Halloween 4K UHD (1978)

[mikey horror]

Halloween ‘78, Halloween II ‘81 and Halloween 4 make a MUCH better trilogy that ‘78, ‘81 and H20 and it’s not even close. H20 is not a good Halloween movie when you really think about it. It’s not set in Haddonfield, the classic score is barely there, it has ZERO Fall atmosphere and it has what’s easily the worst portrayal of The Shape in the entire series who practically changes masks from scene to scene.

[jstxanothrxstory]

Originally Posted by bobbyh64

The scripts for Kills and Ends were written in early 2019. Any changes they made afterwards were small details. The story and time skip were always part of the Ends script. At least, that’s what DGG and the main writer for Ends said.

Not only that, but Rohan Campbell was cast as Corey in 2019 before Kills ever began filming. That alone should put to rest the "they completely rewrote the Ends script after the delay!" mantra that people keep regurgitating.

Originally Posted by bobbyh64

DGG said that when they were writing Kills they were planning on having Ends take place on the same night, but realized that due to Laurie’s injuries they’d need to make a time jump.

I don’t really know what to believe. How could they not know before writing Kills that Laurie’s injuries would’ve placed her in a situation that would prevent her from having an active role in Ends if it was on the same night?

I always felt they probably planned to have the beginning of the film carry on from where Kills originally ended (like the novelization does) before it skips forward to 2019 and then to present day, but ultimately decided not to once production got delayed.

Originally Posted by bobbyh64

The pandemic didn’t change anything in any major way. Probably the only significant change was having the film take place four years later instead of three. At least, this is what the filmmakers claim.

I don’t think COVID was ever going to be a part of the plot. DGG just mentioned that society would’ve gone through a pandemic. He’s just setting the stage for why the town is full of hypocritical gaslighting a-holes.

His exact quote for anyone wondering was

Where we’re leaving these characters on Halloween 2018, the world is a different place. So not only do they have their immediate world affected by that trauma, having time to process that trauma—and that’s a specific and immediate traumatic event in the community of Haddonfield. But then they also had a worldwide pandemic and peculiar politics and another million things that turned their world upside down.

But the internet's gonna internet and everyone ran with it to make it seem like they were going to include COVID-19 into the film as a major plot point. FWIW, you do see face masks during the 2019-2022 montage that happens after the credits.

[jstxanothrxstory]

Oh, ranking time again?

Halloween (1978)
Halloween II (2009)
Halloween Ends
Season of the Witch
The Return of Michael Myers
Halloween (2018)
The Curse of Michael Myers
Halloween II (1981)
H20
Halloween (2007)
Halloween Resurrection
Halloween Kills
The Revenge of Michael Myers

Ends and RZH2 are more-or-less tied for second, while Kills and Revenge are more-or-less tied for last. I'd probably be able to sit through Revenge easier, but I also think its faults caused too much lingering damage for the series compared to Kills.

[steev210]

* Halloween (1978)
* Halloween II (1981)
* Halloween (2018)
* Halloween 4
* Halloween 6 (Producer's Cut)
* Halloween 6 (Theatrical Cut)
* Halloween Kills
* Halloween 5
* Halloween H20
* Halloween Ends
* RZ's Halloween
* Halloween Resurrection
* RZ's Halloween II

* I have a hard time ranking Halloween III but it's definitely 4.5/5

[bobbyh64]

Originally Posted by jstxanothrxstory

I always felt they probably planned to have the beginning of the film carry on from where Kills originally ended (like the novelization does) before it skips forward to 2019 and then to present day, but ultimately decided not to once production got delayed.

This quote from DGG sounds to me like all of Ends was originally going to take place on the same night as 2018 and Kills:

“When we were writing Kills and Laurie was bedridden because she would be because she’d been stabbed in the belly a few times, I knew we needed to make a time jump, or we decided after thinking about it. There was a period of time where it was going to be all one linear continuous type of movie. But then, how are you going to get this climatic battle out of her? So then we made decisions to evolve it and say, ‘Okay, there’s a time jump between Kills and Ends.’”

[HW666]

Originally Posted by BobSimms

Who’s the young fella featured in the first half of that? I haven’t seen it in probably 12 years, since it was first uploaded. Had forgotten about that, and all the other unseen behind-the-scenes stuff.

Krishna Rao.

[HW666]

My ranking:

Halloween II (1981)
Halloween (1978)
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
Halloween III: Season of the Witch
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (both cuts)
Halloween H20
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
Halloween (2018)
Halloween Resurrection
Halloween Kills
Halloween Ends
Halloween (2007)
Halloween II (2009)

[RevolverOcelScott]

I have rated them all in the past, and I just can't do it. Even the "Bad Tier" I'll watch just for the fun of it. I think I'd rather rate them like this for myself:

God Tier:
Halloween 1978
Halloween III: Season of the Witch
Halloween Ends

Excellent Tier:
Halloween 2018
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers

Good Tier:
Halloween II
Halloween Kills
Halloween H20

Mediocre Tier:
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
RZ Halloween 1

Bad Tier:
Halloween Ressurection
RZ Halloween 2

[mikey horror]

There is no doubt in my mind that Carpenter had A LOT more behind the scenes involvement with Ends than just the score. It one hundred percent feels like a Halloween movie Carpenter would have made in this day and age.

[Matt89]

I might have to update this when I rewatch them all this October. I've really wanted to give Halloween Ends another shot as well as the Rob Zombie entries (it's been ages), but for now this is how I'd rank them based entirely on personal preference:

Halloween (1978)
Halloween II (1981)
Halloween (2018)
Halloween Kills (2021)
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
Halloween: H20 (1998)
Halloween Ends (2022)
Rob Zombie's Halloween (2007)
Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
Rob Zombie's Halloween II (2009)
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)

[bobbyh64]

Originally Posted by steel_breeze

Fixed it.

Just out of curiosity, do you dislike Kills and Ends, and if so, what are your reasons? I’ve heard you say you only like the original, H2, and 2018, so I was wondering what you thought about the rest of the DGG trilogy.

On a related note, it’s kind of cool to think of the original, H2, and 2018 as a trilogy. I think you’ve mentioned that’s how you like to view them.

There are a couple things in H2 and 2018 that I feel are a bit odd in terms of Laurie’s arc. I think it’s strange that we don’t see her realize Michael is her brother. Or if she does (based on her dream), it’s not made clear in the film.

And in 2018 Sartain orchestrated Michael’s reunion with Laurie, but she isn’t even aware of that. The film ends with her thinking Michael had been waiting to go after her again. I don’t know how others feel about these things, but to me it kind of seems like Laurie’s arcs aren’t complete in these films.

[bobbyh64]

Something I find a bit strange about the reaction to RZ’s Halloween films is that some people enjoy the first one quite a bit while despising the sequel. To me they are pretty similar in tone and style. If anything I think his H2 has a leg up because there’s an actual story with character arcs. We actually see Laurie find out Michael is her brother and react to that revelation, the first and only time in the Halloween series. And Loomis redeems himself when he realizes what an a-hole he’s been.

[steel_breeze]

Originally Posted by bobbyh64

Just out of curiosity, do you dislike Kills and Ends, and if so, what are your reasons? I’ve heard you say you only like the original, H2, and 2018, so I was wondering what you thought about the rest of the DGG trilogy.

On a related note, it’s kind of cool to think of the original, H2, and 2018 as a trilogy. I think you’ve mentioned that’s how you like to view them.

There are a couple things in H2 and 2018 that I feel are a bit odd in terms of Laurie’s arc. I think it’s strange that we don’t see her realize Michael is her brother. Or if she does (based on her dream), it’s not made clear in the film.

That is indeed the "trilogy" I prefer: H1978, H1981, H2018... but I put "trilogy" in quotes 'cuz I know they aren't internally consistent. I'm okay with that; they're "just" entertainment... and I do believe more in Laurie's arc if she'd been followed to the hospital by the boogeyman on that first Halloween night.

But those are the ONLY three that give me the Michael Myers feelz that I personally enjoy. All the others fall flat for me, for one reason or another. The rest of the DGG trilogy doesn't work at all for me, but I couldn't articulate it other than "I just don't like 'em." The direction that story went in wasn't anything I was remotely interested in or have any interest in seeing again. But those three I named give me the spooky chills I like to get in a horror flick.

And if I'm being REALLY picky, that's when I reveal (wildly pretentiously, lol) that only Halloween '78 is in my "Top Tier" collection along with classics like Citizen Kane and Casablanca and Breathless and Psycho and 2001: A Space Odyssey, whereas H1981 and H2018 are firmly seated in my "Second Tier / Guilty Pleasures" collection, along with Friday the 13th Parts 1-8, Xanadu, Krull, and Dune. I only consider that first 1978 flick a "great movie"; the others I merely enjoy.

[gigan72]

Halloween (1978)
Halloween II (1981)
Halloween (2018)
Halloween 4
Halloween III
Halloween Ends
Halloween Kills
Halloween H20
Halloween (2007)
Halloween 5
Halloween: Curse of Michael Myers
Halloween: Resurrection

Haven't actually seen Zombie's H2 yet, still have to get around to it.

[Kubrick DeLarge1989]

Originally Posted by balthazar_bee

One thing I can never relate to: this notion that H20 is the one bright spot after 1981. Granted this is a wildly uneven series, but to say that one in particular is good and all the rest are disqualifyingly bad? I don't hate it, but I do wonder what others see in it. Seems pretty uninspired to me, apart from some moments in Curtis's performance.

I was just ranking the movies in how the story should go, not the entire franchise I wouldn't disrespect Halloween like that.
Should have said that

[Kubrick DeLarge1989]

Originally Posted by bobbyh64

Something I find a bit strange about the reaction to RZ’s Halloween films is that some people enjoy the first one quite a bit while despising the sequel. To me they are pretty similar in tone and style. If anything I think his H2 has a leg up because there’s an actual story with character arcs. We actually see Laurie find out Michael is her brother and react to that revelation, the first and only time in the Halloween series. And Loomis redeems himself when he realizes what an a-hole he’s been.

I don't despise the sequel, but I totally understand people hating it. It has a great gritty 16mm look to it, but it is written even worse than the first one and some of that dialogue I can't believe they let him film like Laurie working in the punk rock shop or Loomis not even knowing who Linda was and sometimes Zombies camera is shaking like crazy which personally drives me nuts

[suspiciouscoffee]

Originally Posted by mikey horror

There is no doubt in my mind that Carpenter had A LOT more behind the scenes involvement with Ends than just the score. It one hundred percent feels like a Halloween movie Carpenter would have made in this day and age.

I don't think he really did, I think DGG and co. just felt like making it Hallo-Christine to double up on their Carpenter riffing.

[Martoto]

The main criticism I have for the recent trilogy it's that it is mainly an exercise in not being things that had come before. Michael is NOT Laurie's brother, he's NOT hunting her and her entire family, it's not a pagan curse and he's not being used to create super soldiers or whatever. But it wasn't conceived with a strong idea of its own to replace any of that. The Corey stuff seems to have been belatedly made up to have an excuse for more Michael style killings, but not be accused of just making another generic slasher with barely motivated mayhem.

[RevolverOcelScott]

Originally Posted by Martoto

The main criticism I have for the recent trilogy it's that it is mainly an exercise in not being things that had come before. Michael is NOT Laurie's brother, he's NOT hunting her and her entire family, it's not a pagan curse and he's not being used to create super soldiers or whatever. But it wasn't conceived with a strong idea of its own to replace any of that. The Corey stuff seems to have been belatedly made up to have an excuse for more Michael style killings, but not be accused of just making another generic slasher with barely motivated mayhem.

I can see that, but it also was returning to what fans were clammoring for, just a cold blooded killer killing in his hometown. I personally like all the twists and turns throughout the entire run of the franchise (good and bad), but I saw the new trilogy doing what most seem to have wanted.

[Martoto]

Originally Posted by RevolverOcelScott

I can see that, but it also was returning to what fans were clammoring for, just a cold blooded killer killing in his hometown. I personally like all the twists and turns throughout the entire run of the franchise (good and bad), but I saw the new trilogy doing what most seem to have wanted.

That clamor and that approach is perfectly valid too. As long is it's not soulless and perfunctory.

Apart from being inexplicably punked by Corey in the first half of Ends, the Michael in these movies is totally legit. That kind of justifies pretty much everything else they did, in my book. Even if I think they were less than successful with some aspects of it.