Available on Blu-Ray August 21st from Anchor Bay!

So, this is the first time I’m reviewing TWO Blu-Ray flicks back-to-back, because, well, they’re sequels…and they make a great double feature!

Let’s begin with Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. WHY is it a ‘return’ for Michael Myers? Well, Let me explain; he wasn’t in Halloween III: Season of the Witch! In fact, Halloween III had nothing to do with  Michael Myers, Laurie Strode, Dr. Loomis…or anything associated with the first two horror blockbusters at all! You see, the filmmakers wanted to make different Halloween themed movies for each Halloween sequel, and Michael’s story was to have ended in Part II, which completely confused Michael’s fans. Well, we all know how that turned out, and now Season of the Witch is the bastard child of an otherwise successful Horror franchise…so, Michael is back!

Our story begins On October 30, 1988, nearly ten years after Michael’s murderous rampage in the sleepy town of Haddonfield, Illinois. Not so sleepy is Michael, who has been in a coma all this time. While being transported from one sanitarium to another, he learns that he has an eight-year-old niece named Jamie, and, unlike his sister, original prey Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis, who is NOT in this installment), she is alive and well…and living in his home town! How convenient, especially if you’re Michael Myers! So, Michael escapes and begins another killing spree in pursuit of his last remaining family member. But, throwing a monkey wrench into Michael’s killer plan is his old nemesis, Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance), who has to race against the Halloween clock to save the little girl and put a stop, once and for all, again, to the evil that is Michael Myers.  Will Dr. Loomis succeed?

Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance) figures it’s worth a shot.

Obviously not (duh!), as we are all trick-r-treated to

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers!

I can pretty much cut and paste the plot of Part 4 here, but, instead, I’ll make it simple: Michael Myers is out for revenge (hence the title), and Dr. Loomis has to stop him before Myers kills his niece, Jamie. This is probably the easiest synopsis I’ve ever typed! (I could get used to this)

Anyways, I gotta say, being a horror fan and growing up in the 70’s/80’s, I’ve always loved the Halloween films…yes, even Part III! Of course, none of them can compare to the classic, original Halloween, directed by the great John Carpenter. Just like the Friday the 13^th franchise, the sequels get goofier, but are good, bloody fun in their own ways. In short, Halloween 4 & 5 are worth a purchase for fans of the series, and even if you’ve only seen part one, these two titles are still worth a look, as it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out what’s going on…and, for fans of 80’s horror (like myself), there’s nothing wrong with that! These films are like an old comfortable recliner, that your girlfriend wants you to throw away, but you refuse, because it’s “broken in” and a new recliner will not have the same feel and comfort as a new…well, I’m getting off topic here, but you know what I’m talking about…

Jamie (Danielle Harris) has a bad experience at her family reunion.

How’s the Blu-Ray presentation, you ask?

For these two movies that opened in the late 1980’s, the Hi-Def picture is just fine on both discs. Presented in their original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, there is a nice layer of grain on both, giving them a great film-like presentation. However, I did notice that the picture on Part 5 had a little less grain than it’s predecessor, and the color was a little brighter and richer. I’m sure that having two different directors & two different Cinematographers played a big part in their look and feel. Basically,  Anchor Bay did a nice job on these two discs.

Michael claws his way to the top.

And the sound?

Both films were given the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 treatment, and for being released in ’88 & ’89, they sounded just fine. However, I noticed that most of the sound was center channel heavy, but there were a few surprises coming from the rear speakers. Even my subwoofer got a nice workout from time to time, especially in the opening title sequence in Part 4, as the famous Halloween score began! Sonically, neither disc blew me away…but I was satisfied with the results on both.

See? No cavities, Michael!

As far as Special Features are concerned, Anchor Bay has left no pumpkin unturned, as both flicks feature some great commentary tracks, making-of docs, promo’s, discussion panels, and theatrical trailers. Michael Myers fans will eat it all up like candy…and no calories!

In closing, I say throw away your old, worn out DVD’s and treat yourself to Anchor Bay’s wicked Halloween 4 & 5 Blu-Ray’s on August 21^st! Just don’t watch them alone.

Available on Blu-Ray August 21st from Anchor Bay!

Available on Blu-Ray August 21st from Anchor Bay!