5.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Six years after he was presumed dead in a fire, Myers has returned to kill again.
Starring: Donald Pleasence, Paul Rudd, Marianne Hagan, Mitchell Ryan, Kim DarbyHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 47% |
Supernatural | 19% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
John Carpenter's original Halloween (1978) begat Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street. In an ironic twist, though, The Curse of Michael Myers, the sixth film in the Halloween franchise, was inspired not just by its own vision but by its slasher genre offspring. Myers, once upon a time a terrifying, very human murder machine, was suddenly revealed to have connections to something more sinister and, you guessed it, supernatural. How else could he have survived the events of the first five films? The answer? Horror fans don't really care. What the producers, writer Daniel Farrands and director Joe Chappelle failed to understand was the power of suspension of disbelief. We don't need an explanation. I never spent much time mulling over the how of Myers' decades-long killing spree, just the why. The horror of Michael Myers lies in his crazed, dogged persistence. The eerie silence with which he stalks his prey. The cold, calculating drive born somewhere deep inside. Not his origins, his ability to soldier on through death or the source of his inhuman strength.
It's no coincidence that wrestling with how far to push the series into the supernatural directly led to Curse's production woes. Officially presented for the first time via its theatrical version and vastly different producer's cut, it's clear the real struggle was in where to go with a series that was in danger of repeating itself ad nauseum. The theatrical version rapidly retreats from the supernatural, delivering a more traditional Halloween experience. The producer's cut charges ahead -- rather boldly -- and, regardless of the outcome, offers a more unique take on the mythos. (One heavily influenced by The Omen and Rosemary's Baby.) Which is the more effective installment? Let the debate rage.
Scream Factory's 1080p/AVC-encoded presentation of The Curse of Michael Myers' theatrical cut is a slight step up from its 2011 1080i Echo Bridge counterpart. Unfortunately, that slight step comes mainly by way of its 1080p resolution, not by any meaningful upgrades or improvements. (The two appear to have been produced using the same base transfer, despite some minor differences. Screenshot comparisons support this conclusion.) Though the image boasts sharp edges and semi-crisp textures, that level of clarity comes by way of artificial sharpening. Edge halos creep in throughout, and the entire presentation bears the hyper-prickly mark of an over-processed image. Color and contrast have also been boosted, leading to a film that's more vibrant than its Producer's Cut cousin but less filmic and faithful. Crush is rampant (in the second and third acts above all), delineation is problematic (particularly when comparing shared shots between the theatrical and producer's cuts), skintones occasionally appear flushed and/or oversaturated, and the grain field, while intact, isn't always natural or consistent.
That said, for some, the resulting image will be preferable. It certainly has more pop and primary punch, and isn't bad overall. It lands somewhere in the average range, with personal sensitivity to halos, crush and other anomalies being the key to predicting one's enjoyment of the presentation. More casual viewers may even assume the Producer's Cut is lacking; that its remastered image is dull or washed out. But don't mistake artificial sharpening for raw detail. Or heightened contrast and colors for faithfulness to the filmmakers' original intent. Like the two versions of the film, the two presentations are quite different. Unlike the two films, though, the Producer's Cut presentation has the edge.
While The Curse of Michael Myers' 2011 Echo Bridge Blu-ray maxed out with a lossless 2.0 mix, Scream Factory's BD features a full-fledged DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. And the upgrade is almost immediately apparent. Though by no means an example of pristine '90s sound design, the film weathers its production woes and low-budget limitations with ease. LFE output isn't mind-blowing, but it's aggressive enough to lend some much-needed oomph to Myers' appearances. The rear speakers follow suit, even when being used sparingly or simply to bolster the fullness of the score. Dialogue is clear and intelligible throughout too, with only a few instances in which prioritization comes up short or voices are significantly thin or tinny. The only real downside is that the 5.1 track isn't overly remarkable beyond comparisons to its 2011 stereo counterpart. It's quite good, mind you, particularly considering what little it often has to work with. But it could just as easily be shrugged off by someone who didn't realize how much better it is than what's come before.
The Curse of Michael Myers' theatrical cut is a more routine Halloween outing, actively backpedaling from the supernatural twists the original producer's cut so brazenly attempted to infuse into the mythos. It's a decent enough sequel I suppose -- sometimes cringe-inducing performances aside -- but it struggles with the same task as every Halloween sequel: equaling or surpassing the original. Scream Factory's Blu-ray edition of the theatrical cut is merely decent too, with a problematic video presentation (that doesn't represent a very substantial upgrade from the 2011 Echo Bridge release), a solid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, and a few scattered supplements.
1995
1995
Unrated Producer's Cut | Halloween 6
1995
Unrated Producer's Cut | Retro VHS Collection
1995
Collector's Edition
1995
1995
(Still not reliable for this title)
Halloween 8
2002
1998
Collector's Edition
1989
Collector's Edition
1988
Collector's Edition
1982
Unrated Director's Cut
2009
Collector's Edition
1981
Unrated Collector's Edition
2007
Collector's Edition
1978
1988
1993
2003
Collector's Edition
1991
Collector's Edition
1990
1981
1987
Collector's Edition
2013
2018
Limited Edition
1980
Unrated and Fully Extended
2004