The Halloween: The Complete Collection is no exaggeration. It boasts the most complete versions of these movies ever gathered together in one place, some breaching the surface for the very first time. It’s the most complete collection of the Halloween movies you could ever hope to find. This is a 15-disc set, with numerous special features, many of which fans have been waiting for for years but never actually thought they would see. But casual fans and those looking to get into the series for the very first time may not know what they are in for. So this is a guide to show people what to expect from the fan-driven, massive boxed set.
HALLOWEEN (1978)-
There are two discs for the original Halloween, although this is the movie in the set where there’s really no good reason for it. One of these discs is the 35th Anniversary Edition Blu-Ray with a beautiful transfer overseen by original cinematographer Dean Cundey. There are two new commentaries on this disc: one is by Dean Cundey, Editor/Production Designer Tommy Lee Wallace, and Shape actor Nick Castle. The other new commentary is by director John Carpenter and star Jamie Lee Curtis.
Also on this disc from the 35th Anniversary Blu-Ray are two featurettes, “The Nights She Came Home” and “On Location: 25 Years Later.” The disc also features scenes from the TV version of Halloween. With the original Halloween, when it was making its premiere on TV, it fell short of the allotted time slot. So John Carpenter filmed new scenes, including more of Michael’s time in the sanitarium. There are also trailers and TV spots as well.
The second disc for the original Halloween is fairly unnecessary. It’s the original Blu-Ray before the new, corrected transfer came along. But it does feature a previous commentary featuring Carpenter, Curtis and now-deceased producer and co-writer Debra Hill—although this commentary is edited together as opposed to being recorded live. The highlight of this disc is a feature-length documentary on the original Halloween titled “Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest.”
HALLOWEEN II (1981)-
The third disc is Halloween II, the theatrical version. It contains all of the numerous bonus features from the previous Scream Factory collector’s edition Blu-Ray. There are two commentaries on this one. One is by director Rick Rosenthal and actor Leo Rossi. The other commentary is by Shape actor/stunt-coordinator Dick Warlock.
There is a featurette titled “The Nightmare Isn’t Over: The Making of Halloween II” which features Rick Rosenthal, Lance Guest, Dick Warlock, Alan Howarth, Dean Cundey, Leo Rossi and others. There’s also a “Horror’s Hallowed Grounds” hosted by Sean Clarke, revisiting the movie’s filming locations. There are deleted scenes with optional director’s commentary as well as an alternate ending. This disc also features trailers and TV spots.
The second disc for Halloween II is the TV version. It’s actually the only DVD in the set. Like the Halloween TV version, it features some new scenes and some scenes that were done a little differently for the TV audience.
HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH-
Like Halloween II, the special features are from the Scream Factory collector’s edition Blu-Ray of the film. There’s a commentary by director Tommy Lee Wallace, as well as a commentary by actor Tom Atkins. There is also a featurette titled “Stand Alone: The Making of Halloween III: Season of the Witch.” This featurette includes interviews Tommy Lee Wallace, Tom Atkins, Stacey Nelkin, Dick Warlock, Dean Cundey and others. Once again, there is a “Horror’s Hallowed Grounds” hosted by Sean Clark, revisiting the filming locations. And there are also trailers and TV spots.
HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS-
The transfer and most of the special features come from the Anchor Bay Blu-Ray. There are new special features for this movie, but they are not included on this disc. This disc features a commentary by director Dwight H. Little and author and columnist Justin Beahm. There’s another commentary by Ellie Cornell and Danielle Harris. And there’s a theatrical trailer.
HALLOWEEN 5: THE REVENGE OF MICHAEL MYERS-
Like Halloween 4, the transfer and features on this disc are from the Anchor Bay Blu-Ray. There is a commentary by Michael Myers actor Don Shanks and author Justin Beahm, as well as a second commentary by director Dominque Othenin-Girard, Danielle Harris and Jeffrey Landman. The disc also features on-set footage as well as a promo and a theatrical trailer.
HALLOWEEN: THE CURSE OF MICHAEL MYERS-
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers is sort of the main attraction of the set. The producer’s cut of Curse is the holy grail of Halloween fans. It has been circulating in low-quality, barely visible bootleg DVDs for years. While fans had always asked, nobody ever expected a legitimate release. The reason for the fascination with the producer’s cut is that it is almost an entirely different movie than the theatrical version. The production of the movie was a mess and the version that’s been seen since 1995 doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
There is maybe a half-hour footage that is the same from the producer’s cut to the theatrical cut, and everything else in the producer’s cut is different. So, it’s a huge deal to have an official release, let alone on Blu-Ray.
There’s also a ton of new special features for the producer’s cut. There’s a new commentary by writer Daniel Farrands and composer Alan Howarth, a new “Jamie’s story” interview with actress Danielle Harris, who originated the role of Jamie Lloyd in Halloween 4 and Halloween 5. There’s a “The Cursed Curse” featurette with producer Malek Akkad and Paul Freeman. An “Acting Scared” featurette with actors Mariah O’Brien and J.C. Brandy.
There’s also a featurette titled “The Shape of Things” with special effects artist John Carl Buechler, Brad Hardin and Michael Myers actor George P. Wilbur. A “Haddonfield Horrors” featurette with cinematographers Billy Dickinson and Thomas Calloway, as well as production designer Brad Ryman. A new “Full Circle” interview with Alan Howarth, composer of Halloween 1-6. There is also a cast and crew tribute to longtime franchise star Donald Pleasance, who’s last film was The Curse of Michael Myers. The disc also features 30 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage, alternate and deleted scenes not present on either cut of the film, as well as the original trailer.
HALLOWEEN H20: 20 YEARS LATER-
Halloween H20 was previously available on DVD from Miramax and a Blu-Ray from bargain bin king Echo Bridge, with no real transfer other than the update to HD and no real special features. Luckily, there’s effort put into this disc. The big draw is a new commentary featuring star Jamie Lee Curtis and director Steve Miner, moderated by “Horror’s Hallowed Grounds” host Sean Clark. There’s a new “The Making of Halloween H20” featurette that includes Jamie Lee Curtis, Josh Hartnett, Jodi Lynn O’Keefe, Nancy Stephens, Adam Hann-Byrd, Tom Kane, editor Patrick Lussier, producer Malek Akkad, producer Paul Freeman, composer John Ottman, Michael Myers actor Chris Durand, writer Robert Zappia, stunt coordinator Donna Keegan, makeup artist Brad Hardin and cinematographer Daryn Okanda. There are vintage interviews and BTS footage, as well as scenes from the film with Ottman’s original score restored, and a theatrical trailer.
HALLOWEEN: RESURRECTION-
Halloween: Resurrection’s features are mostly ported over from the DVD. It features a commentary by director Rick Rosenthal and editor Robert A. Ferretti. There are alternate endings and deleted scenes with optional director’s commentary. There’s a “Head Cam” featurette, plus a “Web Cam Special” with optional director’s commentary. Other features include storyboard analysis, a set tour with production designer Troy Hansen, an on-set interview with Jamie Lee Curtis and BTS footage, plus trailers and TV spots.
HALLOWEEN (2007)-
The version of Rob Zombie’s Halloween presented here is the deluxe edition unrated Blu-Ray, which was released a few years after the first Blu-Ray and boasted substantially more features. On the first disc, there’s a commentary by writer/director Rob Zombie, plus deleted scenes and an alternate ending with optional director’s commentary. There are featurettes including “The Many Faces of Michael Myers,” “Re-Imagining Halloween,” “Meet the Cast,” plus casting sessions, Laurie actress Scout Taylor-Compton’s screen test, and a theatrical trailer.
The second disc of Zombie’s Halloween contains the documentary “Michael Lives!” which is a whopping four and a half hours and chronicles every single day of the film’s production.
HALLOWEEN II (2009)-
Then we come to Zombie’s second Halloween feature, again only presented in the unrated director’s cut. The omission of the theatrical versions of Zombie’s movies are the only thing keeping this set from being truly complete, but they come down to an issue of rights and were not simply an oversight on the part of Scream Factory. There are a few special features here, including commentary by writer/director Rob Zombie, deleted scenes with optional director’s commentary, audition and makeup test footage, plus a blooper reel. There are also music videos from the fictional band within the film “Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures” and stand-up routines from the film’s character “Uncle Seymour Coffins.”
BONUS FEATURES DISC-
Finally, on disc fifteen, after everything that’s been listed, then we come to the bonus features disc. First, we have the extended edition of Halloween. Yes, that’s right, there’s yet another version of Halloween on the final disc. This is the TV version, with the already mentioned scenes filmed for TV now edited into the movie. Then there’s an interview with now-deceased producer of the first eight films, Moustapha Akkad, who was a legendary figure and the only reason Halloween ever became a franchise. There’s another featurette called “Halloween Unmasked 2000” and a featurette on the making of Halloween 4 titled “Final Cut.” Then, there are some brand-new episodes of “Horror’s Hallowed Grounds” going back to the filming locations of Halloween 4, Halloween 5 and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. There’s also the original “Horror’s Hallowed Grounds” pilot visiting the locations of the original Halloween, plus a fan edition episode that features Sean Clark, Dick Warlock, Brian Andrews, Charles Cyphers, Tommy Lee Wallace and Erik Preston along with a busload of fans as they visit the location of Halloween, Halloween II, Halloween III and Halloween 2007. There’s a new featurette on the making of Halloween 4 that features Danielle Harris, Ellie Cornell, Kathleen Kinmont, Beau Starr, Raymond O’Connor, Erik Preston and Sasha Jenson, plus stuntmen and Michael Myers actors Tom Morga and George P. Wilbur, composer Alan Howarth, writerAlan B. McElroy, producers Malek Akkad and Paul Freeman, makeup effects artists John Carl Buechler and Ken Horn.
Following that, there’s a new featurette on the making of Halloween 5 with Danielle Harris, Ellie Cornell, Jeffrey Landman, Jonathan Chapin, Frankie Como, Tamara Glynn, Matthew Walker, Michael Myers actor Don Shanks, producer Malek Akkad, line producer Rick Nathanson and composer Alan Howarth. There are radio spots for Halloween III, TV spots for Halloween 4, Halloween 5, Halloween (2007) & Halloween II (2009) and photo galleries for Halloween, Halloween 4 and Halloween 5. Rounding out the set is a new interview with Halloween III: Season of the Witch makeup artist Tom Burman.
