Halloween: The Complete Collection (Eight Disc Box Set) [DVD]

Product Information

Audio Commentary— Writer Daniel Farrands talks extensively with composer Alan Howarth about the film's troubled history, production, controversies, differences between the two and its cult status.

When it comes to the icons of modern horror — Leatherface, Michael, Jason and Freddy — genre fans tend to favor one over the rest. The unstoppable monster of lustful, misbehaving teens has made some significant impressions in his life, something that has captured their imagination since childhood and converted thm into devoted followers of the character. Personally, and although I love each franchise in their own right and for different reasons, I'm a loyal disciple of Michael Myers' reign of terror. I've always gravitated more towards the 'Halloween' series above the rest, ever since I first experienced The Shape's creepily imposing figure standing motionless on someone's yard. Or, his equally eerie march towards his next victim, a calm and patient stride that seemed self-assured and unworried his intended prey would escape. Or better still, the way he coolly skulks from behind the shadows like it were part of him. The Making of Halloween 4(HD, 48 min) — A brand-new retrospective by Scream Factory with recent cast & crew interviews. The second disc is Anchor Bay’s 2007 Blu-ray release with its non-Cundey-approved transfer. It’s a little superfluous except as a cost-effective way to include the disc’s unique extras, including the original commentary by Carpenter, Curtis and Debra Hill originally recorded for The Criterion Collection. The disc also includes the featurette Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest and a Film Fast Facts pop-up trivia feature, as well as the same trailer, TV and radio spots from the first disc.

The Shape of Things(HD, 12 min) — A closer look and discussion on F/X, the iconic mask and the actor behind the mask with special-effects supervisor John Carl Buechler and make-up artist Brad Hardin. Re-Imagining Halloween (SD, 19 min) — Three-part, EPK-style look at the production, makeup and influences. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later also gets a boost with new extras and a transfer that corrects the aspect ratio error of the previous Echo Bridge Blu-ray release. Again, see the individual review for more specifics. Halloween: Resurrection includes all of the extras from the previous Echo Bridge release, including commentary, alternate endings and deleted scenes, and featurettes. The Making of Halloween 5(HD, 44 min) — Another retrospect from Scream Factory with new interviews.

Both Halloween II and Halloween III: Season of the Witch are identical to the previous Scream Factory releases. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers receives one of the biggest upgrades of the set, with the eagerly awaited first official release of the Producer’s Cut. I’ll go into much more detail on this one in an individual review. Michael Lives (HD, 271 minutes) — An insanely in-depth look at the production and making of the movie.Scream Factory has officially announced that it will release on 4K Blu-ray Halloween (1978), Halloween II (1981), Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982), Audio Commentary— Conversation between director/writer John Carpenter, producer/writer Debra Hill and Jamie Lee Curtis from the 1995 Criterion laserdisc release. Tribute to Donald Pleasance(HD, 3 min) — Cast & crew talk fondly of the actor, sharing memories and praises. Bottom line: how definitive is this set and will fans finally be satisfied? Well, it’s about as complete and definitive as it’s going to get. I’d say it rounds up about 98% of the existing bonus material from all of the other releases of these movies and that’s a pretty damn impressive achievement. The newly produced bonus material is top-notch, as good as we’ve come to expect from Scream Factory’s Collector’s Editions. It really does seem that every effort was made to correct any errors from past releases and create something special for fans who have been asked to buy these movies many, many times before. Everyone at Anchor Bay and Scream Factory deserves a round of applause for their work on this set. If you’re a horror fan, you should make this box a priority. It needs to be on your shelf. The bonus disc also includes an interview with the late Moustapha Akkad, a brief new interview with make-up effects artist Tom Burman on Halloween III, still galleries for Carpenter’s Halloween, Halloween 4& 5, radio spots from Halloween III, and TV spots from Halloween 4& 5 and both of Rob Zombie’s movies. Finally, the set includes 5 episodes of Sean Clark’s Horror’s Hallowed Grounds covering Halloween 4, 5 and 6, the Bus Tour episode with Clark acting as tour guide for a group of fans, and the original 2005 pilot episode focusing on Carpenter’s Halloween.

The Nightmare Isn't Over (HD, 45 min) — Lengthy and insightful retrospective on every aspect of the production. The Night She Came Home!! (HD, 60 min) — A pretty interesting documentary from November 2012 showcasing Jamie Lee Curtis's efforts to generate money for charity. Starring: Donald Pleasence , Jamie Lee Curtis , Nancy Kyes , P.J. Soles , Charles Cyphers , Kyle Richards Horror's Hallowed Grounds— Broken into five separate pieces with Sean Clark hosting a tour of shooting locations, starting with a look at parts four (HD, 26 min) and five (HD, 24 min). They are followed by a tour for Curse(HD, 23 min), an amusing "Pilot Episode" for Carpenter's original (SD, 20 min) and finally, a bus tour dubbed "Fan Edition" (HD, 11 min).Rob Zombie’s Halloween and Halloween II appear to be the same as the previous Blu-ray releases from Dimension, including the mammoth, 4½ hour (?!?!) documentary on the making of the first one, Michael Lives.