Halloween: 30th Anniversary Commemorative Set

In a move that makes even less sense than the Michael Myers-less Halloween III, Anchor Bay has gathered everything they own the rights to and packed them into a nice, limited edition (20,000) box containing a miniature replica Michael mask in front — no, you can’t wear it. Had this been a complete Halloween collection, or even just included the second and third films (both of which Anchor Bay has yet to obtain the rights from Universal for), this anniversary set would have been something to talk about but instead it’s simply just something to mock. The first problem lies in the lack of order. The legendary first film is included three times (the recently reissued theatrical, the long lost extended cut and the already issued Blu-ray version), along with the already reissued Halloween IV: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween V: The Revenge of Michael Myers, which leaves a substantial gap in the narrative —Halloween II would have been nice. As a result, the inclusion of said sequels goes to show that celebrating the anniversary of the original is hardly the idea — cashing in is what it’s all about. The only somewhat new feature is the extended cut, which has been out-of-print for a few years, but for the hardcore ’Weenies out there, that addition means little. I can’t deny that the addition of its 13 minutes, originally added to air on television, is nice to have but then again, most of that time it’s hardly noticeable. Also included is the documentary, Halloween: 25 Years of Terror, which is a valuable inclusion, more so than the sequels. But again, it’s a case of recycling for the sake of making this set appear to be more commemorative than it actually is. My recommendation is to wait until one of these days when a studio puts up the money to release the ultimate box set containing every film in the franchise, be it from Anchor Bay, Universal or Alliance, who released Zombie’s remake.