A Few Words About A few words about...™ Halloween - The Complete Collection -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[TravisR]

^ That's Halloween 5. I assume they wanted to end the movie on a cliffhanger or a surprise (same as the first and fourth movies did) and it was laying the groundwork for the next sequel but the ending is one of the reasons that I'd consider that movie to be the worst of the sequels.

 

[Bryan Tuck]

^ I don't remember a problem with the sync on the original release. I wonder why/how it happened on essentially the same disc?

Technically, it's a repressing, since the panel featurette has been removed.

To me, it seems like a section of the audio is running at the wrong speed, as it goes progressively more out of sync for about 20 minutes. But like I said, it seems to kind of drift back in starting around the 58:00 mark.

And again, on both commentary tracks, the dialogue that is still audible is completely in sync.

 

[TravisR]

Technically, it's a repressing, since the panel featurette has been removed.

I realize that it's a repressing but how or why would repressing the disc create that problem with the movie? I don't know a thing about the technical aspects of pressing a disc but I would think that they deleted the featurette & the menu option and everything else on the disc would be exactly the same as the first disc. Just to be clear, I don't doubt you, I'm just curious as to how the error occurred.

 

[Bryan Tuck]

I realize that it's a repressing but how or why would repressing the disc create that problem with the movie? Just to be clear, I don't doubt you, I'm just curious as to how the error occurred.

I really don't know how it happened. I just know that on the new disc, the feature audio track is completely out of sync for several scenes in the middle of the movie. And many others around the web are noting the same problem, so if it's a player-specific problem, it's affecting a lot of players.

Scream Factory posted on their Facebook page that there would be no replacement program, but since this is one of the Anchor Bay titles, Scream probably can't do much about it. I hate to gripe, because this is mostly a fantastic release, but the audio issue seems to be a genuine technical glitch, and it'd be nice if it was fixed.

Of course, the easiest solution would be to provide a replacement disc that included the original 2-channel soundtrack; not sure why that was left off to begin with (I think it was on the old Divamax DVD).

 

[jacksparrow900]

the 2.0 soundtrack hasn't been included since the VHS

 

[JohnMor]

I want to know why there are so many sync issues lately on releases (this, Kino's On The Beach and Paramount's Twin Peaks box all come to mind.) What's up with the Quality Control these days?

 

[Vincent_P]

It seems to be largely non-existant.

Vincent

 

[Jonathan Perregaux]

P.J. Soles made such a big impression, both coming ("See anything you like?") and going ("Gakkk!"), that it's weird to see her being interviewed as an older person because... she was killed!

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I want to know why there are so many sync issues lately on releases (this, Kino's On The Beach and Paramount's Twin Peaks box all come to mind.) What's up with the Quality Control these days?

I wonder if part of it is due to QC work being done on smaller monitors and smaller systems than a lot of us have at home.

I used to work for a small label a long time ago, and in those years and since, I've on occasion visited other smaller and mid-sized labels and saw a lot of smaller monitors being used. A lot of QC that I witnessed was done on 13" - 20" monitors for SD content and not much larger for HD, with a lot of audio being checked on headphones. To be clear, I'm not making a claim that any label is doing that today. But I know when I imagine quality control in my head, I imagine people watching these movies on a bigger and better TV than I have at home, or on a nicer projector than I have on a larger, more expensive screen, using receivers more powerful than mine with larger and more expensive speakers.. but for better or worse, most of my actual experience in quality control or with people who work on that are using stuff that falls short of that mental image.

On a 20" monitor, someone may not notice that the audio is slightly out of sync in parts. Or maybe they did, and they spoke to their boss who can't see it on their equally small monitor, so they decide not to re-do the disc. I would guess that as is the case with a lot of things, there are some people in QC who truly care about delivering the best product, but aren't given all of the tools needed to do that job. Or, when discovering mistakes and errors, are told by their bosses that they're mistakes that they're willing to live with.

 

[Bryan Tuck]

the 2.0 soundtrack hasn't been included since the VHS

I thought there was a 2.0 on the DVD. Was this just a mixdown of the 5.1?

 

[TravisR]

I thought there was a 2.0 on the DVD. Was this just a mixdown of the 5.1?

I don't know if they were downmixes but the three different DVDs all had a 2.0 track.

 

[Bryan Tuck]

Is it also true that the 5.1 remix they've been using for the past several releases is missing some sound effects?

 

[MattHR]

I confirmed the audio sync problem on three different players. I didn't see Scream's notice on Facebook about not offering a fix, but there is no way this can go uncorrected. I've already contacted Amazon about the problem, and hopefully many more customers will, too. After enough complaints and verifying the defect, Amazon will pull the listing and stop accepting orders. That will certainly get Anchor Bay/Scream's attention and prompt them to do the right thing.

 

[WillG]

I love Halloween 4, probably more than the original It's very atmospheric and actually feels like the perfect horror flick to watch on Halloween, with Michael Myers lumbering around and coming out of the shadows, chasing people. The music is great too.

I'll probably just stick with what I already own. Maybe at some point they'll release the Producer's Cut by itself.

One thing that I actually think where Halloween 4 trumps the original in is the Fall atmosphere. Especially in the opening credits. Let's face it, throwing a few leaves on the ground doesn't exactly create a flawless illusion, especially shots with leafy green trees (and the occasional palm tree).

Overall, Halloween 4 is a stong entry in the series that often seems to be overlooked. It does a lot of things right. The aforementioned atmosphere, decent performances (at least for this type of film). The two female leads were likeable and performed well (even the boyfriend character was better than most in that type of role), had a decent twist ending.

To me the one thing that keeps the movie from near greatness as opposed to merely good is that they failed to get the mask right (which is made more painful by the cover showing Michael wearing the correct mask).

Also one thing that does baffle me about the movie:

Spoiler

Why does Loomis assume that Michael is dead at the end just from a barrage of bullets (He's shot Michael himself multiple times as well as blowing him up).

 

[TravisR]

One thing that I actually think where Halloween 4 trumps the original in is the Fall atmosphere. Especially in the opening credits. Let's face it, throwing a few leaves on the ground doesn't exactly create a flawless illusion, especially shots with leafy green trees (and the occasional palm tree).

I love how slow the opening credit sequence of Halloween 4 is. I assume that was done to pad the movie's relatively short run time but I think it sets a nice mood.

 

[JohnMor]

I agree about the credit sequence of 4. It's wonderful and sets a perfect tone. And the Fall atmosphere in general is excellent. And Donald P. really seems to be getting into this return to MM storyline. The only thing that takes me out of the film is the different looks to the houses due to changing filming locations. Not a huge deal, though.

If I had to rank the films (not that anyone asked ), it would be 1, H20, 2, 4, 8, 6PC & 5 tie for the next to lowest spot and 6TC the absolute nadir. Haven't seen the two RZ films yet and not counting 3.

 

[SilverWook]

Speaking of nonsensical, was the east coast safe from Cochran's plan or were Silver Shamrock masks so popular that young kids stayed up until midnight to see the big giveaway at 9 PST?

Nobody at the networks pre-screened the ad, and wondered what the deal was with the flashing pumpkin?

The biggest issue I've had with the sinister plot is, what kid is going to leave that big honking Silver Shamrock tag on the mask anyway?

 

[Stephen Brooks]

Just received my set today, and removing the glued-on backing ripped off a decent amount of the outside of the box. *siiiigh*Maybe I'm nitpicky, but I don't like paying over $100 for something that can be damaged by the simple act of opening it up.

 

[Oblivion138]

P.J. Soles made such a big impression, both coming ("See anything you like?") and going ("Gakkk!"), that it's weird to see her being interviewed as an older person because... she was killed!

I met P.J. Soles at a convention, and she's a truly awesome lady. She never stopped smiling, and was one of the friendliest "celebrities" I've ever met. TOTALLY!


As for the H4 sync issue, it seems to become noticeably around the 35-minute mark, get progressively worse 'til about the 48-minute mark, then slowly right itself, coming back into sync around the hour mark. It's definitely a shame, but I'm just swapping the disc out for the 2012 BD, which had perfect sync and an extra special feature. Though not the Alan McElroy commentary, which means I'm holding on to my Divimax DVD, as well.

 

[FanboyZ]

Are you sure the 2012 disc was fine?