But the best of these, in this critic's humble opinion, are the retrospective pieces - the feature-length excursions into why something succeeded (or better yet, didn't), what was going on at the time of its production, and how the finished film has evolved (or devolved in the eyes of viewers over years or even decades). All of which is why the recently-released Halloween: 25 Years of Terror DVD not only pays long-overdue tribute to one of the great horror movies of all time, but the other seven movies of questionable quality with whom this classic shares company.
Like the Omen Legacy documentary that accompanied the recent double-dip DVD release of The Omen, 25 Years of Terror pulls no punches when it comes to the diminishing returns of each subsequent film in the series. Starting chronologically (much less qualitatively) with the original film, the doc delves into the production details of each installment, talking about the conception, the production, and almost inevitably, the conflicts that arose as producer Moustapha Akkad solicited different creative types to contribute to the franchise.
Writer-director John Carpenter, who came up with the idea for the original movie, participates only tangentially - he seems to have little love for the later installments, and talks mostly about the first Halloween. But the roster of talent brought together to talk about the series is impressive: Debra Hill, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Atkins, Danielle Harris, Kathleen Kinmont, Nancy Loomis, Dean Cundey, Greg Nicotero, Rob Zombie, Clive Barker, Edgar Wright and many others opine about Michael Myers' appeal, thankfully not always in appreciative ways. The best footage comes from the middle installments, before Curtis returned for H20, in which a cross-section of rising teen stars discuss the prospect of being dispatched by Michael.
On the other hand, the many discussions about how and why to bring Michael back prove enlightening if in no other way than to highlight the junction where art and commerce intersect - and more frequently, collide. Evidently the battles were legendary over how to create Michael masks, quite possibly the one thing that should be pure, unchanged, and iconic throughout the entire series; then again, this was the franchise that completely discarded its core character in the third film in lieu of evil Halloween masks that activated evil via a song called "Silver Shamrock."
The documentary, much like the film series, culminates with a 2003 Return to Haddonfield convention, where virtually every cast and crew member (except for the notable absence of Carpenter and Curtis) converged to discuss their experiences working on the series. While generally speaking I'm all for fan enthusiasm about a particular movie, or better yet, genre or medium in general, the thing that's truly scary about this documentary is the single-minded fanaticism of the folks who attended. But ultimately, this footage provides an interesting coda for the movies themselves, and suggests that Rob Zombie's forthcoming remake is not only a product of commercial opportunism but the fulfillment of more than two decades of abiding passion for one of horror's most famous antagonists.
Halloween: 25 Years of Terror, by itself, is a terrific documentary - worth a rental even if you're only a casual fan, but certainly a must-have if your apartment or home is adorned wall-to-wall with Halloween memorabilia (and God help you). In fact, this should probably become some kind of template going forward for bonus materials and DVD extras; but at the very least, this set offers a satisfying alternative to standard-fare extra features and proves truly, genuinely and unflinchingly entertaining - long after Brad Pitt's smirk has lost its appeal.
Score: 8 out of 10
The Video
Halloween: 25 Years of Terror is presented in a full frame (1.33:1) aspect ratio, preserving the recent (and archive) interview footage; shots or sequences from the films themselves are letterboxed to suit each theatrical aspect ratio. For the most part, the image quality is solid: while there is a preponderance of video-source footage and lots of low-grade HD material, the doc faithfully preserves the color, clarity and contrast - the three c's of DVD transfers - of each image.
It does not appear that much work went into enhancing or otherwise improving either the fan-film footage or some of the video diaries or EPK material from the films themselves, but the transitions between old and new are smooth and never disorienting.
Score: 7 out of 10
The Audio
Only one audio option is available for home theater exhibition of 25 Years of Terror - English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo - but given the wealth of single-source footage from the convention and interview segments, nothing more expansive is necessary. Personally speaking, I think that a full 5.1 mix of the film sequences (where available) would prove jarring to viewers who were slowly acclimated to the interviews, so ultimately this format is not only suitable but preferable for exhibition of the documentary.
Subtitles are not available for hearing-impaired or multilingual audiences.
Score: 6 out of 10
Extras and Packaging
Halloween: 25 Years of Terror comes in a standard Amaray case with a paper insert featuring a basic synopsis of the documentary, a list of bonus materials and technical information about the set. The feature disc is attached to the spine of the case on a hinged tray. The set also comes with a 30-page comic book, and a fold-out booklet that provides a list of chapter stops as well as an introduction by producer Anthony Masi.
The two-disc set features the following extras:
- Disc One
- Featurette: "Horror's Hallowed Grounds"
- Halloween II extended interviews
- Halloween III extended interviews
- Extended celebrity interviews
- Halloween 5 on-set footage
- Halloween 9 contest
- Halloween convention montage
- Fans of Halloween
- Featurette: "Horror's Hallowed Grounds"
- Disc Two
- Halloween panel discussion
- Halloween II panel discussion
- Halloween 6 panel discussion
- Ellie Cornel panel discussion
- Michael Myers panel discussion
- Dean Cundey panel discussion
- Halloween producers panel discussion
- Halloween location stills gallery
- Halloween convention behind-the-scenes gallery
- Original artwork gallery
- Music clip: Vicious Disorder "Pure Evil"
- Halloween panel discussion
Suffice it to say that there is almost literally nothing that this DVD set does not include from the Haddonfield convention; almost every single panel, interview or discussion was dutifully chronicled for fans - which is why folks like yours truly have almost no interest in watching this much Halloween-related material. One supposes that this is a great thing for the people who attended the convention, or solicited films for the fan contest, but for the rest of us there is not enough information of interest to get through even one complete panel discussion segment.
At the same time, the "Horror's Hallowed Grounds" segment is a really great piece; in fact, our only complaint is that we didn't come up with the idea first. In the 25-minute featurette, the Horror Channel's Sean Clark returns to the original locations where the first film was shot and shows us what it looks like today. Clark also enlists none other than PJ Soles to accompany him as a tour guide and commentator; overall this is by far the best bonus feature on either disc.
There's really no need to delve into each of the different panel discussions, because the only qualitative standard that could be drawn up would be by a die-hard Halloween fan - which I am not, save for the original movie. But the convention montage and "Fans of Halloween" features offer some genuine entertainment - especially the fan films, some of which are really funny and creative - and provide a little vicarious experience for folks who were unable to attend the convention in 2003. (Fret not - there's always the 30th anniversary in '08.)
Score: 9 out of 10
The Bottom Line
Ultimately, this set has so much more than any person should ever want to know about Halloween - especially since the documentary does such a wonderful job encapsulating the fan feelings, the production woes, and the estimable commercial and creative histories of the series. But in the often-anemic realm of DVD, particularly in the case of cult films or marginalized genres, this documentary explores and exposes all sides of the creative process, which is a good thing. Just don't expect to watch all the extras in a single sitting - or, if you have anything better to do, ever.
