Halloween (2007)

Blu-ray

Halloween is Director John Carpenter's early masterwork. Like Orson Welles before him, he may or may not ever recapture the brilliance of this film in his other work (although he came pretty close with movies like Christine and The Thing), but that in no way stops the magic from flowing. The story of Halloween is simple. Michael Myers is a psychopath who was institutionalized at a very young age after he killed his sister. Now some years later, he escapes with the intent on killing even more people in Haddonfield, the town he was taken from. This story is so simple that it might some mundane but Carpenter has infused it with so much elegant tension that it has truly lost nothing over the years. In fact, it is so good that it makes films 4 through 8 really pale in comparison.

Audio Commentary with Writer/Director John Carpenter, Actress Jamie Lee Curtis, and Producer Debra Hill
I really enjoyed this commentary track. I think John Carpenter is a very underappreciated director, and getting to sit back and hear him discuss Halloween was a pleasure. Throw in Jamie Lee Curtis and Carpenter's longtime producing pal Debra Hill and you have the kind of track that plays as an audio walk down memory lane. They discuss all the requisite things from the low budget nature of the production, to the films eventual success and I was just happy to be taking it in.

Fast Film Facts

Halloween: A Cut Above The Rest Featurette
This segment has a very appropriate name in that this film is better than probably 90% of the horror movies that have ever been made. Now, before you think this just John Carpenter sitting here tooting his own horn, know that this segment has a bunch of different talking heads discussing the phenomenon that was this movie.

Halloween II is without a doubt one of the best sequels to a horror movie ever made. Also, considering what it had to live up to it seems to really go out of it's way to give viewers a sequel that is worthy. From the opening shot that seamlessly takes us into the rest of Halloween night, I would love to see both films edited into one because I think that could be a long but intriguing viewing experience. Also, I loved the idea that they were going to move away from Michael Myers and make films based on the Holiday. This is why we have Halloween III: Season of the Witch in this series. However, this movie is also quite good as it manages to focus more on the myth behind Halloween, and brings forth brand new characters that we haven't ever seen.

It was these thoughts that ran through my head during my pristine screening of Halloween on Blu-ray Disc. It is shame that parts 4 through 8 (and even the new Rob Zombie version) have to soil this story's good name.