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Halloween: 25 Years of Terror (US - DVD R1)

It's a great time to be a Halloween fan. All eight films of the franchise have found their way to DVD with four of them getting due treatment. On top of that, it's recently been announced that audiences will be getting a Rob Zombie written and directed re-imagining of the original, good news to this reviewer. Amid all the excitement, Anchor Bay Entertainment is releasing what I'd call the Halloween fan's wet dream: an extensive documentary covering the entire series coupled with a disc of bonus materials totalling over six hours of content.

Feature In 1978, filmmaker John Carpenter made a landmark motion picture that brought forth an entirely new sub-genre of (often really bad) horror film: the slasher flick. The film was Halloween, and not only was it the first of it's kind, it was the best. The crucial element that has kept the film terrifying audiences even still today is that the villain wasn't a fictitious monster, but rather a man as mortal as the victims he would claim. Another smart move was setting the story in a quiet suburban town, a community too peaceful for evil to rear its ugly head, right? Halloween went on to spawn seven sequels, a number of novels, and a line of comic books. 25 Years of Terror examines the production of each film in the series and their subsequent public responses. It also tackles an issue that's plagued these films; do violent films inspire violence in audience members?

When I look at 25 Years of Terror, I don't see a documentary per se, but rather a massive collection of segments that tell the story of the franchise. The entire release is, in a word, exhaustive, in terms of information given. It is in two words, wonderfully exhaustive, in that fans can't ask for much more*. This is the ultimate companion piece to the series. The backdrop for 25 Years of Terror was the 'Halloween Returns to Haddonfield' convention held in Pasadena, California back in October, 2003. The event boasted a massive gathering of series alumni, and a hefty amount of the interviews seen here are from this convention. Narrated by actress P.J. Soles of the original, this is an absolute treat for any fan of the first great horror movie slasher.

Leaving no stone unturned (even giving the much under-appreciated Season of the Witch due love), 25 Years of Terror begins by discussing the cinematic climate that the original was birthed into and then follows each sequel up until the most recent flop Halloween Resurrection. Heck, it even covers the Hellraiser crossover that nearly went down with an enthusiastic Clive Barker giving viewers the story. The cover artwork boasts the set to be a revealing look at the series, and that it is.

The greatest strength of the documentary is that it knows who its audience is, much unlike the eighty-seven minute documentary Anchor Bay produced for the original's 25h Anniversary Divimax release. Instead of telling us what we already know and padding it together with long film clips, we're given a fast-paced product, chock full of new information. No doubt, this documentary is made for the fan who thinks they know it all. Even so, it doesn't assume it's viewer knows anything about Halloween, which means anyone can follow it. Be warned however, the endings to every film are revealed as are many of the death scenes.

I have to applaud any documentary based on a film franchise that isn't afraid to say which entries sucked and which entries didn't. The filmmakers are far from hesitant to tell the camera why each subsequent instalment succeeded or didn't, bringing to light several backstage issues that before now, were unclear to fans. Find out why John Carpenter left and never returned from the man himself, among other seldom-spoken of behind the scenes disputes. It all comes down to a product that's brutally honest with its audience, something I very much appreciated.

Horror auteurs Rob Zombie and Clive Barker are interviewed for the set and have several fascinating viewpoints to share. It's no surprise that Barker brings great insight to the documentary; the man is very knowledgeable on horror as we've seen in several other documentaries. Zombie's thoughts on why the original worked (and the sequels didn't) should ease the fan's minds weary of his upcoming film. The man knows his Halloween well, and this interview is supposedly before he signed on.

As a sign that I'm not just a rabid fan obligatorily praising a two-disc set devoted to his favourite franchise (even though, I am), there was at least one thing that I didn't care for. Numerous works of fan-art are thrown into the documentary in-between footage and interviews where they have no place. Don't show me a 2006 artist's rendering of a scene from Halloween III: Season of the Witch during that segment because the flick was made in 1982; making it irrelevant. Let's leave the fan-art in the gallery on disc two where it belongs.

For this fan, the most enjoyable moments of 25 Years of Terror were those in which new or rare footage was shown. Seeing the late great Donald Pleasence discussing his role on the set of the original (below screenshot) is a delight, the man is a fantastic actor. We get to watch little Danielle Harris terrorize Halloween 5's crew while wearing her uncle's mask, and are even treated to several costume tests done for part seven (below). In this way, the documentary is a treasure trove of home video moments from the past twenty-five years of Halloween.

That's all I can say for the feature presentation itself as this type of documentary doesn't lend itself easily to plot description. Bottom line, it's a highly detailed look at a great horror franchise nearly thirty years old. Likewise, it's somewhat immune to the level of critique I usually hit DVDs with because it's made for a very specific audience; and to that purpose, it's highly satisfying. It's also worth mentioning that almost every feature on this two-disc features closed-captioning, something I really have come to appreciate on DVD releases and I'm sure others will too.

*Sure you could ask for your ultimate cut of II, producer's cut of Curse and extended editions of both H20 and Resurrection, but those decisions are in the hands of Universal and Miramax, not Anchor Bay. While you're asking for those, go ahead and ask for decent theatrical editions of parts two, three, six and seven because little ole Anchor Bay is seriously upstaging the other, much larger distributors.

Video 25 Years of Terror is presented in it's native 1:33:1 full screen ratio, although many clips and interviews are presented in letterboxed widescreen format. Since the documentary contains footage gathered from a variety of sources, the quality is understandably varied. Footage of screen tests are very poor, but considering the source, we can't blame anyone. On-set video from the later films is somewhat better, although clearly still shot on VHS tape. Interviews and convention material look the best, appearing to have been shot digitally. Chances are, you won't much care about the inconsistent quality as things probably look as good as they possibly can.

Audio The disc is outfitted with a Dolby Digital 2.0 track, and we can't reasonably ask for anything more. It should go without saying that the audio of older clips and interviews isn't nearly as pleasing as those taken at the convention, so again quality varies, although not as much as video. If anyone goes into this set hinging their opinion of it around the disc's technical presentation, they're going into it all wrong. I can easily hear what's being said on-screen, and that's enough to satisfy me.

Extras First things first, as I open the case I find a comic book titled Halloween Autopsis. I haven't followed the Halloween comic series too closely, but if they're anything like Autopsis then they're worth checking out. Also included is a fold-out insert, host to a chapter listing and heart-felt message from set producer Anthony Masi about the convention, documentary, and tragic loss of series producer (more like father) Moustapha Akkad.

'Horror's Hallowed Grounds' is a seventeen minute look at locations used throughout the first film, hosted by Sean Clark of Dread Central. Clark has really done his homework with some great archival coverage of the Myers house done here. Actress P.J. Soles puts in an appearance, adding to this 'totally' great feature. I'd be very interested to see more of this show, if only I got the Horror Channel.

Next up are extended interviews for films two and three, which collectively feature ten people spread over twenty-five minutes of interview time. These are all fun thanks to participant enthusiasm, but were all a little too specific to be featured in the documentary. Extended celebrity interviews run thirty-six minutes and feature Charles Cyphers, Dick Warlock, P.J. Soles, Alan Howarth, Greg Nicotero, John Carl Buechler and a slew of other folks. Very enjoyable, these extended interviews almost feel like an excised portion of the documentary itself. Almost...

' Halloween 5 On-Set Footage' contains seven minutes of promotional material for those who didn't give their part five fix from the main feature. You can also find this footage of Anchor Bay's Halloween 5 Divimax Special Edition DVD. Following that is a three minute bit ' Halloween 9 Contest', which awards one lucky fan a cameo in the next Halloween. Moving along, we have a four minute convention montage set to a very fast-pace. If you didn't get to attend the celebration, this feature will make you hate yourself. Rounding out disc one is an eight minute 'Fans of Halloween segment, which is scarier than all eight films combined. I found myself pausing and rewinding this feature quite a bit, as I frequently laughed too hard to catch it all on the first run.

Starting off disc two, we have panel discussions for films one, two, and six. I dare not use the word 'family' in describing the filmmaker/fan relationship of the series, but it's something like that and these discussions show it. If fans are too rabid on a franchise, it can scare away the people who made it ( Star Wars, Star Trek, etc.) but there's a fine balance here. On top of the informative nature of these discussions, they had me howling with laughter. Convention attendees ask some great questions and occasionally request the performers to recite lines/monologues, something to make any fan squeal with joy. Together, they run an hour and some change.

What could be next? More discussion panels, of course! Actress Ellie Cornell has a fifteen minute panel where she speaks of her involvement in films four and five. The lovely Ms. Cornell is both easy on the eyes and ears making her panel a treat. The next is nearly half an hour in length and features the actors who played Michael Myers from all eight films together on one stage, an awesome sight. Sadly absent is Nick Castle who did most of the Myers part in the original. Taking his place is Jim Winburn, responsible for the balcony stunt in part one, so it's not so bad. Do I really need to evaluate this feature? A must-watch, period.

A panel of particular interest to me (and all of these are) is the twenty-five minute discussion with cinematographer Dean Cundey. The man is a legend of cinema and he gives a great account of his involvement in telling the visual story of the original. This is something any fan of filmmaking can appreciate. The final panel is a twenty-two minute chat with original producer Irwin Yablans and series producer Moustapha Akkad. Akkad is a gentle soul and loves his fan-base, something clearly evidenced here. This would have been one of his final public appearances (if not his last), making this a special segment. There you have it; over two and a half hours of panel discussion footage on disc two alone.

Next up is a large location stills gallery showcasing areas filmed in the first, third, and seventh entries of the series. Following that is an original artwork gallery filled with fantastic pieces, some serious, some spoof. The final and largest gallery on the disc is a convention behind the scenes gallery, which further fuels my self-hatred for not attending the convention. Concluding the extras on disc two is a song 'Pure Evil' by Vicious Disorder, a rock and roll version of Carpenter's classic theme. It's not half bad...

Overall For casual and hardcore fans, this set is a must-own and it's because of this that I'm beginning to question why I'm reviewing it at all. Won't everyone prone to buy this documentary already have done so or made plans to? Regardless, I'm willing to claim that 25 Years of Terror may be the most extensive look at any film franchise outside of those containing the word Star in their title. You did good, Anchor Bay... very good.

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The shoot was pretty much straight forward for H20 and the only alternate footage is available as a bootleg. There's only minor changes like a name here and a movie on TV there. Otherwise, it was never filmed.

As for the H4 screener, it's just a promotional tape. I really wanted it, but I'm burnt out and have been for a long time and don't even pay attention to the screeners I have.

Disciple, don't mean to be disagreeable but I've heard from sources that scene was *written* but not shot. Dimension does have quite a handful of deleted scenes for H20 though.

Franchise, what's this about an H4 screener? We talking alternate cut or just promotional tape?... was it legit? We know they've held out on H5 deleted scenes, thanks to Fangoria's onset coverage from the 80s.

There are a lot of scenes that are mistakenly thought that are filmed but are not. I've been wrong before (who'd have known there was an H4 screener when no one's ever seen one when one popped up on eBay last week?), but I think we'd have some kind of information on anything filmed later in the series considering they've kept almost all the footage they've filmed.

H20 did ignore the storyline of Halloween 4-6 in the final cut. But if i'm not mistaken I think they actually did shoot a scene that was supposed to bring all the films together. That's why Laurie Strode is in the witness protecion program under another name. They faked her death. I think they explained that she died in a car crash before the events of Halloween 4.

Anyway, this is a great documentary, although it's a bit short in my opinion. It should've been at least two hours.

It's a pity there weren't more people from H20 and Resurrection availible for the convention, I would've loved to see panels for those films. But I guess people like Michelle Williams, Josh Hartnett, LL Cool J and Busta Rhymes think too highly of themselves these days.

I of course own this wonderful DVD along with all the films in all releases...

I bought this DVD the first day it came out. I have all of the Halloween films on DVD and I just had to get this one also to complete my collection. The documentary (what I have watched so far) is very cool. It is well worth the $14.99 price at Best Buy. That is a great price considering it is 2 discs.

Naturally the original is the best; but I'm quite fond of the sequels. They all have qualities that I really dig, the worst being five and eight. I really enjoyed four and my favorite sequel, H20. I know most hate it, but I really appreciate the dramatics of the story (it actually had a story!). It was about not being afraid anymore, it was about not running any longer.... the hunter becoming the hunted.

I really hate that I missed the 25th Convention. I will not miss the next one. I was all set to attend the Jaws convention in Martha's Vinyard last year as well and of course, one of my buds decides to get married that weekend.

Should've gone to the convention... because unlike the marriage, we'll still have Jaws in another five years.

I bought it day 1. I just wish I read your review about H5 having the same extras that are on the H25. I was mad because I could not attened the H25 convention (maybe there will be a H30 Convention) I could tell everyone one there from the fans to the actors and producers all had a good time!

Great review. I think you hit the nail on the head with it considering you've raised a lot of points that people at the board have come onto as well. I plan on getting this one day, but I'm fairly burnt out on Halloween at this moment and couldn't bear to sit down and watch 2 discs at almost 4 hours. It'll be bad enough when I finally break open my copies of the Divimax 4 and 5.

On a final note, Dustin, if you're interested in something fairly rare, e-mail me for a copy of it at franchise@ohmb.net.

I have only viewed the second disk of this set so far. Have to say that the second disk is a bit of a let down. The panel discussions are OK, but there is really no deep questions asked. A lot of it is rehash of things the hardcore fan would know. Not to say it isn't worth having, because it is, just don't expect the panels on the 2nd disk to enlighten you much. It is great to see the casts and their absolute suprise there are so many folks that give a damn about the movies.

I can't wait to watch the first disk as I know that is where this set truly earns its purchase.

Bradavon, I have to agree with you. I absolutely love the first movie. The second one was a fitting finish and then after that, everything else has been overkill. As much as I enjoyed H2O, it still left felt like overkill. Atleast with Halloween 3 they tried to explore a different story. I actually would have prefered they go down that road, exploring different evils that are connected with Halloween. But unfortunately the major hardcore fans all they want is more Michael. I hated the whole occult subplot that 5 and 6 introduced. H2O was forgiveable because it atleast ignored the c**p 4 through 6 introduced, but with Resurrection the franchise totally lost my respect. I just hope Zombie can breath real life back into the franchise.

I'd not heard of this disc so thanks for reviewing it. I've seen the original and few of the sequels over the years, the trouble is "only" the original is any good. The rest take the slasher element and remove all of the clever camera angles, the dark settings, the scary music. What we're left with is very little.

This was recommended by a horror fan so i'll seek this out for a rental, though maybe I should actually watch Halloween first, i've gone this long without watching it, may as well finally take a stab at it....... *shakes head in shame*

As huge music fan Rob Zombie's work as suffered in the years following the demise of White Zombie with a number of rather bland and calculated recordings of industrial metal which pale in comparison to his earlier outings.

However, House of the 1000 Corpses was pure brilliance in an otherwise stagnant killing spree genre of horror. The Devil's Rejects was good but lacked the originality of his debut.

Therefore, I have some reservations about Mr. Zombie's tackling of an American horror classic. Rob has an extensive horror collection and hopefully he can cull out from the many influences to produce a worthy Halloween film. He is taking a different approach and not remaking the genius that Carpenter created which is a relief to say the least. It will be interesting to view this approach when it finally comes out and I hope that Rob and his film making do not suffer the same fate as his music career and that this challenge will result in a similar favorable result as House of 1K Corpses and his early White Zombie work.