Actresses Mariah O’Brien And J.C. Brandy
• NEW “The Shape Of Things” – A Look At Michael Myers’ Murders And Mayhem With Special Make-Up Effects Artists John Carl Buechler And Brad Hardin And Actor George P. Wilbur (Michael Myers)
• NEW “Haddonfield’s Horrors” – The Sights of Halloween The Curse of Michael Myers With Director of Photography Billy Dickson And Production Designer Brad Ryman And Director of Photography (Additional Scenes) Thomas Callaway
• NEW “Full Circle” – An Interview With Composer Alan Howarth
• NEW Cast And Crew Tribute to Donald Pleasance
• Archival Interviews And Behind-The-Scenes Footage
• Behind-The-Scenes Footage (approx. 30 Minutes)
• Alternate And Deleted Scenes (Not Present In Either Cut Of The Film)
• Teaser Trailer: Halloween 666: The Origin Of Michael Myers1080p Anamorphic Widescreen (1:78:1); DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles: English
Now we get into the main reason why Halloween fans should get the deluxe version. The infamous Producer’s Cut of Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers. Alternately known as Halloween 666: The Origin Of Michael Myers. This is one of the holy grails of horror fandom. It is well known among Halloween fans that the original cut of the film was heavily cut and reshot into what became the theatrical cut. For years this release has circulated as (fairly) well put together bootlegs. Some which utilized the old Dimension dvd to make it appear as a seamless film, but the Producer’s Cut footage was obviously of a poor “Many generations old” vhs dub. The original film footage was thought to be lost, but last year it resurfaced as an inter-negative, and now we’ve got the first official release. This disc is packed with special features that are all brand new. The only thing closest to this was an audio commentary that Daniel Farrands did a few years ago on the theatrical cut that is available online. Here we have a brand new commentary with him and Alan Howard the composer, as well as plenty of new interviews. The only glaring omissions are Paul Rudd not being interviewed (and I’ve heard he’s actually proud of the film, but I’d wager that his busy schedule got in the way of recording an interview) and a commentary with the director, Joe Chapelle, which is no surprise at all since it is well known he hated working on the film and it was simply a “for hire” job for him.
Disc 10 — Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
• Presented in the correct 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio
• NEW Commentary With Director Steve Miner And Jamie Lee Curtis, Moderated By Sean Clark
• NEW “The Making of Halloween H20” Featuring Jamie Lee Curtis, Josh Hartnett, Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, Nancy Stephens, Adam Hann-Byrd, Tom Kane, Editor Patrick Lussier, Producer Malek Akkad, Producer Paul Freeman, Composer John Ottman, Chris Durand (Michael Myers), Writer Robert Zappia, Stunt Co-Ordinator Donna Keegan, Make-Up Brad Hardin And Cinematographer Daryn Okada
• Vintage Interviews And Behind-The-Scenes Footage
• Theatrical Trailer1080p Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1); DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Here now we have another Halloween film that is having a proper release. Halloween: H20 (the one I personally really don’t have a lot of love for, but I don’t flat out hate it. That’s reserved for another entry here in the franchise.), had a dvd release back when the format was just starting out. It touted on the back of the case to include an audio commentary with Steve Miner (the director) and Jamie Lee Curtis. This was left off the release (Steve Miner has gone on record as saying it was indeed recorded. Just left off for whatever reasons), and the old dvd was also non-anamorphic, but did contain the 2:35.1 widescreen version.
The Weinstein Company licensed this release (along with Halloween The Curse Of Michael Myers, Halloween: Resurrection, and countless other Miramax and Dimension films) to Echo Bridge several years ago. They then proceeded to butcher most of the films they put out. 2:35.1 films were put out in 1:78.1, original 5.1 tracks were dumped in favor of 2.0 tracks, a lot of releases weren’t in true 1080P. Rather they were either upscaled dvds or 1080i transfers.
Halloween H20 was one of those. Their release was in 1:78.1, and only contained a 2.0 audio track. Here now we have the first stateside release of the film in 2:35.1 (Alliance in Canada also had the correct aspect ratio, but a 1080i transfer, while Echo Bridge had a 1080P transfer on a 1:78.1 ratio. Mix and match, right?) and it is in 5.1 audio. We’ve got a new commentary with the original participants of the first commentary, Miner and Curtis, along with a moderator in Sean Clark. He’s been a Scream Factory collaborator since the beginning, doing “Horror’s Hallowed Grounds” featurettes where he goes to the shooting locations, and he always has a small (and very hilarious) role for awesome character actor Robert Rusler. He’s also pretty much the reason Jamie Lee Curtis has been open to doing interviews/commentaries for the Scream Factory releases of The Fog and the Halloween films for Anchor Bay, and Scream Factory.
There’s also a documentary featuring lots of participants who are speaking for the first time on Halloween H20. Among them are Josh Hartnett, and John Ottman whose original score was dumped and replaced with a Marco Beltrami score that had a few of his original cues in it.
Disc 11 — Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
• Audio Commentary With Director Rick Rosenthal And Editor Robert A. Ferretti
• Alternate Endings
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurette: “Head Cam”
• Storyboard Analysis
• Set Tour With Production Designer Troy Hansen
• Set Interview With Jamie Lee Curtis
• Vintage Interviews And Behind-The-Scenes Footage
• Theatrical Trailer
• Home Video TV Spots1080p Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1); DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles: English
Now we’re at the end of the “original run” of Halloween films. Emphasis on those quotes as H20 basically ignored everything after Part II (I know there’s people who say that it ignores part II, but the fire from Part II is mentioned. So I don’t know where they got that idea.) This is another maligned entry that I actually love for being so unintentionally hilarious.
The Echo Bridge release is the best of those three releases as it actually contains extras and is in the original 2:35.1 format. However, the Echo Bridge Blu was missing quite a few extras from the original Dimension release, and while most of those have been ported over to this Halloween box set, it is still missing the really cool “Web Cam Feature” where we see all the footage that was filmed in the first person by the actors. I really enjoyed this special feature from the dvd release, and I wish it was included here.
Disc 12 – Rob Zombie’s Halloween (2007)
• Unrated Director’s Cut With Audio Commentary By Writer/Director Rob Zombie
• Deleted Scenes With Optional Commentary
• Alternate Ending With Optional Commentary
• Bloopers
• Featurette: “The Many Faces Of Michael Myers”
• Re-Imagining Halloween
• Meet The Cast
• Casting Sessions
• Scout Taylor-Compton Screen Test
• Theatrical Trailer1080p Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1); DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, Spanish
Now we’re on the remake that Rob Zombie made. This is probably the only entry in the franchise that I flat out dislike. I’ve seen the unrated cut included here, and it didn’t do much for me. Too many problems with the film to get into here, but one of the biggest was shoehorning THE ENTIRE ORIGINAL FILM into the last 30 or so minutes of the film. Seriously, this remake starts off as its own thing, and then suddenly we see a pretty much straight remake of the original film crunched into about 30 minutes I never did see the theatrical cut, and while that one was originally announced as being included, it was reported yesterday that Scream Factory couldn’t get both cuts, and were only offered the unrated cuts of both Rob Zombie films.
They licensed this from Sony and one of the head honchos of Scream Factory, Cliff MacMillan has stated numerous times that while they will license films, Sony will not allow new extra features to be produced. Thus the reason why both Rob Zombie films do not have any new special features.
Disc 13 – Rob Zombie’s Halloween (2007) Bonus Disc (Exclusive to Deluxe Edition)
Bonus Features:
• Documentary: “Michael Lives: The Making of Halloween (4 ½ hours)Dolby Stereo
Subtitles: English
Disc 13 is solely devoted to the 4 and a half hour documentary that Rob Zombie did on the (re)making of Halloween that was on the 3 disc Blu release.
Disc 14 – Rob Zombie’s Halloween 2 (2009)
• Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Rob Zombie
• Deleted And Alternate Scenes
• Audition Footage
• Make-Up Test Footage
• Blooper Reel
• Captain Clegg And The Night Creatures Music Videos
• Uncle Seymour Coffins’ Stand-Up Routines1080p Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1); DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1;
Subtitles: English
Now we’re on the final film in the box set. I hope you all are still with me here. If you have been reading everything I’ve written so far, then you are a totally fabulous person. Totally.
We’ve got the unrated director’s cut (much like the remake) of Rob Zombie’s sequel. Like the remake, Sony owns this one and not only didn’t allow new extras, but they also only offered the unrated cut rather than both the theatrical as well as the unrated cut. This is a true shame as I am a very big fan of the theatrical cut of Zombie’s sequel. He was allowed to do whatever he wanted, and wasn’t beholden to doing anything within the confines of Carpenter’s film, and delivered quite the down and dirty big budget exploitation film featuring one of the biggest cinematic monsters of the past 35 years. I’ve seen the unrated cut of this film, and I really didn’t care for it. A nice and streamlined film became overly bloated with stupid crap, and Laurie Strode once again became a completely unlikable character (much like the first film where Scout Taylor Compton’s performance was just terrible.) It would have been a real revelation for people who never saw the theatrical cut (which over here stateside was only released on dvd) and have only seen the unrated cut.
Disc 15 – Bonus Features (Exclusive to Deluxe Edition)
• John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN – The Extended Version (In HD – TV Inserts Are In Standard Definition)
• Interview with Moustapha Akkad about origin of HALLOWEEN
• Featurette: HALLOWEEN UNMASKED 2000
• Featurette: The Making Of HALLOWEEN 4: FINAL CUT
• NEW The Making Of HALLOWEEN 4 Featuring Actors Danielle Harris, Ellie Cornell, Kathleen Kinmont, Beau Starr, Raymond O’Connor, Erik Preston and Sasha Jensen, Stuntmen Tom Morga (Michael Myers) And George P. Wilbur (Michael Myers), Composer Alan Howarth, Writer Alan B. McElroy, Producers Malek Akkad And Paul Freeman, Special Make-Up Effects Artists John Carl Buechler And Ken Horn
• Featurette: Inside HALLOWEEN 5
• NEW The Making Of HALLOWEEN 5 Featuring Interviews With Actors Danielle Harris, Ellie Cornell, Wendy Kaplan, Jeffrey Landman, Jonathan Chapin, Frankie Como, Tamara Glynn, Matthew Walker, Don Shanks (Michael Myers), Producer Malek Akkad, Line Producer Rick Nathanson And Composer Alan Howarth
• NEW Interview With Make-Up Effects Artist Tom Burman On HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH
• HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH Radio Spots
• TV Spots – HALLOWEEN 4, HALLOWEEN 5, HALLOWEEN (2007) and HALLOWEEN II (2009)
• Photo Galleries — HALLOWEEN, HALLOWEEN 4 and HALLOWEEN 51080p, 520p Full Frame, Anamorphic Widescreen 1:85:1, 2.35:1;
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Stereo, Mono
Here we have the bonus Blu disc which is only available in the Deluxe Edition. We’ve got a mixture of old and new documentaries/featurettes. There’s actually a wealth of new interviews on here, along with the tv cut of the original Halloween film. This cut was previously only available on dvd with the limited edition 2 disc numbered version of Halloween from 1999, then as a standalone dvd release (that one I have). Here it is presented in HD, however, the tv cut scenes are presented in standard definition.
So, here’s Rene’s final break down of this release. It’s not entirely “complete”, but it’s also not missing a whole lot of stuff. This is a set that is 99% complete. There are those that are already seething with rage that the theatrical cuts of Zombie’s two films aren’t included. Those actually have been released on blu-ray in Canada which is part of Region A/1 and is compatible with us here in the states. Even better, they are a double feature, so you don’t have to buy both films separately. This version is available through Amazon 3rd Party sellers or on ebay.
The missing audio commentary from Part 4 and the missing Web Cam Feature from Halloween: Resurrection are available via the dvd editions from Anchor Bay and Dimension Films. They’re also not huge omissions. There’s still plenty of audio commentaries present here, and if you’re new to the franchise and don’t own any other releases, then you’re in for a treat. So you’re missing two theatrical cuts that are easily obtainable on Blu-ray, a commentary, and a special feature. So what? Not a very big deal.
The Deluxe edition will also have the films housed in special black Blu-ray cases that feature the original theatrical poster art on them for all the films. That’s a pretty good trade off for missing 4 things.
Buy this from Amazon Right Here To help us out, and also to continue making Dr. Loomis smile.
Source:HalloweenMovies.com