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DVD SPOTLIGHT
HALLOWEEN 25 YEARS OF TERROR
When I heard that Anchor Bay was releasing yet
another HALLOWEEN film, my initial thought was that
it would be a rehash of the original. Thankfully, I
could not have been more wrong. Instead, we are
treated to the most comprehensive horror documentary
in the known universe. Yes, there's that much going
on here. This doc covers the entire series from
beginning to end, up to this point anyway. Probably
a good time for a DVD like this seeing how Rob
Zombie is reinventing the series as I write this.
Okay, fine; he's actually on tour but you get the
point!
What surprised me the most about HALLOWEEN: 25
YEARS OF TERROR is that everything is completely
original in the film; meaning that the interviews
are not rehashed from previous DVD releases. Sweet!
I also couldn't believe how many people came out of
the woodwork for this thing.
I mean, seriously! Just within the first eight
minutes you'll see the following people:
Executive producers Irwin Yablans and producers
Debra Hill and Moustapha Akkad (R.I.P.), director
John Carpenter, cinematographer Dean Cundey,
HALLOWEEN RESURRECTION hottie Bianca Kajlich, film
critic Mark Shapiro, actor Nick Castle, (a.k.a. The
Shape), stuntman Jim Winburn, HALLOWEEN fan and
well-known horror author Clive Barker, actors Chris
Durand and Brian Andrews and writer/director Dennis
Etchison. The list of people who contributed to this
doc is almost more extensive than the guest list for
the Academy Awards. No joke! Man, do I feel bad for
the people who had to man the phone when planning
this event, meaning the HALLOWEEN: 25 YEARS OF
TERROR Convention. Talk about a phone bill!
I was most looking forward to hearing what these
people had to say regarding the later films in the
series. I've heard tales, both good and bad,
regarding the production of the first film, but
never much after that. I mean a HALLOWEEN 6 panel?
How fucking awesome is that? What's also very cool
is that everyone speaks very candidly in the
documentary, which was not only ballsy of the
filmmakers but refreshing for a change. We get to
hear all about the hardships they ran into while
making HALLOWEEN 3: SEASON OF THE WITCH and
HALLOWEEN 5, which both left the world-renowned
franchise in a state of confused peril, a seven-year
period of confused peril, to be exact. And I thought
the Gulf War was a tough time for our nation.
I specifically enjoyed hearing director Tommy Lee
Wallace comment on directing HALLOWEEN 3. I've
always enjoyed that film and I think I'm in the
minority on that one. Yes, Michael’s not in it. Get
over it! There is also commentary on Busta Rhymes’
kung-fu battle with Michael in RESURRECTION. Nice!
That was probably the worst idea I've heard since
Jason Voorhees in space.
I could go on and on and on about this disk, but
you should just check it out for yourself. I
wouldn’t recommend that you rent this DVD though.
That would be insanity. You need to own this one.
It's as essential to your DVD collection as the
first HALLOWEEN film itself. They go together like a
zombie and a fresh bowl of brains.
I officially award HALLOWEEN: 25
YEARS OF TERROR a 5/5.
DVD Features Include:
Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 2.0
Surround)
"Horror's Hallowed Ground" featurette
"Fans of Halloween" featurette
Halloween II and Halloween III extended interviews
Extended celebrity interviews
Halloween 5 On-Set Footage
Halloween Convention Montage
Halloween panel discussion
Halloween II panel discussion
Halloween 6 panel discussion
Ellie Cornell panel discussion
Dean Cundey panel discussion
Halloween producers panel discussion
Halloween location still gallery
Halloween Convention Behind-The-Scenes gallery
Original artwork gallery
Exclusive comic book inspired by the series
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