DVD Shopping Bag: HALLOWEEN 2 Collectors Edition Blu-ray (Mania.com)

By:Robert T. Trate
Date: Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Source: Mania.com

Going into my fifth year of writing this column, I have had a lot of DVD and Blu-rays come across my desk. By far, my favorites have been the Criterion Collections. Hands down, they deliver the type of content and special features I want when I purchase a film. Sure, every once in a while Warner Brothers or 20th Century Fox delivers a Criterion worthy Blu-ray/ DVD. However, these films usually run in the vein of Star Wars, Avatar, or North by Northwest. Classics, to be so blunt, which are universally loved and hailed by everyone as great films (though I wold disagree on Avatar, but you get the idea). What about all those other films out there? Where are their Criterion worthy DVDS and Blu-rays? Usually, it comes down to money. How much will a studio spend on a title that has been out there forever? A title like Halloween 2 isn’t going to make it to the Criterion Collection. Thankfully, Shout! Factory has stepped in and done what no one else would. They delivered an edition that all fans of Halloween would want. 

I probably should have expected this. In the past few years, Shout! Factory has been releasing the Roger Corman library with stellar special features, alternate covers, and pristine editions of films that really have no right to look that good. These films, like Halloween 2, have a niche audience. This audience will pay over and over again for the same film if it gives them a chance to live in that world once more. As I said before, fans of Halloween 2 rejoice because this is the edition you have been dying for. 

Here is what is in the Collector’s Edition Blu-ray:

Theatrical Cut with Added footage not shown in Theaters
Audio commentary with director Rick Rosenthal
Audio commentary with stunt coordinator / actor Dick Warlock
The Nightmare Isn’t Over – The Making of HALLOWEEN II, featuring Rick Rosenthal, Lance Guest, Dick Warlock, Alan Howarth, Dean Cundey 
Horror’s Hallowed Grounds- Revisiting the original shooting locations
Still Gallery
Theatrical Trailer, TV and Radio Spots
Deleted Scenes
Alternate Ending
Alternate DVD/ Blu-ray Cover
The TV Cut of the Film

It was the TV Cut that fascinated me. I have probably caught it late at night (best way to watch these films) and bitched about the dialogue changes. For fun, I thought I would sit down and hear “Julie is full of sugar” knowing full well it would be be followed by “You don’t have to swear Ben”. And why not? I know how this film is going to end. Loomis and Michael Myers get burned and we have to wait through Season of the Witch to see what happens next. 

The TV Cut is only 1 minute shorter than the theatrical version. This means out of 93 minutes, they cut only 1 minute of gore, violence, and nudity. My, how times have changed for horror films since 1981. There are also treats outside of the playful alternate dialogue choices. Dean Cundey’s camera work not only allows you into Michael’s perspective, but dazzles us with light that sets a mood; a mood that a film like Halloween so desperately needs. The film also takes us out of sunny southern California (yeah, that’s California) and places us in the sterile setting of a hospital. Gone are the green leaves (they are everywhere) and the dark corridors of your nightmares come very much to life. The TV Cut is only on a separate DVD. Thankfully, it is also in pristine condition. If you play it in a Blu-ray player, it will never look better. 

The film isn’t without its faults. I noticed that Michael’s only other power, besides not dying, is that he is one lucky bastard. He hears every news report as to wear his family members are. I say family members as this happens in Halloween 4 and 5, as well. At least in Halloween 5, they have some sort of mystical connection between Michael and his intended victim. I would also like to know why this is the emptiest hospital in the world. Obviously, the answer to that is budgetary constraints for the film, but really? There are 5 people working and no other patients except Laurie Strode? 

Shout! Factory has still done right by the movie and its legions of fans. Check out the Halloween 2 The Collector’s Edition out next week. 
 
 
ACTION / ADVENTURE / KUNG FU/ THRILLERS / WESTERNS

6 Bullets Starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Joe Flanigan

Bad Karma Starring Ray Liotta, Dominic Purcell, Andy McPhee and Vanessa Gray

Cleanskin Starring Sean Bean and Abhin Galeya

Cleanskin [Blu-ray] Starring Sean Bean and Abhin Galeya

Deception / Ethan Frome [Blu-ray] Starring Viggo Mortensen, Liam Neeson, Tate Donovan

Entrance Starring Farley Burge and Karen Baird

Flatland Starring Dennis Hopper

For Greater Glory Starring Peter O'Toole, Andy Garcia and Eva Longoria

For Greater Glory BD/Combo [Blu-ray] Starring Peter O'Toole, Andy Garcia and Eva Longoria

Men Of War / Bravo Two Zero [Blu-ray] Starring Dolph Lundgren, B.D. Wong and Sean Bean

The Night Listener / Benefit Of The Doubt [Blu-ray] Starring Donald Sutherland, Robin Williams, Rory Culkin

Rosewood Lane [Blu-ray] Starring Bill Fagerbakke and Ray Wise

Texas Rangers / Dead Man [Blu-ray] Starring Gabriel Byrne, Crispin Glover, John Hurt and Ashton Kutcher

The Loved Ones Starring Xavier Samuel, Robin McLeavy, Victoria Thaine

The Score [Blu-ray] Starring Gary Farmer, Marlon Brando, Edward Norton

Spice & Wolf: Complete Series (Blu-ray/DVD Combo) Starring J. Michael Tatum, Brina Palencia and Chuck Huber

Stealing Las Vegas Starring Eric Roberts, Ethan Landry and Labrandon Shead

ANIME

Bleach: Uncut Set 14

Cat Planet Cuties: Complete Season (Blu-ray/DVD Combo) Starring Brittany Karbowski, Jamie March, Aaron Dismuke

Cluster Edge: Collection 1

Dragon Ball Z Kai: Season Three [Blu-ray] Starring Stephanie Nadolny, Don Brown and Sean Schemmel

Dragon Ball Z Kai: Season Three Starring Sean Schemmel, Stephanie Nadolny and Don Brown

Kanokon: The Girl Who Cried Fox TV & OVA Collection

Kite [Blu-ray] Starring Goro Shibusawa, Konami Yoshida, Kotomi Naruse

Hot for Teacher Starring Yoshiko Ochiai, Asami Imai, Jiro Asada and Juzo Furuse

Maria Watches Over Us, Season 1 Starring Kana Ueda, Miki Itou, Emi Shinohara and Haruna Ikezawa

Martian Successor Nadesico: Complete Collection Starring Houko Kuwashima, Yuji Ueda, Kentarou Itou and Miki Nagasawa

Private Sessions: Complete Collection Starring Hiroe Izumi, Ryouko Shinozaki, Miki Nishino and Teruko Eda

UFO Ultramaiden: Collection (2012)

CARTOONS

Aaahh!!! Real Monsters: Season Three Starring Charles Adler, Christine Cavanaugh and David Eccles

CLASSICS

A Covenant With Death Starring George Maharis, Laura Devon and Katy Jurado

The Chapman Report Starring Jr. Efrem Zimbalist, Shelley Winters, Jane Fonda

COMEDY AND LOVE Mania Style

Super Hero Party Clown Starring Randy J. Blair, Zach Sutherland, Shelby Barnes

HORROR

Adopting Terror Starring Sean Astin

Adopting Terror [Blu-ray]

Beyond the Black Rainbow [Blu-ray] Starring Michael Rogers and Scott Hylands

Born Undead [Blu-ray] Starring Natacza Boon and James Matthew

The Day the Dead Walked [Blu-ray] Starring Russell Friedenberg, Darren Shahlavi

Jeepers Creepers [Blu-ray] Starring Jonathan Breck and Justin Long

Beyond the Black Rainbow Starring Michael Rogers and Scott Hylands

The Black House Starring Masaaki Uchino, Masahiko Nishimura, Shinobu Ohtake

Chillers Starring Jessie Emery, Marjorie Fitzsimmons and Laurie Pennington

Dark Night of the Scarecrow (Deluxe Collector's Edition) Starring Charles Durning, Tonya Crowe, Larry Drake and Lane Smith

Dracula Vs. Frankenstein Starring J. Carrol Naish

Dracula 2000 / Dracula II: Ascension (Double Feature) [Blu-ray] Starring Jonny Lee Miller, Omar Epps, Shane West and Danny Masterson

In The Devil's Garden Starring Suzy Kendall, Freddie Jones, Frank Finlay

Killer Klowns From Outer Space [Blu-ray] Starring John Vernon, John Allen Nelson, Grant Cramer

Last Breath [Blu-ray] Starring Jeff East

Psychotica [Blu-ray] Starring Megan Hutchings and Tara Joshi

The Prophecy / The Prophecy II: God's Army [Blu-ray] Starring Elias Koteas, Vincent Spano, Christopher Walken

Red Eye Starring Shin-yeong Jang, Ji-min Kwak, Dong-kyu Lee and Hye-na Kim

Russell Mulcahy's Tale of the Mummy / Beneath Loch Ness [Blu-ray] Starring Christopher Lee, Jason Scott Lee, Patrick Bergin

Scary Or Die Starring Corbin Bleu, Nicole Moore and Bill Oberst Jr.

Scream Theater Double Feature VOL 3: Don't Open the Door & Don't Look in the Basement Starring Bill McGhee, Annie MacAdams, Jessie Lee Fulton

Scream Theater Double Feature Vol 4: City of the Dead & Legend of the Witches Starring Christopher Lee, Dennis Lotis, Betta St. John

The Suicide Song Starring Ryuhei Matsuda, Yusuke Iseya, Hiroshi Abe

Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 [Blu-ray] Starring Dennis Hopper, Bill Johnson, Bill Moseley and Jim Siedow

The Devil Inside [Blu-ray] Starring Simon Quarterman and Evan Helmuth

The Ring [Blu-ray] Starring Brian Cox, Martin Henderson and David Dorfman

Vile Starring Akeem Smith, April Matson, Maynard James Keenan

Wes Craven Presents: They / Cursed [Blu-ray] Starring Ethan Embry, Jesse Eisenberg, Marc Blucas and Jon Abrahams

Where Evil Lives Starring Claude Akins, James Coffey and Tom Croom

MODERN CLASSICS on BLU-RAY

Airplane [Blu-ray] Starring Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Lloyd Bridges

The Firm [Blu-ray] Starring Hal Holbrook, Gene Hackman, Tom Cruise and Terry Kinney

Ghosts of the Abyss 3D (Three-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD)

The Hole / Venom [Blu-ray] Starring Jonathan Jackson, Desmond Harrington, Agnes Bruckner

SCIENCE FICTION / FANTASY

Future World: City of Mass Destruction

Impostor / Final Encounter [Blu-ray] Starring Vincent D'Onofrio, Dean Cain, Mekhi Phifer

Karate-Robo Zaborgar [Blu-ray] Starring Itsuji Itao, Asami and Akira Emoto

Karate-Robo Zaborgar Starring Itsuji Itao, Asami and Akira Emoto

Power Rangers Samurai: Monster Bash Halloween Special

Private Practice: The Complete Fifth Season Starring Kate Walsh, Taye Diggs, Tim Daly and Paul Adelstein

Snow White and the Huntsman (Two-Disc Combo Pack: Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy + UltraViolet) Starring Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth

Snow White and the Huntsman Starring Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth

Spartacus: Vengeance - The Complete Second Season [Blu-ray] Starring Liam McIntyre, Katrina Law, Dustin Clare and Lucy Lawless

Spartacus: Vengeance - The Complete Second Season Starring Liam McIntyre, Katrina Law, Dustin Clare and Lucy Lawless

The Crow 2: City of Angels / The Crow: Wicked Prayer [Blu-ray] Starring Vincent Perez, Edward Furlong, Mia Kirshner and Tara Reid

TV LAND

30 Rock: Season Six Starring Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan and Jane Krakowski

The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Fifth Season Starring Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons and Kaley Cuoco

The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Fifth Season [Blu-ray] Starring Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons and Kaley Cuoco

Blue Bloods: The Second Season Starring Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes

Castle: The Complete Fourth Season Starring Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic

Goosebumps: One Day at Horrorland / Go Eat Worms

Goosebumps: Scarecrow Walks at Midnight / Night in

Hammer House Of Horror - The Complete Series Starring Pierce Brosnan, Peter Cushing, Brian Cox

Kojak: Season Five Starring Telly Savalas

Terra Nova Starring Jason O'Mara

The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Third Season Starring Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder

BOX SETS

Classic Western Collection (Hondo/Once Upon a Time in the West/True Grit) [Blu-ray] Starring Henry Fonda and John Wayne

Paranormal Activity Trilogy Gift Set [Blu-ray] Starring Mark Fredrichs and Micah Sloat

Tim Burton: Collection [Blu-ray]

 
Robert Trate writes three weekly columns for Mania: the DVD Shopping Bag, the Toy Maniac, and The Geek Life. Follow Robert on Twitter for his for Geek ramblings, Cosplay photos and film criticisms.

 



Series: