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| Dvdivas
was founded by John Gabbard in 2000. It's purpose has been and
remains to be to provide you, the entertainment community with
the latest dvds and movie reviews. It will continue to be your
link to the most popular dvd movies. |
|
Halloween
- 25th Anniversary Edition
|
 |
Reviewed
by: |
David
Litton
|
| Genre: |
Horror
|
| Video: |
2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen |
| Audio: |
English Dolby Digital 5.1,
2.0, and 2.0 Mono
|
| Language: |
English
|
| Subtitle: |
English (cc)
|
| Length: |
91 min
|
| Rating: |
R
|
| Release
Date: |
08/05/2003
|
| Studio: |
Anchor Bay Entertainment |
| Commentary:
|
Feature commentary with writer/director
John Carpenter, producer
Debra Hill, and cast member Jamie Lee Curtis
|
| Documentaries:
|
"Halloween: A Cut Above
the Rest" documentary
Featurettes: "On Location: 25 Years Later" featurette
|
| Featurettes:
|
Cast and crew information
|
| Filmography/Biography:
|
None
|
|
Interviews: |
None
|
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
Theatrical trailer, TV spots, radio spots
|
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
None
|
| Music
Video: |
None
|
| Other:
|
Photo galleries, DVD-ROM:
original screenplay, screen-savers |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasance,
Nancy Kyes, P.J. Soles, Charles
Cyphers
|
| Written
By: |
John Carpenter, Debra Hill
|
| Produced
By: |
Debra Hill
|
| Directed
By: |
Debra Hill
|
| Music:
|
John Carpenter |
| The
Review: |
I first saw "Halloween"
nearly three years ago in December of 2000,
in the haze of pharmaceutical drugs given me by my dentist after
having my
wisdom teeth ripped from my mouth. Were it not for that incident,
I probably
would not remember my first viewing of John Carpenter's genre
cult classic,
revered by its millions of fans and critics the world over,
and hailed as
everything from the one that started it all to the benchmark
of horror
filmmaking of its time. After multiple theatrical releases it
went on to
gross enormous amounts of money when compared to its meager
budget, and has
since become the beacon of light to which many horror directors
aspire to
mimick or pay homage to. Yes, Virginia, "Halloween"
is a classic, and for
me, that's precisely what's wrong with it.
***
It's not the film itself that keeps me from enjoying it, but
rather its
history and its popularity. I'll admit that I'm a sucker when
it comes to
hype: wave a handful of good reviews or comments in front of
my face, and
prep my taste buds with some misleading descriptions, and I'm
hooked. And in
the case of almost every movie that I've seen as a result of
seeking out and
listening to outside sources, I've always ended up disappointed
in one way
or another. Films like the equally fan-heralded "Friday
the 13th," Martin
Scorsese's "Taxi Driver," and Quentin Tarantino's
highly-lauded "Pulp
Fiction," have all left me with an intense feeling of emptiness
and
dissatisfaction, to which I owe the buildup of positive buzz
and nary a
slanderous remark from another person that hasn't been rebuked,
rebuttled,
and revoked out of fear of a modern-day lynching.
***
With this nagging desensitization lingering over me, I ventured
back into
Carpenter's low-budget flick once again on the cusp of its 25th
anniversary,
hoping that maybe, just perhaps, it was the drugs that had kept
me from
enjoying "Halloween" for what I truly wanted to believe
it to be. Alas,
despite the fact that the production values are solid for their
time and
budget constraints, the movie just isn't scary for me. There
are horror
films you can watch over and over again, and still recapture
that initial
feeling of fear and tension that comes at you in the most exciting
way.
Films like "Suspiria" and Carpenter's own "The
Fog" are such examples of
movies with this lasting power of impact, whereas for me, "Halloween"
is a
watch-it-once, get-it-overwith experience that doesn't really
leave me
wanting another helping.
***
Of course, I could spend hours slamming the movie for its inconsistencies,
its illogical plot twists, and its spawning of the villain who
simply won't
die, even after he's been shot, stabbed, mutilated, burned,
crushed... you
name it, it's probably happened. But when was the last time
you saw a horror
flick that was 100-percent faithful to rules of logic, much
less to elements
of time passage and continuity? And without the invincibility
clause, we
wouldn't have the chance to relive the experience over and over
and over
again in the form of many sequels (I'll be one of the few to
stand behind
2002's "Halloween: Resurrection"). Michael Myers has
come back from the dead
so many times since his run-in with Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee
Curtis) in this
first installment, beating out Freddy Krueger and catching up
to Jason
Voorhees. It's likely that he'll never die, and that we'll see
him in a few
more bigscreen ventures until he vanishes into an obscurity
so dismal that
the studio will take the $2 box office return as a signal. Yes,
"Halloween"
has a legacy, that which will always be remembered by its faithful
followers, of which I am not a part.
|
| Image
and Sound: |
Following the re-release of
Michael Mann's "Manhunter" in
their new DiViMax format, Anchor Bay is now putting "Halloween"
through the
new transfer process. The main problem with the transfer for
"Manhunter,"
however, was the presence of many intrusive enhancement halos;
here, though,
the problem is corrected and the results are simply gorgeous
to behold. The
2.35:1 anamorphic image is the cleanest the film has ever looked
on DVD,
struck from a source print that looks exquisite, and free of
blemishes (even
film grain is at its most minimal). Color saturation is terrific,
absolutely
wonderful in terms of fidelity and reproduction, with fleshtones
that look
great, and hues that don't bleed. Contrast is very good, with
solid blacks
and sharp shadow detail, and although the print appears a bit
faded in a
handful of scenes, it's nothing that carries over into other
moments.
Clarity is top-of-the-line for the film's age, with sharp edges
that lack
visible halos. Very nice!
***
What's even better is the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track, which
sounds
nothing like the monaural track of the old VHS releases, and
remains just as
good as it did on the previous DVD release. Gone is the noise
and hiss, the
inconsistencies and harsh-sounding effects, replaced with a
clean, smooth
sound that is one of the better remastering efforts I've heard
in a while.
Dialogue sounds better than ever before, while the score has
been given a
boost to fill the entire soundfield. Deep bass from the .1 LFE
is minimal
but present here and there, and surround usage is also commendable.
Spooky! |
| The
Extras: |
Following the commentary we
move on to Disc Two, which begins
with the newly-produced documentary "Halloween: A Cut Above
the Rest."
Running a lengthy hour and a half, this piece is culled together
from
interviews with several of the principle cast members and filmmakers,
and
also features behind-the-scenes footage and photos of the production.
The
best part of the doc, in my opinion, is the revelation of the
origin of
Michael Myer's famed expressionless mask, which was designed
from a William
Shatner mask made to capitalize on the "Star Trek"
frenzy that was kicking
in at the time. This is followed by a much-smaller featurette,
"On Location:
25 Years Later," in which Debra Hill and cast member P.J.
Soles travel back
to the small town where the movie was shot. Nothing too deep
or anything,
but interesting nonetheless.
***
From here, we move into the advertising section of the disc,
where we have
some poster stills, the theatrical trailer, TV and radio spots,
and some
production stills. There are also some cast and crew bios, and
a DVD-ROM
section that houses the original screenplay and some screen-savers.
While
this is all welcome material, the most ardent "Halloween"
buffs will be left
wondering where the real beef is. |
| Commentary:
|
Disc One houses the movie
as well as an audio commentary with
writer/director John Carpenter, producer Debra Hill, and cast
member Jamie
Lee Curtis. For "Halloween" fans, this will provide
a most interesting
listen concerning the background and history of one of the genre's
most
popular films, from its inception to its popularity and growth
over the
years. Curtis is heard from on occasion now and then, but it
is Carpenter
and Hill who have the upper hand in terms of relating behind-the-scenes
stories to the listener. Everything from location breakdowns
to set designs
and shot compositions are discussed, providing us with a well-detailed
look
at the creation of the movie.
|
| Final
Words: |
Perhaps the most oft-released
movie on DVD to date, "Halloween"
has been given more treatments on the format than one could
count on one's
hand. With this new 25th anniversary edition, Anchor Bay has
once again
reached into the archives to give us a fairly new batch of extras,
but for a
two-disc set that should have been of mammoth proportions- especially
considering the material of previous releases- why does this
set feel
somewhat lacking in true depth? |
|
|
