Halloween - 25th Anniversary Edition 1978 Anchor Bay Entertainment   Buy It Now

25 years.

That is a long time for a film to retain this much popularity and influence, let alone such a strong fanbase of devoted fans.  ANY film...let alone a film that was shot in only 21 days and with only $300,000.  But if Halloween was to prove one thing, it would be the fact that if you do something right, it will pay off in the end; and pay off BIG.  Somewhere in the tune of $70 million dollars worldwide, and that isn't taking into account the inflation of the last 25 years.

But lest you think that Halloween is showing signs of slowing down in sales, think again, my friend.  Anchor Bay has made sure that each and every one of us horror fans are going to plunk down the cash to own yet ANOTHER copy of Halloween on DVD.  Enter, the 25th Anniversary Edition...a grand sort of milestone for the film that Entertainment Weekly says "is, was, and ever shall be the alpha & omega of boogeyman flicks".

But you knew that already... 

In fact, there is little that is not known about Halloween, and these bits of trivia and information are passed around in horror circles as a test of sorts.  Are you a big enough fan to know all the answers?  Did you know that Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee were both offered the role of Dr. Loomis, but turned it down?  One of them even said it was the worst move of his career! (you can find out who...)  Did you know that the hands and arms of Michael Myers as a child were actually those of writer/producer Debra Hill?  How about the fact that Nick Castle only made $25.00 a day to wear the mask and stalk babysitters as The Shape?

I'm sure you did...

Regardless of your current Halloween trivia knowledge, you will be a full fledge pro after picking up this special edition 2-disc DVD.  The second disc is PACKED with cool stuff that is guaranteed to keep both the die-hard fan and the Haddonfield layman entertained and informed.  The best reason to toss out your old copy (what am I saying, even I own multiple copies of Halloween 1 & 2) and grab this one is the all-new 87 minute documentary, "Halloween - A Cut Above The Rest"...that's right, a documentary nearly the length of the film itself!  This thing is packed full of all the coolest tidbits told by John Carpenter, Jamie Lee Curtis, P.J. Soles, Nick Castle, Charles Cyphers, Deborah Hill, Moustapha Akkad, Tommy Lee Wallace and other cast and crew!  If you've ever wondered it...it's in here...

Add to that awesome documentary, another 10 minute look into the locations that appear on many a Star Map down in Hollywood...the Myers house, the Doyle's place, and of course, the hardware store where Michael picks up a few necessary items for his All Hallows Eve activities; including a knife and a Halloween mask.  "On Location - 25 Years Later" takes us on a video tour of the inside and outside of these fantastic locations as they are now, a quarter of a century after Michael Myers first stalked through them!

But that still isn't all!  This second disc is packed with stuff.  TV spots, radio spots, the theatrical trailer, talent bios, poster and still galleries are all included.  Also tossed on as a treat for fans, are some incredible DVD-ROM inclusions, including the original screenplay and some awesome screensavers!  You will never need to click through countless Halloween fansites again, trying to collect every scrap of information on your favorite film...it is all included here, in one place.

But lest I forget completely, there is also a film in this set!  A little horror flick you may be familiar with that originally appeared at the 14th Annual Chicago Film Festival...Halloween.  The very name strikes fear into some, excitement into others, devotion in many, and at least a familiar ring in just about every person in the world that has ever owned a television.  It is simply that powerful of a film.  I was taught this lesson a few weeks ago at my birthday party (an all-day horror movie marathon of course!) when I had another viewing of a similar horror classic, Nightmare On Elm Street.  Of course, I have seen this movie at least 20 times, but I hadn't seen it in over 5 years.  That time length, combined with the fact that it was back to back with such other films as Dawn Of The Dead, Opera, Bad Taste, Dog Soldiers, and others, and the fact that I watch a lot of horror films a whole lot more often since the debut of this sight...all these things made me see it in a different light.  

Gone were the scares...entirely.  The performances were not as powerful as I once remembered.  I used to say, "the first Nightmare is the coolest because Freddy hadn't started being a stand-up comedian yet"...yet I laughed through most of the viewing.  None of this is to detract from Nightmare On Elm Street, people change...tastes change; but it is a huge credit to Halloween.  It doesn't matter how many times I have watched this film (in excess of 50 to be sure), it ALWAYS stirs up the same feelings and emotions.  There is always a thick, palpable dread...there is always the frantic feelings of "Dear God, you stupid girl...TURN THE HELL AROUND RIGHT NOW!".  It defies age, it defies gender, it even defies its own genre...and simply appeals to everyone.  Not many movies can claim that...

From Halloween's deceptively simple premise, to its genius casting of no-names and established pros, this simple tale of madness incarnate stalking innocence incarnate will surely go on for another 25 years; scaring new generations and creating new generations of fans as it goes.  This years "Halloween Returns To Haddonfield" convention in Pasadena, CA will stand as a testament to the sheer numbers of people that have been genuinely affected by this film.  You can look for me there, because I would step over a pile of my dying family members to get into the front door of this convention.

So if you have somehow managed to go this long without your very own copy of the greatest horror film ever made, or have yet to upgrade those six different video copies to the discs...this is your chance.  If you, like me, already own multiple copies of Halloween on both tape and disc (and even Laserdisc)...then I don't have to worry about you...you are already cradling your new copy in your arms and whispering to it quietly...much as I did when I got mine..

-aaron-