Halloween 4K UHD (1978)

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by steel_breeze

This is a perfect example of "knowing too much can make you unhappy". I have been completely content with the original mono from the 2007 disc and the 2014 disc, with absolutely no idea there were any issues until this thread. I purposely have NOT checked out those YouTube clips, 'cuz I believe that sometimes ignorance IS bliss. I've been happy with this mono track for 14 years, and I'm gonna go on being happy with it, since I'll never know the difference. Can't wait til this arrives!

Same same. Would I prefer a non-neutered mono mix? You bet your sweet patootie I would. Would I turn down a nerfed mono in place of having no mono at all and just some heavily revisionist remix in its stead? You fookin kidding me or what? That's not even a contest.

I know I come across as an extremist about all sorts of issues like this (it's because I am, lol) but I cannot believe that people are going to boycott the Shout UHD because of it. That's not a hill I wanna die on.

[BobSimms]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I know I come across as an extremist about all sorts of issues like this (it's because I am, lol) but I cannot believe that people are going to boycott the Shout UHD because of it. That's not a hill I wanna die on.

Agreed. To be sure, the most heinous thing about this release is the cover & slip-box art. If ever there were a reason to boycott, it’s that.

[Jay H.]

Originally Posted by steel_breeze

...I believe that sometimes ignorance IS bliss.

Agreed wholeheartedly. My belief - one that isn't shared by a lot of people - is this: if I don't notice a problem with the picture or sound until it's brought to my attention, then it isn't a problem.

[BluProofie]

I’m just happy that I never have to listen to that downmix again. I don’t recall having an issue with the 2007 disc’s mono. As long as this new restoration looks amazing, it’ll be a great release.

[happydood]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Yeah, you may find that the balance between the various elements is a bit 'off', e.g. music or effects might sound louder than the dialogue (and this might be due to the downmixing itself rather than the faithful remix), but usually it's quite satisfactory in lieu of any actual OG soundtrack.

I've made my own mono downmix out of a decent 5.1 mix before. I did it with American Werewolf - this being before the Arrow was available with the OG mono - as the 5.1 mix on the old Live DVD was very much like an extension of the mono rather than the horrible modern 5.1 with the pitch problem, so I used Audacity to collapse it all into a mono track. Sounded fine. Also did that with Day of the Dead as the OG mono has a bad problem with sibilance in the dialogue, and as the Arrow 5.1 corrected the vast majority of problems with what was a rather infamous remix and still sounded very faithful in terms of the sound effects with much cleaner dialogue quality I did a downmix of that. And again, sounds really good.

Ima be a hypocrite and say at first I was kinda thrilled to hear the wolf all over the moors with the surround mix on that, but yeah, I'd rather have the straight up, pure, real thing now. And Day of the Dead sounds harsh in both the Anchor Bay and SF incarnations that I have so I'd love to hear what you did. That remix is the same as the 5.1 on the Anchor Bay, yeah? Unfortunately with work, two kids and already too much time mixing audio for music, I just end up settling with whatever's on the disc if I get to sit down with a movie at the end of the day, but I admire you guys who, um, 'mux' things. I had to look up what 'mux' meant after seeing it on here so much so I can pretend to speak with some street cred.

[KubrickKurasawa]

I know right guys...like Brown leaves, green leaves, purple leaves, polka dotted leaves...bass no bass, bad cover and artwork or original thatrical poster... who cares just give me something I'm a dumb consumer...that's a big problem in the world today but you know ignore it...it's blissful. Ugh peace.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by happydood

Ima be a hypocrite and say at first I was kinda thrilled to hear the wolf all over the moors with the surround mix on that, but yeah, I'd rather have the straight up, pure, real thing now. And Day of the Dead sounds harsh in both the Anchor Bay and SF incarnations that I have so I'd love to hear what you did. That remix is the same as the 5.1 on the Anchor Bay, yeah? Unfortunately with work, two kids and already too much time mixing audio for music, I just end up settling with whatever's on the disc if I get to sit down with a movie at the end of the day, but I admire you guys who, um, 'mux' things. I had to look up what 'mux' meant after seeing it on here so much so I can pretend to speak with some street cred.

Yep, the Shout doesn't have the 5.1 at all, just the mono. 999 times out of 1000 that'd be a cause for celebration for me, but in Day's case the mono is so fooked it's distracting. The Arrow 5.1 remix corrects most of the awful overdubs for language that were on the infamous Anchor Bay 5.1, it's an excellent alternative.

But for what it's worth, ripping and remuxing a UHD is beyond my skill to heal. Well, that and my ancient computer. So whatever's on the UHD disc is what I've gotta get on with, for better or worse. Though funnily enough I've actually got the Laserdisc mono for Halloween on my hard drive, someone sent it to me a while back but as said, I've no means of actually using it. Though once I get the Shout UHD I could always 'acquire' the ripped video - seeing as I'd already own it, fair use and all that - and then remux the mono to it. But we're getting into the weeds of what is acceptable discussion on this forum so I'll be quiet now.

[JCRW82]

Originally Posted by BluProofie

Just got this response:

The new release will be that same as the filtered track from 2014.

I hope that helps! Please reach out to us if you have any further questions on the upcoming 4k release.

Thank you from,
Shout!

Disappointing, I will be holding off on this one and waiting for the next inevitable release (45th Anniversary) to see if they give us a decent sounding mono mix. I don't understand why the company would go all out and search for the best sources for H4 & H5, yet decide to cut corners on the most significant film in the franchise by providing an inferior audio source. It now makes me wonder if the H1 master tapes are lost from the Crest/Anchor Bay scenario that affected H4.

[vailsy]

Originally Posted by rocknblues81

I'm considering it.

I already have the Halloween 4k and the boxed set... What does this have to offer me if the original mono is not there?

it has an atmos mix!

(sorry that was meant to be funny .. I'm still trying to figure out where vertical audio will be useful in this movie)

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by vailsy

it has an atmos mix!

(sorry that was meant to be funny .. I'm still trying to figure out where vertical audio will be useful in this movie)

They've gone! They've gone from here! The original sound effects are gone!

[JCRW82]

Originally Posted by vailsy

it has an atmos mix!

(sorry that was meant to be funny .. I'm still trying to figure out where vertical audio will be useful in this movie)

That window smash at the Myers place, that needs to envelop me from every possible angle that I jump out of my seat and proclaim I am carrying a registered firearm... just like Loomis.

[cuzzin]

Originally Posted by steel_breeze

This is a perfect example of "knowing too much can make you unhappy". I have been completely content with the original mono from the 2007 disc and the 2014 disc, with absolutely no idea there were any issues until this thread. I purposely have NOT checked out those YouTube clips, 'cuz I believe that sometimes ignorance IS bliss. I've been happy with this mono track for 14 years, and I'm gonna go on being happy with it, since I'll never know the difference. Can't wait til this arrives!

Same. Had no idea. Had the issue been mentioned with the same fury that we saw for the audio of Halloween 4 and 5 -- before things were finalized -- maybe things could have been different. Too late now. Forever hold your peace.

[BobSimms]

Originally Posted by JCRW82

That window smash at the Myers place, that needs to envelop me from every possible angle that I jump out of my seat and proclaim I am carrying a registered firearm... just like Loomis.

I still don’t understand what caused that window crash.

[Jay Mammoth]

Originally Posted by steel_breeze

This is a perfect example of "knowing too much can make you unhappy". I have been completely content with the original mono from the 2007 disc and the 2014 disc, with absolutely no idea there were any issues until this thread. I purposely have NOT checked out those YouTube clips, 'cuz I believe that sometimes ignorance IS bliss. I've been happy with this mono track for 14 years, and I'm gonna go on being happy with it, since I'll never know the difference. Can't wait til this arrives!

Same, the mono sounds great to me from the boxed set.

[AllOuttaBubbleGum]

Originally Posted by BobSimms

I still don’t understand what caused that window crash.

The creaking beforehand suggests the eavestrough outside is loose...before it dislodges and the free end smashes into the window (it might be visible in the shot, dangling after the impact)? Quite a rig, actually; a perfectly engineered Loomis Startling Device.

..

[vailsy]

Originally Posted by BobSimms

I still don’t understand what caused that window crash.

didn't Myers throw something at it? he was outside hiding behind a tree

[DR Herbert West]

Originally Posted by BobSimms

I still don’t understand what caused that window crash.

A piece of the gutter fell down.

[bobbyh64]

Originally Posted by vailsy

didn't Myers throw something at it? he was outside hiding behind a tree

That would be hilarious if that were true.

[vailsy]

Originally Posted by Christian Muth

There wouldn't be a "mix for VHS", they'd simply transfer the theatrical sound mix to the master tape. Also, VHS HiFi* was a very high-quality analog audio format. It could sound very good.

Chris

*And Beta HiFi

.. not sure about putting a mix designed for theatres directly onto a vhs tape but I'll take your word for it, maybe that did happen for Halloween who knows. certainly I'd expect that it was remastered.. dynamic range reduction etc, meaning the vhs would have sounded different to how it sounded originally in theatres which for me is what a mix is in practical terms.. the mix of frequencies that you hear after it has been mastered for a particular media format

(in the case of this 'filtered mono' [er what's that?] offered up here by Shout, which sounds like a coffee, that media format would probably be dvd)

yes from an aesthetics point of view i personally have no problem with the sound of vhs. this original 1979 vhs sounds fecking great to my ears, I guess the tape warble comes in handy for Halloween:

Halloween Original Media VHS opening - YouTube

I doubt that most people would want that sound, but the media home entertainment video in that link is pretty cool and the analogue tape certainly makes Carpenters music sound incredible even after youtube compression.. gave me the chills and it's like hearing it for the first time in many ways, esp from around 1.45. Maybe they should start including the original vhs master on 4k's. Now I would be in for that!

[GeoffOliver]

I know this sounds really nitpicky, but will the "Smith's Grove, Illinois/May 1, 1964" cards be restored for the extended cut? They're in the TV cut, and they go in between the shot of little Michael holding the knife and the first TV scene, but they've never been included in any "extended" cut (neither Anchor Bay's VHS/DVD nor the 2014 Blu-ray boxset). It's not much, but it all plays SO much better with them intact.