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The premise of the film, especially after years of rip-offs, seems deceptively uninspired. Our story begins in 1964, when young Michael Myers inexplicably kills his sister one Halloween night with a very large butcher knife. Flash forward to 1978, and Haddonfield, Illinois is a quiet little town that has relegated the Myers incident to mere town folklore. But this is the night he comes home, and thus begins a new reign of terror. Babysitters, beware!

Yes, on the surface, this seems like every other slasher film ever made. But remember this was the one that started it all (okay, unless you remember Bob Clark's underrated Black Christmas from 1974, but then who's counting?) Yet what sets Halloween apart from all its imitators is its respect for craft and much-lauded visual style. Director of photography Dean Cundey does an amazing job on a shoestring budget, perfectly capturing director John Carpenter's expert use of striking foreground and background compositions. The start, atmospheric lighting perfectly captures the feeling of Halloween in a small Midwestern town, where every dark corner can reveal a lurking evil.

But what remains most effective about Halloween is Carpenter and co-writer Debra Hill's use of seemingly banal smalltown surfaces to mask archetypal representations of evil. Michael Myers isn't just some psycho in a Captain Kirk outfit, but the Bogeyman himself elevated to mythic proportions. Aided by a simple but very effective musical score (also by Carpenter), Halloween becomes an updated take on Little Red Riding hood, a grown-up fairy tale that reveals more with every viewing. Our heroine Laurie Strode, played so naturally by then-newcomer Jamie Lee Curtis, makes the perfect foil for The Shape. It is her repression, her constant watching and waiting for something to happen - anything - that allows her to see the monster while all others around her ignore the warning signs. Her pals are all too busy hooking up with their boyfriends to see the threat that stalks them, and most of the adults rationalize away the danger. Aside from Myers' pursuit by his tireless adversary Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance, god bless him!), this is a nitty gritty Freudian confrontation still unmatched in modern horror.

Interestingly, the film continues to be heavily criticized for linking sexual promiscuity with violent death. All of Laurie's friends are amorously inclined, while she alone remains the supposed virgin of the group (although it is worth noting that nowhere in the film is it ever stated Curtis is a virgin, only that she is admonished for being shy). Was there some sort of puritanical message inherent, if not explicit, in the text? Doubtful. It is only through her own innate intelligence and a willingness to observe that which is around her that Laurie ultimately succeeds in conquering - however fleeting - her monster. Far from being nihilistic, the film suggests that while we can never fully conquer evil, we can become aware of it and thrive in spite of its existence. Despite talk of any shameless pandering to misogynistic impulses, I think the "message" of the film, if there is one, is ultimately one of empowerment. Quite remarkable for a low- budget indie slasher flick, don't ya think?

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

After a gazillion various DVD editions, the weight of expectation bears down heavily on this new 25th Anniversary Edition. Fans can be forgiven for finally hoping that this will be it - the definitive version so we don't have to buy yet another one a few years down the line. Alas, the transfer, although initially looking like the best yet, becomes a real disappointment on closer inspection.

The previous Anchor Bay editions offered both the theatrical cut and the extended television cut as separate transfers, and both were quite good. (Anchor Bay also released an initial, very poor movie-only version in 1997 that was, thankfully, quickly discontinued.) Why anyone thought this movie needed to be transferred again is a bit of a mystery, but using Divimax technology ("Digital Video to the Max"), Anchor Bay has again sent Halloween through the telecine. My initial impressions were one of excited optimism. While the previous transfer of the theatrical cut was a great improvement over all past video versions, this new transfer is slightly but noticeably sharper, clearer and cleaner. There is a tad bit less grain in darker shots and shadow delineation has been improved. The previous transfer was hardly plagued by excessive blemishes or print damage, but this new one is almost spotless. Blacks are rock solid on both, and I noticed no example so serious edge enhancement nor any compression artifacts.

Now the bad news. The color timing of this transfer looks way off. All the vivid blues and oranges are now drained or tweaked from the picture, which is what made Halloween such a beautiful, moody and stylish picture in the first place. (Check out this screenshot comparison for more.) For example, in the famous shot of Laurie carrying the pumpkin, the orange filtered look director of photography Dean Cundey was going for (which is even mentioned in the commentary) has been processed right out of the image. The film now has a much more three-dimensional appearance, but as you can see with the clips as seen in the documentary or by directly comparing the two DVDs, this new one just doesn't look right. (Cundey reportedly approved the previous transfer, although there is no official word if he was involved with this one). This one just doesn't look like the Halloween I know and love...or maybe I'm just too close to this film? I guess you, the fans, will have to be the judge...

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

Unlike the transfer, this sounds like the same Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack as heard on the previous DVD special edition from Anchor Bay. To be honest, it still sounds primarily like a mono mix, except for select sequences with ambient effects, namely any scene involving rain or thunder which are jarring in their incongruity. On the plus side, response is quite an improvement over those horrible old VHS analog tapes. There is no apparent audio anomalies to distract, such as hiss or noise. The surrounds are rarely engaged, but when they do kick in, it does add a bit of atmosphere and some nice minor bleed to Carpenter's oft-imitated electro-score. Given the limited source material, this remix remains a good one, all things considered.

Since the 5.1 remix has been largely decried by purists, Anchor Bay has again included the film's more natural- sounding original mono soundtrack, plus a rather useless Dolby 2.0 surround track. English Closed Captions are also provided.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

After countless magazine articles, TV specials and DVDs, is there still anything new left to tell about Halloween? Apparently so, because here we get yet another new batch of extras from a well that just won't run dry. First, the bad news: this two-disc is hardly the definitive version. Gone is the old 30-minute documentary from the previous DVD, as well as any of the famed 12 minutes of additional television footage diehard fans know and love. This television cut of the film - which was presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and not censored like on TV broadcasts - has been dropped here completely. None of this footage is included (except for glimpses in the documentary), not even as a supplement. Why not just do a seamless branching version on the first disc? (The technology exists, so why not use it?) So, if you want to check out the television version, you're going to have to find the old Anchor Bay two-disc limited edition or the still-available single disc Extended Television Edition. Got that?

Now, on to the good stuff. At last available on DVD, Anchor Bay has managed to acquire the rights to include the screen-specific audio commentary from the long out-of-print Criterion Collection laserdisc. Included are John Carpenter, Debra Hill and Jamie Lee Curtis. Although produced in the mid-90's, this commentary still feels like a breath of fresh air, if only because at the time few had been talking about Halloween very much. While most of the stories here will be familiar to those who have seen the countless recent Halloween specials and DVDs, this is like a wonderful time capsule, a bit of nostalgia that still feels innocent, vulnerable and real. One can forgive Carpenter, Hill and Curtis for sounding tired in recent interviews - how boring must all the same questions be by this point? So if you are new to Halloween, I'd start here.

Next we have what is probably the other main attraction of this new DVD. From Promethus Entertainment in conjunction with Fox Television, we have the new 89-minute documentary Halloween - A Cut Above the Rest. Viewers who saw the AMC Backstory special last year may recognize some of this material, as well as anyone who owned the previous Anchor Bay special edition - we get that same Jamie Lee Curtis EPK interview from the set of Halloween H20 (as also glimpsed on the H20 DVD) as well as the AMC Backstory interview with Carpenter. But exclusive here are all-new contributions from Debra Hill, Irwin Yablans, Dean Cundey, PJ Soles, Charles Cyphers, Joseph Wolf, Tommy Lee Wallace and Fangoria editor Tony Timpone. Although a little slow-paced - the need to be comprehensive perhaps gives us too much detail - this is certainly the most thorough documentary on the film yet produced. Also a real boon is the inclusion of making-of footage shot on the set back in 1978. Glimpsed in the AMC Backstory special, here we get actual production sound and a bit more than we saw before. More intrigue can be found in the last 30 minutes, as we get an extended examination of the film's eventual success and impact, although the sequels are still not delved into much at all. So despite much of the stories here already old news to Halloween fans, I'm afraid if you love this movie as much as most horror fans do, you're still going to want to see it.

Also included is a fun little 10-minute featurette entitled On Location: 25 Years Later. Integrating the interviews with Hill and Soles with a guided tour of the film's famous locations today, this is a nice little couplet with the main doc. I'm not really sure what it just wasn't integrated in to the full piece, but it is always a charge to see such indelible sites of horror today. Lots of fun. Next up is a new still gallery with 58 images. These are different than those on the previous special edition DVD, mainly various foreign lobby cards and other promotional images. Once again, this seemingly calculated move to provide consumers with a new yet different edition of Halloween smacks of exploitation. Why didn't Anchor Bay use this opportunity to combine all of the stills from the past editions here? Also disappointing is that most of the stills we see in the documentary are not included here - a glaring oversight.

Rounding it all out is a red band theatrical trailer in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen (again different from the trailer on the previous DVD) plus 2 TV spots and 2 radio spots. There is also a few pages of talent bios. Last but not least is a nice 16-page color booklet with a nice essay from Michael Gingold and some moody stills.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

While not actually enhanced for a PC, encoded on the disc is the film's original screenplay as a PDF file. Simply open the disc icon up and click in the screenplay.html file. There are also two screensavers included to impress your friends.

Parting Thoughts