As the franchise's first appearance on high-definition Blu-ray, John Carpenter's original chilling classic HALLOWEEN is a worthy first stab at extending the murderous legacy of Michael Myers into the HD era, even if this cinematic treasure doesn't quite get the uber-edition release it deserves in the Blu format.  A testament to its sparse but sinister genius, the story and film hold up remarkably well after thirty years and this hi-def edition finally brings a deeper touch of the thrilling theatrical experience home to longtime fans and horror fanatics.

For a recap of HALLOWEEN's story and characters, you're invited to read The Shape of Fear's in-depth review, plus commentary on its impact in genre filmmaking and the undying legacy in entertainment pop culture which marches relentlessly onward today.  There is simply no stopping audience fascination with this minimalist yet masterful telling of a basic suspense tale.  Carpenter and co-writer/producer Debra Hill build tension through scene upon scene as the escaped childhood killer returns home as The Shape preys upon a trio of babysitters in the seemingly accursed town of Haddonfield.

As a devotee of legendary filmmaker Howard Hawks, Carpenter's HALLOWEEN is a surprisingly dry horror film, both in terms of minimal bloodletting and its clever emphasis on suspense and terror — Michael Myers attacks your mind instead of turning your stomach and, unlike Smith's Grove Sanitarium, once he's in your head, you can never escape his wrath.  The film revels in the creative talents of cinematographer Dean Cundey, whose shot-framing and lighting schemes evoke a perfectly chilling Halloween night atmosphere.  Fan-favorite performances by stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence plus solid supporting work by P.J. Soles, Nancy Loomis and Charles Cyphers humanize the relentless danger of Myers' lethal menace, elevating the tale well above the typical, unimaginative slasher films which would follow in HALLOWEEN's wake. At last, The Evil has been unleashed on Blu-ray disc. 

HALLOWEEN — THE FEATURE FILM IN HIGH DEFINITION BLU-RAY
Specs: 1080p AVC MPEG-4 • PCM 5.1 / Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround / Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono • 2.35:1 Widescreen presentation

Thanks to director John Carpenter's filmic talents and cinematography Dean Cundey's great eye for composition and visual tone, HALLOWEEN not only stands up to the high-def scrutiny of its Blu-ray transfer, it wears extremely well after thirty years.  Indeed it's always a technical challenge to bring a 1970s film into the HD era, but very little of this film looks dated beyond the inherent production limitations of its low budget.

While this Blu-ray edition did not get its own new transfer as it deserves, the resulting film conversion (presumably a rework of the 2003 DiviMax hi-def remaster print) rates quite highly for sharpness, contrast and color tones, considering the age of the film.  HALLOWEEN delivers its horror delights in full 1080p via the impressive AVC MPEG-4 codec, which make this three-decade old treasure look as good as it ever has and makes a handsome high-definition Blu debut.  This takes solid advantage of Dean Cundey's widescreen work, exploiting the shot selections and glorious Panavision 2.35:1 wide aspect ratio.  There are a few fun artifacts from this high-def transfer which give away some of the film's low-budget limitations in all their glorious detail: for example, when Michael breaks the window of Marion Chambers car window, we can clearly see the wrench taped to his hand better than ever.  But it's all in good fun and part of the charm of how Carpenter, Hill and the gang created this undying classic on a shoestring and sheer determination — such tiny revelations of the film's imperfections make its lasting impact on horror cinema all the more impressive and enjoyable.

The soundtrack also gets a complimentary hi-def boost with the option of uncompressed PCM 5.1 surround audio, which presents HALLOWEEN's relatively spartan sound mix effectively even if the original can't take full advantage of the track.  Even if the original sound design lacks the dynamics of 21st century cinema mixes, the audio stays consistently noiseless and free of artifact distortion which some older films can suffer in HD upgrades.  One stop down resides the still-enjoyable Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track, perhaps marginally less powerful than the PCM track, and a serviceable Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono track if you prefer the film's original sound mix.  Alas, there are no foreign language audio choices available, nor does this Blu edition offer subtitles or captioning — rather surprising given how standard such features are in the HD era.  One can only hope a future release will incorporate these extras along with exclusive new features to broaden HALLOWEEN's abilities on Blu-ray.

BONUS FEATURES — A THIN SLICE OF BLU-RAY'S POTENTIAL
Specs: 1080i MPEG-2 / 480i MPEG-2 • Dolby Digital Stereo

Three stars stand out among the six bonus features available on the Blu-ray edition, the main attraction being a 1080i upconversion of the 87-minute documentary Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest, formerly available in standard resolution on the 2003 DiviMax DVD release by Anchor Bay.  For the tough assignment of cobbling together video and photo elements, interviews and film clips spanning three decades, this documentary is the most comprehensive and certainly affectionate of all HALLOWEEN making-of featurettes.  Principals like Carpenter, Hill, Jamie Lee Curtis along with execs like Moustapha Akkad and Irwin Yablans offer lengthy interview insights into the genesis of this unsuspected hit.  The documentary interweaves numerous film clips and on-set photos to support the tale of its making, along with some rare footage of actor Donald Pleasence discussing his displeasure with the melodrama of the story, yet illustrating his professional willingness to go along with the group effort to make HALLOWEEN the best it could be.  While Curtis' interview originates from the EPK for HALLOWEEN: H20 (and the video quality is poor via upconversion), her side of the story at the launch of her career is highly valuable here.  Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest is a must own for any devoted fan of the franchise, and its inclusion adds solid value to HALLOWEEN's first Blu-ray appearance, even if it's not an exclusive bonus feature.

In fact the one truly native Blu-format extra is the optional Fast Film Facts track: a fairly unobtrusive pop-up trivia feature running concurrent with the film, offering tidbits of obscure (and often obvious) knowledge from the film's production and historic legacy.  Examples range from the commonly known (the script's original title, the horror film origins of Dr. Loomis' name) to the arcane (the actress playing Judith Myers was a Playmate of the Month), and everything in between.  Fans would easily glean most of this information from watching the documentary featurette or listening to the commentary track, but for viewers who eschew such educational fare, this exclusive Blu-ray bonus can make a fun conversation-starter amid the umpteenth home screening of HALLOWEEN.  Worth noting: some of these silent pop-up boxes of trivia include information as recent as Rob Zombie's 2007 reboot film, which make at least these morsels the most up-to-date enhancements available for this release.

Speaking of the commentary track, this Blu-ray release also borrows the excellent audio commentary track from the 1995 Criterion laserdisc edition of the film.  John Carpenter, Debra Hill and Jamie Lee Curtis contribute separately recorded recollections and opinions on the film, edited together to keep time with the film on-screen.  Again some of their insights are repeated if you've already watched the documentary interviews with the trio, but much of the commentary topics are found only on this track and very worth viewing in this mode.  Being a fan of Carpenter and Kurt Russell's highly conversational, loose and humorous commentary track for THE THING (1982), it's a little disappointing that Carpenter, Hill and Curtis weren't in the same room watching and talking about HALLOWEEN together.  But then again, such recordings can get a bit off-topic and out of sync with the action while the participants relive production memories, so this more straightforward commentary delivers the most informational bang for its buck, to be sure.  As with Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest, the value of this commentary is heightened simply by the inclusion of the late Debra Hill, a fundamental creative force behind this film and franchise, and her memories are an invaluable, irreplaceable resource for fans and historians.

Rounding out the trove of bonus features are: the theatrical trailer, a grainy upconversion of the preview formatted to fit a 16x9 HD screen which looks overly magnified, ruining the shot compositions; three TV spots which are edited down from the theatrical trailer footage and make the film look even lower-budget than it was; and finally three radio ads which celebrate the critical raves HALLOWEEN eventually received and without doubt best sell the mood and suspense of Carpenter's classic.

The Blu-ray enhanced menus are handsomely designed and executed, capturing the style and tension of the film in stills and film clips arrayed behind a slashed-screen motif.  As always, the pop-up access to all menu features at any point of play is a neat and handy feature of the high-def disc coding — decide you want to watch one of the bonus features in the middle of the film, and when it's completed the disc returns you to the point where you left off in the feature film.

SUMMARIZING 'HALLOWEEN' — THE EVIL IS BACK

As the seemingly endless string of DVD versions testifies, just like Michael Myers himself HALLOWEEN will never die, and its presence in the 21st century is assured with this Blu-ray edition of John Carpenter's immortal horror hit.  While this release barely slices the surface of Blu-ray's potential for such a popular and highly-regarded film, nevertheless it is a solid start in the format.

This high-definition disc has just enough unique features packaged with quality material from prior editions to make this release worthy adding to your cinema library.  HALLOWEEN itself holds up quite well to the detailed rigors of hi-def scrutiny and scale, extending the tale's legacy in home entertainment.  Still, what this suspenseful chiller needs and deserves is a brand new transfer approved by Carpenter and Dean Cundey specifically for Blu-ray, bundled with a killer package of HD bonus material which makes the most, not the minimum, of Blu's power on disc (preferably filling two discs).  Rather than carry on the crowded tradition of multiple DVD releases, HALLOWEEN merits a complete reset for the high-definition era which propels its relevance and entertainment value into its 40th year and beyond.

For now, enjoy the staccato score and latex menace of the Shape as he returns home once again to terrorize his next generation of willing, enthusiastic horror-loving victims — HALLOWEEN still reigns as one of the best, as this Blu-ray edition proves once more.