Halloween is the definitive slasher movie, a film that's very scary without any overt gore or violence. Only saw Halloween II (meh) and Halloween H2O (meh times 4) of the sequels.

A Nightmare on Elm Street has one great entry (the original) and the third film and New Nightmare are really good and a cunningly brilliant lampoon of the franchise's legacy, respectively (two years before Scream did anything about it!). The second and fifth films are atrocious.

Phantasm II might be better than the first one, and it's not even on DVD! I'd say it has the Alien/Aliens formula where the original is scary and the sequel is an action-packed blast. Haven't seen the third or fourth movies, but the ending to II is a cop-out.

Friday the 13th, the original? Boring. Parts 2 and 3? Decent, the building blocks of the franchise. The Final Chapter, VI, and VII? The definitive Jason movies IMO. Haven't seen New Beginning, but Jason Takes Manhattan is a bad, bad film.

Fail.

Movie is closer to 2 hours (unrated IS 2 hours actually) rather than 88 minutes...

I liked Zombies take on Halloween.

If this gets a Blu release (which its looking like it will) with this documentary then its an instant buy for me. Otherwise I won't be spending $20-$30 for the DVD version.

I don're agree with that ranking. The first 4 are the definitive movies (2 and 4 being the best, and the only ones with a threatening Jason). Zombie Jason was terrible, I can't stand part 6 especially. I even prefer New Beginning to part 6. Manhattan was strangely fun, even if the last act mostly blew.

My series ratings.

John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) | ****
The most effective and creepy slasher movie of all time. Everyone's great, especially Donald Pleasance, who along with the music is responsible for building Michael up to be the monster that he is. The entire last act of the movie is non-stop tension.

Halloween II (1981) | ***
Halloween II is an underrated sequel, although admdittedly it's leading Michael down a Jason-like path of unstoppable, excessive kills. Jamie Lee Curtis is pretty good, although she barely utters a word throughout the entire picture, while Donald Pleasance continues to amuse as Dr. Sam Loomis, in a panic over everything. My favorite scene, though, is one that wouldn't have stayed in a lesser picture: Charles Cyphers mourning the loss of his daughter from the first movie.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) | *1/2
I wanted to like this movie. It's got such an awesomely creepy story. Unfortunately, it's slowly directed, badly written and not gory enough. The ending is a nice touch, but as a splatter fan I want to see some heads melting, damn it!

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) | **
Everyone seems to like this one, but I guess I don't get it. I thought the ending was silly and the rest of the movie just seemed strangely "off", as if they were close to a tense and creepy tone, but just missed it by a little. There are some good kills but on the whole I found 4 to be uninspired. The scene with Loomis at a gas station is really great, though.

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) | **1/2
I liked 5 much better. It ain't inspired, but it is good at being a slasher movie. Danielle Harris is good, although even if I didn't like the ending to 4, I see how it's a total cheat to bail on it in 5. Mainly I like Wendy Kaplan, so sue me.

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) | [no stars]
Unbearable. It might actually might be the worst of the worst out of the Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th series. From the totally unnecessary killing of Jamie Lloyd to the portentious, awful story and direction, this film is a total failure. It's really too bad this is Donald Pleasance's last Halloween film, because I would have much preferred to see him in the next entry.

Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) | ***
Creates a nice trilogy with the original and the first sequel, with Jamie Lee Curtis returning to put Michael to rest. It's no reinvention of the genre, but it is effective and entertaining from beginning to end. It's too bad the producers couldn't leave well enough alone because everything that is good here is undone by the follow-up.

Halloween: Resurrection (2002) | **
I don't think in and of itself that Resurrection deserves as much flak as it gets (so I'll give it two stars), but as a Halloween film, it really ruins everything. I hate that Jamie Lee Curtis comes back for an old horror movie standby, one of the most disheartening of its kind (not to mention bafflingly incongruous with the end of the previous film in terms of character). And of course, as everyone loves to complain, Busta Rhymes challenges Michael to a karate duel. That kinda says everything.

Halloween (2007) | ***
A lot of people hated it, but I'll defend Rob Zombie's re-imagining-make up to a point: the first half of the movie, is in my opinion a truly excellent redo of Carpenter's classic. The murder of Michael's family is swift and truly brutal, which Zombie directs with cold, atmospheric flair, while McDowell treads on Pleasance's territory without stepping in the flowerbeds. But then, the girls show up, and Halloween loses everything that's interesting about it and instead becomes aggressively annoying -- what was the motivation behind casting Scout Taylor-Compton? She is so aggressively annoying and unappealing I almost turned the movie off. Still, there's good stuff here. As a side note, Danny Trejo's performance as a janitor who thinks he's got a relationship with Michael is really great stuff -- my favorite part of the film.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) | ***1/2
A classic! Freddy's actually creepy, the movie's excellently directed, there's plenty of good blood-letting, and the movie's story is, of all the slasher villains over the years, perhaps the most inspired. Plus Heather Langenkamp is the best. Favorite kill is a close one, but the famous dragged-up-the-wall scene is just a little more awesome than the blood-spewing bed in my book.

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985) | **
The Nightmare sequel is exceptionally homoerotic, which was supposedly unintentional. It's also not very well-directed (see the ENTIRELY uncool dance number the kid does for an example), with scenes like the bird falling pretty flat, while other subplots drag on way too long. But the kills are inspired, and there are a few good jolts. Even though it's not really a kill, I'd pick the bit where Freddy chops his way out from the inside of the movie's hero.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) | ***
The next really good Nightmare again features Heather Langenkamp and a really young Patricia Arquette. Langenkamp's fate is lame, but horror movies always do that. The only flaw is that the movie occasionally gets really goofy, what with a giant wheelchair and "let's get high", among other bits. The winner here is either the naked nurse (I forget if he dies though) or the marionette sequence.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) | *1/2
This one's pretty lame. I don't really have much to say about it. It feels flat and uninspired in comparison to the third film, and while it has moments of inspiration, the rest is just kind of boring. As far as kills, the waterbed one is pretty funny. What the hell do the police think about that one?

A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child (1989) | *1/2
I remember caring even less about the fifth film's victims, however, the direction by Stephen Hopkins is actually kind of stylish and atmospheric, so I'll give the movie that much. The kills (mainly the comic-book one) seemed pretty dumb to me though.

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991) | **
Not much of an improvement, but at least it's entertaining(ish). The 3-D bit is a pretty dumb gimmick, but I'm a sucker for dumb gimmicks. The only real downside is that Freddy has more than ever become a caricature of himself, appearing as The Wicked Witch of the West and notoriously killing someone with a Nintendo Power Glove.

New Nightmare (1994) | ***1/2
Oh, Heather Langenkamp, how I love you in Nightmare movies. A terrific companion to the original and a predecessor to Scream, New Nightmare manages to make Freddy kinda scary again. It's well-directed, sharply written and ably performed by all of the series' real-life faces. Near the end, as with all meta-movies, things start to get kinda goofy, and the long-tongue Freddy is just ridiculous, but it's still a highly entertaining flick. Just like the original, the up-the-wall kill provides the most memorable splatter. And once again for the cheap seats: Heather Langenkamp is the best.

Friday the 13th (1980) | ***1/2
The best. It's a little atmospheric even (it's probably the low budget, which almost unintentionally adds a touch of realism to the non kill-scenes), plus the ending is great, and Crazy Ralph is ridiculous. Favorite kill is the arrow kill.

Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) | **
Entertaining, but it's as straightforward as the sequels get. It's not really bad, it's not really good, it's just what the series does. Like seeing Adrienne King, but why does every horror franchise do that? Best kill is the wheelchair guy.

Friday the 13th Part III (1982) | **1/2
Wouldn't be any better than the second except for the 3-D, which for my money is the perfect example of stupid 3-D direction (stick anything and everything into the camera, including the almost required firing of a crossbow). I don't remember it too well but the crossbow was pretty amusing, although I forget if it actually kills anyone.

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) | ***1/2
By far my favorite Friday the 13th movie. Crispin Glover! Bad dancing! Corey Feldman! TWINS! AWESOME ENDING! YES! Every kill is great too, from the corkscrew to the hand-walking dude, but the winner has to be the totally innocent girl eating a banana on the side of the road who gets chopped up for no reason at all.

Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985) | [no stars]
My favorite is followed by the worst. As much as I hate Jason X, at least it has a couple of good bits. A New Beginning has none. It's just a boring, crappy movie. My vague memory of the movie tells me someone died doing laundry and it was acceptably gruesome, so I guess that's my favorite.

Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI (1986) | **
An agreeably goofy Jason movie. It's much like 2, just routine but amusing Jason all the way. Of course, the winner is the sleeping bag kill.

Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) | *1/2
The corny psychic subplot is pretty lame (I seem to remember an abusive father). Meh. Like 2 without enjoyable characters and VI without the energetic direction. I don't remember enough to have a favorite kill.

Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) | *
Pretty terrible. It's too bad, because I love the movie's title and it implies a really funny romp through NYC, but most of the movie is spent on a dull cruise ship and the characters have zero charisma. The rooftop fistfight between Jason and the one kid is totally the kill winner though -- the best part of the movie.

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) | 1/2
I've always found Jason Goes to Hell to be a slow slog through muddy territory. A lot of the movie is all over the map with goofiness (sure, because we care as an audience why Jason keeps living and killing, so let's explain it!). The only good parts are the movie's horror-geek gimmicks (and you feel cheap for liking them): The Necronomicon, and the last shot. Don't have a favorite kill.

Jason X (2001) | [no stars]
I think Jason X could have been an entertaining movie. But the robot chick played by Lisa Ryder is perhaps the most annoying character in the history of film. I hated her. Hated hated hated hated. If she had died in the final reel I'd have been so much happier, but the filmmakers apparently thought she was appealing. Oh, lord no. Also Uber-Jason looks pretty stupid -- much cooler to see classic Jason stalking the futuristic corridors of some spaceship. The movie's best scene (and I guess kinda best kill, although it's not original) is the flashback to old Crystal Lake with the hologram girls.

Also, Freddy vs. Jason (2003) kinda sucks until the glorious fifteen minutes where they actually fight each other. Certainly a worthy addition to the Nightmare and Friday the 13th series.

It's a bit off track, but I've always liked the New Line Jason movies much better than the Paramount ones.

Fail. The Paramount F13th films are infintely better than NL's. As much as I enjoy Jason X, JgtH was bad and FvJ was fun, but not great. Those films can't hold a candle to the Jason of part 2-4, or even 6 and 7. Those films were awesome 80's gold.

I'll buy this new edition since I'm a total nerd for Michael Myers. I've got the workprint, the theatrical and the unrated DVDs. No harm in adding one more to the pile. I enjoyed the "30 Days in Hell" doc on Devil's Rejects. I'm hoping this one is just as informative. Hell, at 4+ hours it better be!

At first I loved this movie, then I kinda just got annoyed by it. I think a 3-disc is a little unnecessary cause they already released the 2-disc with enough special features. Unless something exclusive besides the documentary is included then I won't be buying :)

Still haven't even seen this movie yet. I've been waiting forever for it to pop up on one of the cable channels, but there's still no sign of it. Looks like this "Ultimate Edition" might be a blind buy.

man, why can't we get a deluxe Halloween II or the producers cut of Halloween VI? Halloween 2007 was the worst movie of the entire franchise IMO

I've said it before and I'll say it again,*uck you,Rob Zombie.

I agree. I tried to watch the movie with an open mind and admittedly enjoyed the first half hour, but as soon as Michael broke out of the institution, we got a piece of crap that made Jason X look like Citizen Kane

I agree with you, I would rather have a Special Edition of Halloween II before I would this :) :D

H2 is long overdue for a SE. They really should have ended the series after the sequel.

i would like a SE of H2. however i would not want H6 the producers cut.
i thought the producers cut was even worse than thr theatrical version. i mean cmon
im suspoced to believe that the shape is controlled by druids?

Yeah I so agree...after Part II it all went downhill :)

I don't know. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers was quite enjoyable for me. I'd say it was the last really good entry. And I echo the sentiments for Halloween II, 6, and H20. Part 2 really should have a SE (with the original screaming skull jack-o-lantern art please) and parts 6 and 7 should at least be rereleased with 16x9/anamorphic transfers.

As for the 3-Disc CE of Zombie's film, I've already got the 2-Disc R-rated theatrical DVD, the 2-Disc unrated DVD, and the workprint...I'd rather Black Christmas (2006) get a 3-Disc CE - on DVD and Blu-ray.

Isn't there a harder cut of H20? Also, wasn't a commentary track recorded and then randomly not included?

I don't know about H20, but I remember hearing about a different cut of Resurrection that had more blood, additional scenes, and at least one death scene (Tyra Banks' character) present when it had been off-screen in the theatrical cut.


I don't know if it ever got recorded, but there was supposed to be a commentary with Steve Miner and Jamie Lee Curtis among other things...a 16x9/anamorphic transfer, a DTS 5.1 track, deleted scenes, TV spots and trailers, none of which made it to the DVD. And the fact that Disney/Buena Vista/Dimension/Miramax had the gall to set the list price at $39.99 when it was released in 1999 was the biggest ripoff of all.

To field some of the questions above...

Halloween II <i>had</i> a SE in the cards. TV footage was to be included. Rick Rosenthal recorded a commentary. Features were assembled.... and then Universal decided against it for whatever reason.

Halloween 3 needs a SE. It kicks ass and is unjustly maligned only because it carries the <i>Halloween</i> moniker.

Halloween 6 is currently OOP and they are considering bringing it out with both cuts of the film in one package, but I won't hold my breath.

H20 had some alternate scenes/takes and music cues in different versions, but ultimately there is no longer, gorier cut.

Resurrection's DVD contains most of what was cut from the film aside from the cool opening 8mm footage which can be viewed on YouTube.

That sounds awesome. I would love Uni to release that.

that sounds like it would've been a kick ass Special Edition, wonder why it never came out, if it ever does...I am so buying it :)

Halloween II and III are Universal titles, and VI and H20 are Dimension titles.

Universal doesn't really seem to give a shit about their "B" titles (they haven't bothered to release Phantasm 2 yet, either), and Disney barely acknowledges the existence of Dimension.

cover and info...

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/12872

Meh, no workprint.

Looks like the 2-disk Unrated DC with a 3rd disk with the 4.5 hour documentary on it.

^ Yea, seriously. Pretty lame. I might try to see if I can score this for cheap once it's been out for a while. I already have the 2-disc <i>and</i> the theatrical <i>and</i> the workprint.

When I first saw the thread title, I had to make sure to interpret its meaning correctly; I thought for an instant that a 3-disc set of John Carpenter's film might have been on the way. The documentary does sound amazing, though, so I will get this.

--THX

Eh, even if it was the Carpenter version, I probably wouldn't bite. I've bought a few versions of Halloween on standard def DVD, and now I own the blu-ray for that and it looks fantastic.

Wouldn't the 17 deleted scenes and alternate endings = extra workprint footage?

No. Those 17 deleted scenes were on the previous DVD set and not all of them were present in the workprint. Much of that footage still has yet to be released in any official form.

Sweet! I am so there... :)

If that is the case then I am definately not picking this up. That is some ugly artwork too.

Both Amazon and Bloody-Disgusting now show the release date as October 7. Same as the 6-disc Halloween 30th anniversary set.

A 2-disc Blu-ray will be available on October 21. No official word yet if it's the same as the upcoming 3-disc or the original 2-disc.

--THX

Dvd Active has a listing for the release. It confirms the October 7th release and says the SRP will be $24.95. Looks like the only *new* feature is the 260 minute documentary. They also have the subtile cover-art.

a 4 1/2 hour documentary? That's insane, especially for a movie that wasn't all that great.

The UNRATED 2-DISC is on sale at BEST BUY this week.
Is that MANY MASKS OF M. MYERS doc on that one?

^ Yes. The 2-disc has all the extras.

Review of the 4 hr documentary up at Fangoria:

http://www.fangoria.com/ghastly_review.php?id=7236

Sounds good to me. I'll probably wait until I get a BD player before re-buying this, seeing as how I already have 3 copies of the film.