the original HALLOWEEN and its sequels

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Release date is 9/24/13.

Some details:

• Brand-new HD transfer from original elements approved by director John Carpenter &Director of Photography Dean Cundey
• New-to-disc featurettes
• All-new commentary track featuring Jamie Lee Curtis and John Carpenter
• Collectible limited edition book-style packaging featuring rare and never-before-seen photos from the Trancas Pictures vault

[Mark Tolch Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mark Tolch]

Did Cundey not approve the last transfer? The blue one?

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

I'm pretty sure he did.

[Mark Tolch Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mark Tolch]

I think so. I know a lot of people got worked about it, and I understand the anger, but Halloween wasn't a film that I was intimately familiar with when i got the AB disc. I think it looks awesome.

[Damin J. Toell Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Damin J. Toell]

Did Cundey not approve the last transfer? The blue one?

Cundey approved the 1999 Anchor Bay disc. The 25th Anniversary Divimax DVD and the Blu-ray did not follow Cundey's approved color timing. It was the 1999 disc that had the strong nighttime blues, which were inaccurate on the Divimax DVD and the Blu-ray.

I spoke with Bill Lustig in person about this years ago, and he assured me that Cundey's 1999 transfer was historically accurate. To his mind, the strong nighttime blues were extremely influential on horror films at the time, and the inaccurate color on the Divimax disc (which was the current release at the time) was a huge loss.

[Richard--W a straight arrow Find all posts View Profile Close Richard--W]

Well, I'm glad Dean Cundey has overseen the new transfer. No doubt he'll get the color where we wants it this time.

I have the 1999 Anchor Bay set. My problem with it is that I don't remember the strong nighttime blues from the numerous theatrical screenings I attended. Of course there was blue, but it seems to me the blue is over-saturated on the 1999 Anchor Bay DVD.

[Mark Tolch Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mark Tolch]

Thanks, Damin. I couldn't remember, and then realized that 1999 was actually a long time ago.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Not really in love with this cover.

[Clive Smith noodle doodle Find all posts View Profile Close Clive Smith]

the original HALLOWEEN and its sequels

Yeah, not so great.

[Scott Intellectual Carrot Find all posts View Profile Close Scott]

Does the world really need another disc of this or EVIL DEAD again. I love both movies but c'mon.

[Derrick King Waterfall Puncher Find all posts View Profile Close Derrick King]

HALLOWEEN, yes because the previous Blu-ray is kinda shitty. EVIL DEAD, no because the Blu-ray looks amazing.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

A print ad shows a different cover.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

And here's the official press release from Anchor Bay:

---------------

Michael Myers is back...and he's never looked better!


ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT PROUDLY PRESENTS HALLOWEEN 35TH ANNIVERSARY BLU-RAY(TM)

Featuring all-new HD transfer supervised by Dean Cundey, New 7.1 Audio Mix, New Commentary Track by John Carpenter & Jamie Lee Curtis and Never-Before-Seen Bonus Features.

Coming Home Again September 24th.

Beverly Hills, CA - In 1978, Compass International Pictures released an indie horror film by an up and coming director and a largely unknown cast. Presented by the late Moustapha Akkad, the film cost $325,000 and ended up not only becoming one of the most successful independent motion pictures of its time, but single handedly created the genre of the modern horror film along with the first iconic (via a painted-over William Shatner mask) cinematic slasher!

Its global success spawned seven sequels, a reboot directed by Rob Zombie and a sequel-to-the-reboot, as well as created generations of grateful fans. The director's name is John Carpenter and the film was Halloween. This year marks the 35th Anniversary of the timeless thriller and to celebrate, Anchor Bay Entertainment is bringing back the terrifying original as it's never been seen or heard before!

Anchor Bay Entertainment and Trancas International proudly announce the September 24th release of the 35th Anniversary Blu-ray(TM) release of Halloween. For this very special release, Anchor Bay and Trancas went back to the vaults to present this legendary terror classic as never before, including creating an all-new HD transfer personally supervised by the film's original cinematographer, Academy-Award® nominee Dean Cundey (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Apollo 13, the Back to the Future trilogy), a new 7.1 audio mix (as well as the original mono audio), a brand-new feature length audio commentary by writer/director John Carpenter and star Jamie Lee Curtis, an all-new bonus feature with Ms. Curtis, as well as selected legacy bonus features from previous ABE releases. Available in a collectible limited-edition book-style package (available only for the first printing) with 20 pages featuring archival photos, an essay by Halloween historian Stef Hutchinson and specially commissioned cover art by Jay Shaw, SRP is $34.99 and pre-book is August 28.

"Anchor Bay Entertainment has been home to Halloween for almost 20 years," noted Malek Akkad, President of Trancas International Films and son of Moustapha Akkad. "I'm so happy that we're partnering with them to present the definitive edition of what is widely acknowledged as one of the seminal horror films of the 20th century."

Halloween stars Jamie Lee Curtis (A Fish Called Wanda, True Lies) in her debut role. Anyone who's ever watched a horror film in the last 35 years knows the story of Michael Myers, who as a child, butchered his sister with a kitchen knife. Committed to a mental institution and watched over by Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance, Halloween II, IV & V, Fantastic Voyage), he engineers his escape 15 years later, returning to his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois on Halloween night to terrorize anyone who gets in his way, including babysitter Laurie Strode (Curtis).

Co-starring P.J. Soles (Carrie, Stripes, Rock 'n Roll High School), Kyle Richards (The Watcher in the Woods, Eaten Alive), Nancy Loomis (Carpenter's Assault On Precinct 13, The Fog), Charles Cyphers (Escape From New York, The Fog) and Brian Andrews (The Great Santini, Three O'Clock High), Halloween also cemented the careers of many behind the camera including Carpenter, Cundey, producer Debra Hill and film editor/production designer Tommy Lee Wallace (Halloween III: Season of the Witch, "It").

Bonus features on Halloween 35th Anniversary Blu-ray(TM) include:
All-new commentary track with writer/director John Carpenter and star Jamie Lee Curtis;
"The Night She Came Home" new featurette with Jamie Lee Curtis (HD);
On Location;
Trailers;
TV & Radio Spots;
Additional Scenes from TV Version

About Anchor Bay Entertainment:

Anchor Bay Entertainment is a leading home entertainment company. Anchor Bay acquires and distributes feature films, original television programming including STARZ Original series, children's entertainment, anime (Manga Entertainment), fitness (Anchor Bay Fitness), sports, and other filmed entertainment on DVD and Blu-ray(TM) formats. The company has long term distribution agreements in place for select programming with AMC Networks, RADiUS, and The Weinstein Company. Headquartered in Beverly Hills, CA, Anchor Bay Entertainment has offices in Troy, MI, as well as Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. Anchor Bay Entertainment (www.anchorbayentertainment.com) is a Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) business, www.starz.com.

John Carpenter's Halloween 35th Anniversary Blu-ray(TM)
Genre: Horror
Rating: R
Languages: English
Format: Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1)
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 7.1; Original Mono
Year: 1978
SRP: $34.99
Street Date: September 24, 2013
Pre-Book: August 28, 2013
Length: 92 minutes
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
UPC: 0 1313 26063-3 0
Cat#: ZBD60633

[Derrick King Waterfall Puncher Find all posts View Profile Close Derrick King]

I hope the first printing sells out quickly because I hate Anchor Bay's book packaging.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Umm.... rad.

"This is the first ever Panaglide test by Dean Cundey and Ray Stella back in 1978; right before Halloween's principal photography began. Filmed outside and inside the Panavision studio. Halloween was the 4th movie to use this system. Want to see more of the Lost Halloween Footage? Contact Trancas International Films and let them know you want to see the "Unseen Halloween.""

Of course, it doesn't look like that or any of the other discovered (but pretty much unseen) footage from the original is going to make it into AB's upcoming Blu-ray reissue.