Seriously - This is the best home video news in a while! I am pumped for vintage Jamie Lee Curtis slasher film awesomeness in high-def!

Very happy to see these all released, will purchase them all.

My only complaint against Shout! Factory is their lack of subtitles. What gives?

I just made a mess in my pants.

Awesome news! I'm in for Halloween III and They Live for sure. The Island sounds sort of interesting as well and I do like Michael Caine so may have to look into that one too. I haven't picked up Halloween II yet but I don't know if I'll get this version or the existing disc from Universal.

If you're just interested in the film, I'd wait for the Shout disc, as the transfer will likely (hopefully?) be an improvement, and it looks stacked with extras. I really enjoyed the Terror in the Aisles doc on the Universal disc - I look at as a horror That's Entertainment!, with the irritating narration and fluctuating quality balanced by the sheer fun of seeing a steady stream of classic clips in HD, many of which come from films that will likely not see Blu-ray releases themselves - but I'm guessing the Shout will be an improvement in every other way. Hmmm, should we be calling them Shout or Scream?

Actually the Terror in the Aisles documentary is one of the main reasons I was looking at the Universal disc. I've heard it's good and it appears this release from Scream (Shout) Factory won't include it. I'll wait to see how the transfer is rated in comparison once it's out though.

Not the same as watching it in HD on your TV obviously, but the entire film is on YouTube here if you want to sample it first.

The Terror Train artwork looks pretty cool! I really need to make some money this fall to afford all these releases! This is some of the best horror release news in years in my opinion.

^
Agreed! Hopefully Scream/Shout will be able to at least partially fill the void left by the almost non-existent Anchor Bay (the upcoming Halloween 4 and 5 not withstanding) and the increasingly uninteresting Blue Underground.

All this Scream talk. Maybe we should get a new thread going?

I will gladly buy all of these releases but I'm sure Shout! will have high sale expectations so I'm not holding my breath for this line to have a lot of success.

Eh..you never know. They could just be testing the waters a bit. Has Shout Factory released any horror stuff in the past?

There are so few regular Shout Blu-ray releases that we might as well keep the one thread, but maybe a mod could change it to:

The One and Only Shout and Scream Factory Blu-ray Thread

I don't see it happening but it would be nice if Scream/Shout Factory was able to somehow work out a deal with Paramount to release the remaining Friday the 13th's since I doubt Paramount will bother putting them out anytime soon.

Not really. The TV version that aired in syndication for years (and more recently on AMC) cuts out the gore and adds a number of scenes that he directed, that were cut out. It's not really "his cut", just a few scenes that were put back in to pad the running time when the R rated material was discarded. The "alternate ending" isn't really an alternate -- it's just a discarded scene at the end, which also was in the TV cut (and is also in Universal's Blu-Ray deleted scenes section).

Ironically the guy who dismantled his original version and inserted all the gore himself was John Carpenter! But it's not like it was "Rosenthal's movie." He was a hired hand by Carpenter and Hill, and it was their production. Rosenthal's original version was apparently not graphic enough and Carpenter reshot the most violent stuff before it got released. (Which is odd because the original Halloween is a lot less graphic by comparison, not to mention a much better movie).

Something was wrong with that transfer? Looked pretty damn good, especially by Universal standards. I'd almost guarantee they're going to license the same HD master from Universal.

I thought it looked pretty scratched up, but you're likely right that Shout will use the same transfer. If Universal couldn't/wouldn't do any restoration work, a smaller company like Shout certainly won't be in a position to. Still, I remain optimistic. I'm not really a fan of the film anyway, so as long as Halloween III has a quality transfer I'll be pleased. Looks like a great collection of extras.

Well, this is welcomed news:

Shout/Scream Factory just posted on their FB page that all copies (BD & DVD) of Halloween II will include a second disc (presumably DVD-only) containing the TV version of the film.

That's actually pretty cool. Wonder how they managed that.

Still would like it if they could just brand it in (even it would switch to SD on the HD Cut) on the Blu-ray

I'd prefer if they released it in HD, but I'll take a standard def copy... very exciting stuff.

That's fantastic. That's what I've been waiting for, honestly. I'd like an HD version, but I won't be TOO bummed if it's on a separate DVD instead...

There is no way to make an HD copy of the t.v. version since it was only created and exists in 4x3 SD. But I'm happy this version is being made available in it's original form, since the added material is cool, and the content edits are hilarious and I wouldn't want it any other way.

I've never heard of upscaling either. Oh, wait....

fan-fucking-tastic!

I am SO looking forward to these upcoming releases... especially Halloween II & III with their special features!
It's going to be a GREAT Halloween!!
Looking forward to the October Challenge!!!!