On a black and unholy Halloween night years ago, little Michael Myers brutally slaughtered his sister in cold blood. But for the last fifteen years, town residents have rested easy, knowing that he was safely locked away in a mental hospital — until tonight. Tonight, Michael returns to the same quiet neighborhood to relive his grisly murder again…and again…and again. For this is a night of evil. Tonight is Halloween!
Plot: Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield to kill again.
Director: John Carpenter
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Runtime: 91 min
Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 93% & IMDB 7.8/10
Unboxing (see below)
Review:
Halloween was originally shot on 35mm, and for this release it was scanned in full native 4K + given an HDR grade in both HDR10 and Dolby Vision. There is moderate to heavy grain that can be seen throughout the movie, but that is to be expected in a eerie-dark-classic like this… it can only benefit from it. Of course, there are some soft shots, but nothing that takes away from the film.
When it comes to the resolution and HDR additions; there are more subtle details seen here than ever before, not to mention deeper blacks and better all around highlights. You will get better skin tones and the little color seen in dark scenes will pop a bit more. Not to mention, you will get more details in things like the the textures in furniture down to the blades of grass, leaves falling from the trees and blowing in the wind. Please note that it’s not a HUGE jump we are talking about here, it’s very subtle for the most part.
Something that was more apparent to me was the warmer color tone during the day in Haddonfield in contrast to the cooler color tone seen at night. I know other reviewers talk about it being “dulled down,” but I actually like this look better. The little things that the HDR added to the atmosphere added another depth factor that I never notice before.
It’s funny to think about how the color palette and tones from daytime scenes like overcast-October sky will add something to be desired, but they do. This movie has always felt like it was actually set on Halloween and the 4K resolution and HDR add to that.
This will definitely be the tip-top of resolution and look for this film. It’s amazing to see how much love this classic has been given, so it can’t get any better than this. Can it?
Conclusion:
Scream Factory released a Complete Collection with a remastered disc a few years ago, so if you don’t have the full Halloween collection, this won’t be bad to add to your collection. Overall, this is just enough of a jump from the Blu-Ray, so if you’re interested, I believe it’s enough to warrant a pick up for the Halloween season.
Right now prices are under $20 for this 4K release, so jump on it. Honestly, I can see this dropping to under $15 before the year is up, so if you’re in the middle about it, you can hold off for a lower price. At the end of the day if you love this film you don’t need my approval, but if you are building a 4K collection and want to know how big of a jump this is, it’s on the shorter end, but enough.
Enjoy your October!
Cheers,
Matt.
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