HELP: The Halloween series. Which versions??

[silverpenguin7]

Guys, having watched and loved Halloween the other day I have decided to go for some more in the series.
What I need to know is what are the best version to go for? I can only play R1 right now but if there are better versions in R2/4 let me know and I will hold off for them.

I have Halloween so I dont need to know about that.
H2 I have not seen on DVD, is there a sp ed out soon?
I also know H3 is supposed to be crud, is it REALLY that bad?
I know H4&5 come in tins but are they worth getting over the standard releases? What extra content do they have?
As for the rest, what are they like and are the current releases expected to be updated anytime soon?

And last but not least, which in the series are anamorphic?

Phew, glad to have got that out my way! Over to you guys. I expect someone out there is a fan of this series (MrSpeed?) and can help?!

Cheers peeps :)

[Just Call Me Wanda]

I also know H3 is supposed to be crud, is it REALLY that bad?

It is terrible - one reason for it is that Myers isn't even in it! I remember the opening scene being quite good but the rest is downhill. The plot basically centres around an evil mask maker.

That's about the only thing I can say!

However, I'd get them from Austraila cos' they're cheaper. I'd certainly get H20 (which I did) from Oz!

[Richie]

The only films worth bothering with are 1, 2 and H20.

For Hallowen II get the Universal R1 that came out in September. It wasn't the SE that was hoped for but it's a good anamorphic transfer. The Goodtimes release is non-anamorphic but very cheap and is 'okay'.

For H20 best is R2. It has THE best transfer out of R1, R2 and R4.
It's a great anamorphic transfer and it has the same extras as the R1. The documentray is excellent.

The R4 H20 has interview snippets and some of these are from the documentary but it isn't as good. The anamorphic transfer is also FULL of artifacts. So the R4 is in fact the worst! R4 is the only region to include the trailer though.

The R1 H20, although non-anamorphic, does have an excellent transfer.

Halloween 3 really is awful!
4, 5 and 6 are very routine slasher pics with nothing to recommend in them.

1, 2 and H20 make a good stand alone 'Laurie Strode' trilogy and they are well made and suspenseful.

[Creamstick]

Halloween III is great! It really has nothing to do with the rest of the films in the series, but it's still a cool little movie.

Halloween is obviously the best, Halloween 2 is pretty good, 4 and 5 are run of the mill slashers (not bad but not great) and H20, to paraphrase Baby Herman, "..stinks like yesterday's diapers.."

[MrBrady]

Halloween III is a pure guilty pleasure. Sure, it's camp and full of cliche but at the same time it's atmospheric, quite suspenseful and very tongue-in-cheek. The "small town" in which much of the movie is set is very evocative of an episode of "The Twilight Zone". As it's available dirt cheap on R1, I'd say go for it.

However.. avoid the R4 at all costs. It's anamorphic, but the movie is framed incorrectly at 1.78:1 rather than it's full 2.35:1 and it's very noticeable.

[silverpenguin7]

So I need:

H2 - Universal R1
H3 - R1 for cheapness (if I decide to get)
H20 - R2 for best pic

So what about 4,5 & 6? Standard R1's or R2/4? Which versions are best for these 3?

Thanks so far peeps :)

[Creamstick]

Originally posted by silverpenguin7
So I need:

H3 - R1 for cheapness (if I decide to get)


R2 is only a fiver most places, but it's P&S :(

[Jimmyboy]

Halloween 3 is absolutely terrible, but at least it has the balls to end on a real downer which I found quite unexpected on 1st viewing.

[silverpenguin7]

Originally posted by silverpenguin7
So I need:

H2 - Universal R1
H3 - R1 for cheapness (if I decide to get)
H20 - R2 for best pic

So what about 4,5 & 6? Standard R1's or R2/4? Which versions are best for these 3?

Thanks so far peeps :)
Anyone got anymore light to shed on this? Mainly need to know about 4,5 & 6 now.

:)

[CrazyHorse]

R2 is only a fiver most places, but it's P&S

Originally quoted by Creamstick regarding H3.


Avoid the R2 DVD of Halloween 3 like the plague! Not only is it badly pan & Scanned, but it's also cut to bits!

The R1 has only an OK transfer, but at least it's in full 2.35:1.

The film ain't that bad, in my opinion. It just has nothing to do with the others in the series.

I got my copy, aswell as H2 original non anamorphic release, from DVD Mod for around £7 each delivered.

I've also read a review of the re-release of Halloween 2 with the anamorphic transfer that said while there was an improvement in picture quality, it wasn't huge. You pays your money and takes your choice!

[MrBrady]

IMHO "Halloween 5" and "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers" are complete duds and unless you want to lay out money for old rope, I'd avoid them totally. The "Producers Cut" of the latter can be found on VHS on ebay which is a much better movie (and totally and utterly different from the botch job released theatrically by Di$ney).

"Halloween 4" - go for the newly released Anchor Bay R1 standalone disc. The box set is nice, but it's not worth the money. The previous Anchor Bay release was not anamorphic, so make sure if you're buying that it's the newer version.

On the other hand, Anchor Bay are releasing 4 and 5 early next year over here... but with the grumbles about their choice of NTSC to PAL conversion so far they might not be worth waiting for.