Halloween: Restored Limited Edition

Amazon.com essential video

Halloween is as pure and undiluted as its title. In the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois, a teenage baby sitter tries to survive a Halloween night of relentless terror, during which a knife-wielding maniac goes after the town's hormonally charged youths. Director John Carpenter takes this simple situation and orchestrates a superbly mounted symphony of horrors. It's a movie much scarier for its dark spaces and ominous camera movements than for its explicit bloodletting (which is actually minimal). Composed by Carpenter himself, the movie's freaky music sets the tone; and his script (cowritten with Debra Hill) is laced with references to other horror pictures, especially Psycho. The baby sitter is played by Jamie Lee Curtis, the real-life daughter of Psycho victim Janet Leigh; and the obsessed policeman played by Donald Pleasence is named Sam Loomis, after John Gavin's character in Psycho. In the end, though, Halloween stands on its own as an uncannily frightening experience--it's one of those movies that had audiences literally jumping out of their seats and shouting at the screen. ("No! Don't drop that knife!") Produced on a low budget, the picture turned a monster profit, and spawned many sequels, none of which approached the 1978 original. Curtis returned for two more installments: 1981's dismal Halloween II, which picked up the story the day after the unfortunate events, and 1998's occasionally gripping Halloween H20, which proved the former baby sitter was still haunted after 20 years. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

You can't kill damnation mister!.......2007-09-13

I have always been a fan of the Halloween movie series. The original was w/o a doubt a true classic and masterpiece!

I recently saw Rob Zombie's version and was pleasantly surprised that it was pretty good. The Halloween series is the only horror series that I believe had a good story line.

Was that the Boogeyman? As a matter fact it was.

Who's the one that let Rob Zombie get his hands on THIS?! .......2007-09-09

Ah, that little Tommy Doyle. If only more people listened to him about the reality of the Boogeyman.

Who's the Boogeyman in this horror classic? Two words: Michael Myers. No, not the comedian. Someone better, someone more sick and sadistic.

Granted, this is a horror movie, with the occasional nudity. So what makes this stand out and become the building block of modern horror movies? The execution.

The story is well known. Myers kills his sister and is sent away to Smith Grove for fifteen years. Dr. Loomis has been treating him and is perplexed with Myers. "He hasn't said a word in fifteen years," Loomis professes. "...the devil's eyes."

Myers' is on a war path, taking out any pubescent and overly sexed up teen that is in his way. Why? To find his sister, Laurie Strode, played by the amazing Jamie Lee Curtis who can effortlessly command a stage.

What's great about this classic is that it doesn't rely on gore but the element of surprise. The fact that Myers is an enigma, with no actually reason to kill his prey. Is it for the hunt? Is it for the way he was treated as a child? We don't know, and quite frankly it is best we don't. Do we really want to sympathize with someone who just stabbed someone into a wall? No.

The movie is directed in a dim lighting as well, which adds more chills up and down the spine. The score is also timeless; a simple piano with each key the suspense picks up. A movie like Halloween is art in it's rarest form. It flows beautifully; the pace of the movie; the story; the suspense; and finally; the war between the two siblings.

It's not actually a "war." Just a slight slice around the arm, a coat hanger to an eye. But what's great is that it is left on a cliffhanger. Myers shot off a balcony only to be on the run for the sequel.

It was really a shame that Rob Zombie has ruined this classic. Turning his biological mother and father, who were decent human beings into a prostitute and a worthless couch potato was just insulting. Well, at least Myers has a new victim to kill...Zombie! And we have an awesome horror movie to cherish the moment in!

Puts the Horror in HORRIABLE.......2007-09-07

"What??? He gave this classic masterpiece 2 stars?!?" Is that whats racing through your so called brain? This film has been heralded as great horror, but its nearly as stupid, boring, and insulting to one's intelligence as some of todays worse slasher movies. This original version of the movie, unlike the Excorcist, does not stand the test of time. And why is that? Well, i hear time and time again, that this movie is a such a great essential classic. Being essential and classic doesnt apparently mean its truly great, becouse the acting is very bad in this movie. The script is dumb and the characters arent interesting or likeable. Its not as annoying and insulting as something like Halloween:Ressurection. ( a zero star movie) but its certainly NOT the great film its touted to be. And we hear "CLASSIC MASTERPIECE" over and over again in the same sentence as the title. But i honestly feel the people caling it that are just stuck on the fact that its suppost to be this "great classic" and dont or refuse to see it for what it is...a B-movie. Maybe it got popular becouse of the fact that in the late 70s, a movie with a killer in a mask like that, killing kids and people with a butcher knife was kind of a fresh idea. But as a movie, you cant deny how poor it is. It might be a classic old horror movie that sparked lots of trends, but this is NOT deserving of the word " MASTERPIECE ". Thats a complete lie. But people and critics keep saying it and saying it, but their words dont have meaning becouse it doesnt match up with the movie. The genre of "HORROR/SLASHER" movies hasnt been the most respected or acclaimed genres out there, to say the least. And i suppose within the relm of the endless sea of stupid gore fest slasher films, this must be the Father of them all and so its reveared as such a 'great' thing. But if you see it as a film, its not very good, and you dont even have to be some purist film critic snob. Anyone can see that fact. The music, the resounding piano theme is memorable and is classic. The legend that has become Michael Myers through out the years has grown beyond the depiction found in the original film. Michael Myers is not very impressive at all in this movie. He sounds allmost like an ape, how he breathes through the mask. And he just seems like he is mentally handicapped more than he is psychotic. And the 'teens' in this movie all look like they are allmost 30, like they should be outta college or something. Not convincing AT ALL as highschool kids. But all that is just side complaints. The movie itself is just boring, and i had to force myself almost to watch it in its entirity and give it a proper chance before i made final judgment of it. The image of Michael Myers and his theme music is what is truly legendary and haunting to this day....Not this film. Despite the 'popular critics' view, the recently re-telling of the film, directed by Rob Zombie, titled "HALLOWEEN". is far more superior film, that brings actual weight and respect to that legendary killer...MICHAEL MYERS. Out of respect for John Carpenter and his original film, watch this original movie made in 1978. But FIRST, if you have a choice for which to see first, id say see the Rob Zombie re-telling of "HALLOWEEN", first, that is a deep, emotional, and truly horrific piece of work, that captures the sheer intensity of what became the legend of Michael Myers that rises above and beyond the original, while stil giving it much respect. Rob Zombie delivers something awesome that truly and finally lives up to such a haunting legend...something neither the orginal or ANY of the sequals have EVER done, nor could do. Im no fancy critic, but im giving this 2 and half stars...the half is for its originality at the time, with its theme and character.

the REAL Halloween.......2007-09-02

I recently got back from the worst remake and probably movie ever made, Rob Zombie's Halloween. After about twenty minutes or so of that movie, I longed for this movie. Everything in this movie was perfect: The score, the actors and actresses, the setting seemed like a real home town, the gore was minuim but effective, and the story was good. There is no reason on Earth that anyone would hate this movie. If you prefer the other film over this classic, then you need to grow up.

MICHAEL MYERS IS HALLOWEEN!!!.......2007-09-01

halloween was and still is the movie everyone remembers and still talks about. enough said, john carpenter made you cringe and always look behind you with this one. he made babysitters all over the world lock their doors and keep a constant eye looking out the window. he made the boogyman real. this is a masterpiece. i'm hooked on this psychotic killer who just never dies. you can't kill evil, it just keeps on coming. and jaimie lee curtis, her breakout role, made a name for herself, great actress she has mad skills. this film is different from todays films but it still manages to scare you. you don't want to be alone, because he'll find you.

DVD:

DVD

DVD