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List Price: $14.98 | | Label: Starz / Anchor Bay
Salesrank: 1392
Released: August 14, 2007 |
| Our Price: $6.95 |
| Used Price: $6.49 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Fifteen years ago, Michael Myers brutally murdered his sister. Now, after escaping from a mental hospital, he's back to relive his grisly crime again, and again...and again. This is Halloween like you've never seen or heard it before! Halloween has been fully restored under the supervision of Lucasfilm's THX digital mastering Services. The DVD was transferred by the award-winning colorist Adam Adams (Terminator 2, Titanic) from a new 35mm interpositive (made from the original camera negative) and approved by the film's cinematographer Dean Cundey (Jurassic Park, Who Framed Roger Rabbit). The new Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack was created by Chace Productions in association with Alan Howarth using the original 16-track music studio master and the recently discovered original 35mm magnetic dialogue and effects tracks.
Description of Halloween:
Halloween is as pure and undiluted as its title. In the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois, a teenage baby sitter tries to survive a Halloween night of relentless terror, during which a knife-wielding maniac goes after the town's hormonally charged youths. Director John Carpenter takes this simple situation and orchestrates a superbly mounted symphony of horrors. It's a movie much scarier for its dark spaces and ominous camera movements than for its explicit bloodletting (which is actually minimal). Composed by Carpenter himself, the movie's freaky music sets the tone; and his script (cowritten with Debra Hill) is laced with references to other horror pictures, especially Psycho. The baby sitter is played by Jamie Lee Curtis, the real-life daughter of Psycho victim Janet Leigh; and the obsessed policeman played by Donald Pleasence is named Sam Loomis, after John Gavin's character in Psycho. In the end, though, Halloween stands on its own as an uncannily frightening experience--it's one of those movies that had audiences literally jumping out of their seats and shouting at the screen. ("No! Don't drop that knife!") Produced on a low budget, the picture turned a monster profit, and spawned many sequels, none of which approached the 1978 original. Curtis returned for two more installments: 1981's dismal Halloween II, which picked up the story the day after the unfortunate events, and 1998's occasionally gripping Halloween H20, which proved the former baby sitter was still haunted after 20 years. --Robert Horton
Halloween Reviews:
Very dependable seller 
2009-11-06 - The seller was very dependable. The item I order arrived a week after it was ordered and it was in great shape like they stated. Would order from them again in a minute.
Halloween.The Definitive Horror Movie-A Classic.
2009-11-01 - Halloween Parts 1 And 2, Are Definitive Horror Movie Classics,It is disturbing yes, Disturbing as you would see On any night of News Coverage on Television,or as Disturbing as People's everyday Declining Morals,But the movie is What Horror Movies Should be, Not meant to Glamorize Crime,but that there is Evil In the World sadly. This movie is not the typical Gore Zombie Movie,But it will creep you out!Not to mention the Eerie track!Donald Pleasence is awesome as is a Beautiful Jamie Lee Curtis Before she ruined her hair!
Fun To Watch 
2009-10-31 - The first Halloween to me has a special meaning to me in that it was probably the first Horror movie I remember seeing. We used to watch this and laugh and quote scenes, and it was indeed frightening also don't get me wrong...but it had such a sense of humor and such lovable characters, there was more to this than just a slasher film.
Watching it as a grown up reveals so many flaws, we all know it was shot with a low budget by a young crew for the most part. Right from near the beginning when Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is walking down the street you see trees that have green leaves on them all around, and then there's the mysterious rain that fell on Lauries block only apparently. Also Annie picks up Laurie at 6:30 p.m. when it's still pretty light outside, when in fact as I type this in Illinois it's only 6:15 p.m. and it's pretty dark outside. I am always hoping not to see a palm tree in the background, or the Hollywood Hills or something. Too bad they couldn't have shot the film at least in the midwest where it was set..today it was about 50 degree and windy on Halloween, the trees that haven't shed all thier leaves are a beautifl mix of yellow, orange, and red. The ground is littered with dead leaves wind blown or raked in to piles on every street. It is a very amazing atmosphere in the fall with the changing of seasons. At least in the movie they are wearing sweaters and jackets to make it seem like there is a chill in the air.
Other than those minor issues perhaps, the film itself is really pretty good I think, the opening scene is the tragic night that started it all in 1963 as a young Myers stabs his sister to death. It then skips ahead to 1979 when Michael is locked up right before Halloween, and of course he manages to escape...which is a classic moment when the wonderful Dr. Loomis played by Donald Pleasance of course has had it up to here with excuses and why he was allowed to escape in the first place, Loomis is a nervous wreck throughout the film, with good reason. Him and the skeptical Sheriff are an oddball team at times trying to put a dent in Myers' rampage. Fav moment is Loomis staking out the old Myer's place and little Lonnie on a dare walks up to the front door and Loomis yells from behind the bushes...cracks me up every time I see it, and then while Loomis is enjoying his small victory, the Sheriff proceeds to scare the daylights out of Loomis.
A very interesting look at high school life in the late 70's also, with the trio of Laurie, Linda, and Annie. Laurie is the brains of the bunch, and one Ben Tramer is the object of her secret desire...but we never really see this character, can't help but think Ben doesn't know what he's missing in a smart, beautiful, shy...yet somewhat rebelious (smoking pot with Annie) Laurie Strode. Linda (played by P.J. Soles) is a favorite character also, a wild child, who smokes, lusts after boys, drinks beers, and says "totally" about a dozen times in the film. Just another reason to love this movie.
There's some violence of course, Micheal watches his victims, stalks his victims, and overpowers all that get in his way. To me it comes together with suspense and horror, plus a dash of comedy sprinkled in that make this one entertaining and totally fun to watch I think. Halloween just wouldn't be Halloween without seeing this one every year IMO.
Awesome
2009-10-27 - The video was new and in great shape. It arrived in a timely manner and the price was great. I would order from them again.
John Carpenter's movies are so awful 
2009-10-27 - As a teenager I was enamored with films, particularly sci-fi and good horror. Everytime I saw a horror film and hated it, it was none other than directed by Carpenter. I don't care about the transfers, or the 1080 or the HD, I am basing this review on the film itself. Save the amazingly talented Donald Pleasence, perhaps in its day, this was terrifying. But when I saw it as a child, perhaps not too long after it was out, I was laughing at most of the film, on really how ludicrous it was. Absolutely terrifying to me is 'The Shining' or of course 'The Excorcist', this is just uniform B horror, and even that is giving it accolades it doesn't deserve. You can argue till the GOP find's a talking head not full of themselves that this was a unique approach to horror films which showed what you can do with a extremely minimal budget, a great score, and awful acting...use really grade school, first person type camera shots, and audience edge of your seat trickery...mehhh...give me 'Blair Witch' anyday....
Ridiculous. How many times is he going to come back to life, over and over and over and over and over and over again. The ending showing still shots of the house, some of the rooms in the house, MM's old house and heavy breathing......oh please...I know 14 year old's who make better cut films on their Hi-8's.
