Halloween Unmasked 1998 / 2000

Halloween (1978) poster

Halloween Unmasked 1998, later titled Halloween Unmasked 2000, is a 26-minute featurette reflecting on the production, impact and legacy of Halloween. The featurette was originally released by Anchor Bay on their 2-tape VHS release of Halloween on August 5, 1998.

It was later released on subsequent VHS releases and the 1999 DVD releases of Halloween. It was dropped from the bonus features following the release of the 25th Anniversary release in 2003, as well as both Blu-Ray releases put out by Anchor Bay in 2007 and 2013.

In 2014, the featurette was released on the bonus disc of special features from Scream Factory & Anchor Bay’s Halloween: The Complete Collection Blu-Ray box set. As it was on the bonus disc, it was only included in the box set’s deluxe edition rather than its standard 10-disc counterpart.

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Final Cut: The Making of Halloween 4

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers poster

This retrospective featurette on Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers can be found as a bonus feature on either DVD release of the movie. It runs just under 17 minutes and deals with the fruition of the back to basics approach to the story, the race against time to get a script ready before the writer’s strike, the casting, and the tribulations.

Though a nice featurette, the subsequent 2013 retrospective by Scream Factory runs a half hour longer and ultimately goes far more in depth than this one does as a result.

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Inside Halloween 5

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers poster

Inside Halloween 5 is a short featurette that covers the quick production turn around of Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers. It was released on both of the film’s DVD release, but was not included on the film’s Blu-Ray release.

Though informative, it was ultimately rendered obsolete by Scream Factory’s 2014 documentary, Dead Man’s Party: The Making of Halloween 5, that runs over a half hour longer.

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AMC Backstory: Halloween

Halloween (1978) poster

Originally airing on October 26, 2002, this 45-minute retrospective was produced by AMC as part of their AMC Backstory series.

It more-or-less covers the same information that’s presented in A Cut Above the Rest and the subsequent Halloween: The Inside Story documentaries.

However, it’s still a nice treat to view.

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Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest

Halloween (1978) poster

Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest is a full-length 87-minute documentary about the production, impact and legacy of Halloween. Like its predecessor Halloween Unmasked 1998 / 2000A Cut Above the Restfeatures interviews with the cast and crew. A Cut Above the Rest additionally incorporates interviews filmed for Halloween Unmasked 1998, essentially rendering it useless.

It was first released on DVD on August 5, 2003. It was included on the film’s 2007 Blu-Ray release, which was subsequently packaged with the Complete Collection box set in 2014.

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Halloween: 25 Years of Terror

Halloween: 25 Years of Terror

A documentary that follows the evolution of the Halloween movies over the past twenty-five years. It examines why the films are so popular and revisits many of the original locations used in the films, as well as featuring footage from the 25 Years of Terror Convention that took place in South Pasadena, California in 2003.

For the first time, cast, crew, critics and fans join together in the ultimate Halloween retrospective.

Halloween: 25 Years of Terror was ultimately released on DVD by Anchor Bay on July 25, 2006. Its first pressing with a slipcover, as well as the inclusion of a mini comic-book entitled Halloween: Autopsis that was supposed to save as a the lead-in to Sam, the first of many Halloween comics.

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Michael Lives: The Making of Halloween

Halloween (2007) poster

As the title suggests, Michael Lives is a 260-minute (4 hours, 20 minutes) documentary on the making of Rob Zombie’s Halloween covering all aspects of the film’s production, from initial pre-production meetings to the final days of filming reshoots.

It was first released on DVD on October 7, 2008, packaged as the special third disc on the 3-disc DVD set’s release. The film’s first DVD released occurred on December 18, 2007, but the documentary wasn’t ready for release at that point.

It was subsequently released in high-definition, though only in the 1080 interlaced format (likely due to its length and the cameras used to film it), with the film’s Blu-Ray release on October 21, 2008. It was included in the deluxe edition of Scream Factory’s complete collection Blu-Ray box set in 2014.

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Halloween: The Inside Story

Originally airing on A&E and the Biography channel, Halloween: The Inside Story takes a look at one of the most successful film franchises of all time as it goes behind the scenes of John Carpenter’s “Halloween,” the film that redefined the horror genre in the late 1970s.

Viewers will learn how writer and director John Carpenter made movie magic on a shoestring budget and how the costume department created one of the most iconic horror villains in movie history by spray-painting a mask of Captain Kirk.

It’s an inside look at Michael Myers and the Halloween terror he unleashes on the poor teenagers of Haddonfield, Illinois.

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The Nightmare Isn’t Over: The Making of Halloween II

Halloween II (1981) poster

Presented in 2.35:1 to match the film it’s talking about, this Red Shirt Pictures retrospective documentary was the first such documentary to focus solely on Halloween II.

Rick Rosenthal, Dick Warlock, executive producer Irwin Yablans, director of photography Dean Cundey, co-composer Alan Howarth and other key members of the crew rip back the curtain of the script and production, and rarely pull any punches. Irwin Yablans and Halloween production designer/co-editor Tommy Lee Wallace lay the groundwork, and Irwin Yablans continues to appear throughout, but it’s the affable Rick Rosenthal and Dean Cundey who make the documentary worth the 45-minute investment. Leon Rossi and fellow actors Lance Guest and Nancy Stephens also chime in, but only Leo Rossi has anything of anecdotal interest to offer.

This documentary was first released on the 2012 Scream Factory Blu-Ray, and has subsequently appeared on their 2014 and 2018 releases. It has not appeared on any of Universal’s releases.

WATCH HERE | SCREEN CAPTURES


Stand Alone: The Making of Halloween III

Halloween III: Season of the Witch poster

Presented in 2.35:1 to match the film it’s talking about, this Red Shirt Pictures retrospective documentary was the first such documentary to focus solely on Halloween III: Season of the Witch.

Stand Alone features interviews with director Tommy Lee Wallace, actors Tom Atkins and Stacey Nelkin, stunt coordinator Dick Warlock, cinematographer Dean Cundey, costume designer Jane Ruhm, and others.

The group offer an honest recount of the film’s history, public and critical reaction to it, the plan to make new Halloween-themed movies every year, the evolution of the script, the work of the cast, cast camaraderie, the process of shooting various scenes, making many of the special effects, anecdotes from the shoot, the film’s trademark jingle, and more.

There’s also highlights from a 2010 screening and a discussion of the film’s legacy and revival.

Produced by Scream Factory for their 2012 Blu-Ray release, Stand Alone was also included on their 2014 and 2018 releases.

WATCH HERE | CAPTURES


Back to Basics: The Making of Halloween 4

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers poster

As part of the complete collection Blu-Ray set, Scream Factory’s Red Shirt Productions produced Back to Basics: The Making of Halloween 4, a retrospective focusing on Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers.

Far more informative and engaging than its predecessor, Back to Basics features interviews with Trancas International™ president Malek Akkad, director Dwight Little, screenwriter Alan B. McElroy, composer Alan Howarth, producer Paul Freeman, special make-up effects artists John Carl Buechler and Ken Horn, stuntmen Tom Morga and George P. Wilbur, and actors Danielle Harris, Ellie Cornell, Kathleen Kinmont, Beau Starr, Raymond O’Connor, Erik Preston and Sasha Jensen.

Vintage interview snippets are also included, most notably with executive producer Moustapha Akkad, as well as some of those featured in Final Cut.

This documentary was released in 2014 on the bonus disc of the Halloween complete collection Blu-Ray set’s deluxe edition.

WATCH HERE | SCREEN CAPTURES


Dead Man’s Party: The Making of Halloween 5

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers poster

As part of the complete collection Blu-Ray set, Scream Factory’s Red Shirt Productions produced Dead Man’s Party: The Making of Halloween 5, a retrospective focusing on Halloween 5: The Return of Michael Myers.

Far more informative and engaging than its predecessor, Dead Man’s Party features interviews with Trancas International™ president and producer Malek Akkad, line producer Rick Nathanson, composer Alan Howarth and actors Danielle Harris, Ellie Cornell, Wendy Kaplan, Jeffrey Landman, Jonathan Chapin, Frankie Como, Tamara Glynn, Matthew Walker and Don Shanks. The group isn’t one to sugarcoat any aspect of the production from its rushed beginnings to the assembling of its cast and crew, its rocky production, and the many difficulties the filmmakers encountered along the way.

This documentary was released in 2014 on the bonus disc of the Halloween complete collection Blu-Ray set’s deluxe edition.

WATCH HERE | SCREEN CAPTURES


Blood is Thicker Than Water: The Making of Halloween H20

Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later poster

As part of the complete collection Blu-Ray set, Scream Factory’s Red Shirt Productions produced Blood is Thicker Than Water: The Making of Halloween H20, a retrospective focusing on Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later.

Running close to an hour, the retrospective features interviews with producer Malek Akkad, producer Paul Freeman, writer Robert Zappia, cinematographer Daryn Okada, editor Patrick Lussier, composer John Ottman, stunt coordinator Donna Keegan, make-up artist Brad Hardin and actors Jamie Lee Curtis, Josh Hartnett, Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, Nancy Stephens, Adam Hann-Byrd, Tom Kane and Chris Durand.

The documentary was released in 2014 as a part of the complete collection Blu-Ray set. Unlike their documentaries for the fourth and fifth films, Blood is Thicker Than Water was included on the disc for Halloween H20.

WATCH HERE | SCREEN CAPTURES