Product Description

Donald Pleasence, P. J. Soles, Jamie Lee Curtis, Nancy LoomisDirector: John Carpenter

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9291 in DVD
• Brand: Blu-ray Horror
• Released on: 2007-10-15
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .26 pounds
• Running time: 91 minutes

Synopsis
Perhaps the most influential and successful independent film ever made, HALLOWEEN is the movie that put director John Carpenter on the map as a viable filmmaker. An exercise in simple, pure horror, HALLOWEEN takes us into the world of a mad killer, Michael Myers, who at a very young age stabbed his older sister to death. Locked away for many years in a mental hospital Michael escapes one night and returns to his hometown to continue his killing spree. Jamie Lee Curtis, in her first role, plays the resourceful babysitter who is chased by the killer on Halloween night. Produced for very little money and a tight shooting schedule, HALLOWEEN was a stunning success when it was released. Written by John Carpenter and his long-time producer Debra Hill, the film set their careers on fire, with both of them working together many times over the next 25 years. The film also made a star out of Jamie Lee Curtis and turned the slasher movie into a viable, successful genre. HALLOWEEN has been copied, parodied and even turned into a franchise of its own, but the original is still considered the best of the bunch. HALLOWEEN was John Carpenter's first foray into horror, and remains the standard to which all other modern horror films are measured.

Customer Reviews

5 stars but read the fine print.....
Hard to give "Halloween" less than five stars, such a seminal horror classic; when the "Scream" films go through the 'rules' of horror films, this seems to have been the template, and would there have been a "Friday the 13th" without this film? But this review is more about the Blu-Ray transfer, not the film which at this stage probably needs no recommendation anymore. I bought this BD on the strength of the positive comments on here and was a little disappointed. Given that this film is 30 years old, the picture quality is not bad, and can make many newer films blush. But compared to Carpenter's "The Fog" the colours do look a little washed-out at times. There is also such a lot of soft-focus that the film at times seems to lack the kind of depth and plasticity that BD junkies usually salivate for. It is there at times, with some beautiful close-ups of Jamie Lee Curtis, but it is on the rare side, again quite clearly compared to "The Fog" which is just a year or two newer.

And the biggest gripe would have to be the sound. According to the cover "optional" not "original" 5.1 surround sound, which turns out to be PCM, but you'd hardly know it! It seems that the original soundtrack is not up to much, and the track here is the best they could do, at least for now. A pity, because the movie's music is an excellent composition, and that and all effects come across as a little thin, almost tinny-sounding at times. Sorry to keep going on about "The Fog", but once again Carpenter's slightly later flick brings much more of the full-bloodedly gripping and chilling in HD audio terms.

Nevertheless, this is surely the best the film has looked and sounded yet. If you are a "Halloween" fan, order it with this fist full of caveats and you will probably be chuffed. I got it on the back of too casual praise and was a bit disappointed. Hopefully this won't happen to you.

Excellent version
Ok, I've had this film on Betamax, VHS, DVD and now upgraded to Blu-Ray and it's worth it. The picture is brilliant as is the audio. The extras are ok, a retrospective documentary, a few tv spots and trailers, an audio commentary and a fun facts pop up trivia option. Excellent copy of an excellent film.

Best Version To Date!!!!
The Blu Ray version of Halloween has been on my shopping list for a very long time, and at long last its here, and it doesnt disappoint guys, this film is nearly 30years old, and it still holds up extremely well its chilling and has all the elements that a horror needs to put it simple this is a classic and it set a benchmark for its genre all those years ago. now onto the important matter 'The blu-ray transfer isnt perfect guys it does show signs of graininess, but if compared to the standard dvd there is big diff and to me its a small price to pay for such a classic horror film. if you own a blu-ray player then my advice to you is to snap this up.. even with its slight grainyness it still looks beautiful and a lot sharper than the standard dvd-release. this is the best version to date remember guys this is 30years old.

ps: i dont know why they dont just release a full halloween box-set and present it to us in a snazzy blu-ray box. with blu-ray being able to hold so much data it makes sense what do others think? as a fan of horror and halloween this is what id love to see, i cant help but think that with blu-ray making its mark that eventually we will see a blu-ray halloween boxset become available which means we will end up paying it again..