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Robert Harris

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Going by memory, John Carpenter's Halloween has been released on every home theater format known to mankind, and a few that may precede what is known.

Color timing changes, frustrating fans who may feel they know the film better than the filmmakers. Resolution rises and falls with new technology and problematic compression.

And new releases of the same film keep on coming.

With Scream Factory's new 4k, we may finally have hit an end point.

A new 4k image harvest.

From the original camera negative. The previous 4k from Lionsgate was from an IP.

Timed by the film's DP, Dean Cundey.

Now with an upgraded Dolby Atmos track that sounds terrific, in addition to the original.

Bottom line, a modern classic horror film, that now looks akin to the projection of a newly minted 35mm print.

Grain structure, color, black levels, shadow detail and overall resolution are as superb as one might expect from a well shot 1979 negative, which is very good.

While those intrigued by the film, but not true fans may be happy with the prior 4k release (how many times have 4k discs been supplanted by new ones?), those who love the film will absolutely want to upgrade to the new release.

I seldom make this point, as usually upgrades are incremental. This one just looks terrific in all respects, and I'm a new fan of the Atmos - which must be selected from the list of audio tracks.

Once again, HDR and Dolby Vision have been delicately applied and play beautifully with projection equipment. It seems that the technology is finally maturing, along with those who twist the knobs.


Finally, I believe we can say that we have a Halloween for the ages.


Image – 5 (Dolby Vision)

Audio – 5 (Dolby Atmos)

Pass / Fail – Pass

Plays nicely with projectors - Absolutely

Makes use of and works well in 4k - 4.5

Very Highly Recommended

RAH
 

disctrip

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and don't forget the set with the "splatter vinyl" record + Poster.
HalloweenUHD_BeautyShot_postervinyl_72dpi.png
 

Lord Dalek

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Color timing changes, frustrating fans who may feel they know the film better than the filmmakers.
Cundey's now recolor timed this movie for home video four times and ever time it comes out different.

At this point its hard to know if even he knows what Halloween is supposed to look like
 

Malcolm R

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Cundey's now recolor timed this movie for home video four times and ever time it comes out different.

At this point its hard to know if even he knows what Halloween is supposed to look like
Yes, this is where the frustration comes from. We're supposed to trust Dean Cundey, but every time he touches the film and "approves" a transfer, it looks different than the last one he "approved," and different from the one before that, and ....

I agree that it's unlikely he even recalls how this film is supposed to look 40+ years on. Apparently it should look however he feels it should on the day he's in the studio to view and "approve" the transfer.
 

lark144

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I saw this film opening day at the Rivoli; on that big curved screen that was installed for "Around the World in 80 Days". Or was it "Oklahoma"? One forgets. I thought "Halloween" looked magnificent. I especially liked the color timing and that limpid light that seemed to glow around corners. The lighting was cool, and yet the oranges and red were quite saturated. Now, I'm not going to pretend I remember the color scheme exactly, but it was very distinctive, and it has stayed in my mind, and I've not seen a single home video release that resembles it in any way. It would be nice to own a decent approximation of what those original release prints looked like. But I don't know if it's possible.
 

JoshZ

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Yes, this is where the frustration comes from. We're supposed to trust Dean Cundey, but every time he touches the film and "approves" a transfer, it looks different than the last one he "approved," and different from the one before that, and ....

I agree that it's unlikely he even recalls how this film is supposed to look 40+ years on. Apparently it should look however he feels it should on the day he's in the studio to view and "approve" the transfer.

That's it exactly. Cundey doesn't care a whit about what the movie was intended to look like when he originally shot it. Every time he supervises a new transfer, it comes out how he feels it should look on that particular day. He supervised two transfers of The Thing (Shout Factory and Arrow) less than a year apart, and they looked radically different from each other.

The desaturated 35th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray of Halloween looked terrible. I haven't seen the prior 4K, but I understand it's from the same master as that. If this one has good black levels, as RAH says, it must be another total overhaul.
 

Tino

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If this one has good black levels, as RAH says, it must be another total overhaul.
As Rah noted above, it’s a new 4K image harvest taken from the original camera negative, not an IP.
 

titch

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Given all the controversy with previous releases, I think/hope Scream Factory is going to use the right track.
No no no - that's very poor business sense. Release now with something everyone complains about and then NEXT year, release yet another 4K version with "the original mono track". And everyone will buy it again!
 

Robert Harris

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I saw this film opening day at the Rivoli; on that big curved screen that was installed for "Around the World in 80 Days". Or was it "Oklahoma"? One forgets. I thought "Halloween" looked magnificent. I especially liked the color timing and that limpid light that seemed to glow around corners. The lighting was cool, and yet the oranges and red were quite saturated. Now, I'm not going to pretend I remember the color scheme exactly, but it was very distinctive, and it has stayed in my mind, and I've not seen a single home video release that resembles it in any way. It would be nice to own a decent approximation of what those original release prints looked like. But I don't know if it's possible.
I’d be a bit suspect about any 35mm print projected on a screen that huge. Thinking 6-8 fl.
 

Robert Crawford

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No no no - that's very poor business sense. Release now with something everyone complains about and then NEXT year, release yet another 4K version with "the original mono track". And everyone will buy it again!
I won't buy it again for "the original mono track".
 

Robert Harris

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“Director/DP approved” has many permutations and combinations.

From someone looking at a few minutes on an unapproved monitor and blessing the image, to sitting with the colorist for days or weeks and literally overseeing.

Begin a process with a dupe printing neg, or IP with color baked in, and controls are less.

Pulling an OCN and starting from scratch is far more time consuming and expensive, but final results can be superb.

Then add another layer, if both the director and DP share eyes on.

And all without viable contemporary reference, which I doubt survives.
 

Worth

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Yes, this is where the frustration comes from. We're supposed to trust Dean Cundey, but every time he touches the film and "approves" a transfer, it looks different than the last one he "approved," and different from the one before that, and ....

I agree that it's unlikely he even recalls how this film is supposed to look 40+ years on. Apparently it should look however he feels it should on the day he's in the studio to view and "approve" the transfer.
Well, he finally got The Thing right with the new 4K release, so hopefully he's on a roll.
 

JoshZ

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As Rah noted above, it’s a new 4K image harvest taken from the original camera negative, not an IP.

I doubt that the problem with the last master had anything to do with the source elements. It was all about Cundey deciding, that day, "I feel like the movie ought to have no color and super elevated black levels. That might be interesting. Let's do that." Prior DVD and Blu-ray masters also came from an IP and looked nothing like the 35th Anniversary version. In fact, since the IP should have had the original color timing baked-in, he had to go out of his way to pull the color out.

Well, he finally got The Thing right with the new 4K release, so hopefully he's on a roll.

Was he involved with the new UHD of The Thing? I hadn't seen his name on any of the publicity.

Then add another layer, if both the director and DP share eyes on.

John Carpenter has said that he never rewatches his old movies, because he finds it to be "torture."
 

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