Customer Reviews

Halloween H2O

5 star:		(233)
4 star:		(148)
3 star:		(68)
2 star:		(37)
1 star:		(64)

 

 

Attention Amazon.com customers....

1. Avoid this release like the plague. This Blu-ray Disc only has the movie and nothing else. LITERALLY! No subtitles, no trailer, no anything.

2. The picture is subpar for a high-definition transfer. Not to mention, it's not in the original aspect ratio. H20 was filmed in 2.35.1. This version's ratio was changed to 1.78.1.

3. The audio is pathetic. You don't even get surround sound. You get a pitiful DTS 2.0 Stereo track. The DVD at least offered us a 5.1 mix. I thought Blu-ray Disc was supposed to be an upgrade from DVD?

Save your money and avoid this title. Echo Bridge has a reputation for butchering films and they did themselves justice with this one. Until we as consumers stand up and quit buying this garbage of a release, they will never give us the quality that we deserve. The links below will give you a little more information concerning this release.

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Certainly, after watching "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers", I had little interest in ever seeing Michael Myers again, who over the course of six films had transformed from a mysteriously eerie serial killer into a monolithic, robotic Druid(!) henchman. Amazingly, the next film in the franchise would redeem the "Halloween" name, a rarity for a sequel so late in the series. In fact, "Halloween H20" is probably the best sequel in the Halloween series (I confess to having a soft spot for "Halloween 2", but I freely admit that the film is problematic). Simply put, "H20" is the sequel fans had been waiting many years to see... even if some (like me) didn't know it.

The decision was made for "H20" to ignore the last series of sequels and act as a direct sequel to "Halloween II"; it was a wise decision, freeing the series from the various inane story lines and C-List characters that accumulatively dragged down the series over the years. Pleasingly, "H20" manages to both scare and entertain in a way that I thought just wasn't possible for the film series anymore. Finely directed by old school slasher film director Steve Miner (doing a better job with "H20" than he ever did on any of his 1980's "Friday The 13th" films), the film is smartly cast, has good production values, and is a blessed with a tight, straightforward plot. Jamie Lee Curtis gives a great lead performance, and the ending is the most satisfying of all the Halloween films (and that includes the original).

Special bonus points for "H20": it's the first sequel since "Halloween II" to get "The Shape" right! Armed once again with a creepy William Shatner-esque mask (which is actually achieved through a combination of 5 different masks and some CGI effects), a lithe build and quick, methodical body movement, "The Shape" is looking and acting more like his old eerie/ghostly self than he has in years. Certainly, this is a welcome reprieve from the graceless, hulking, albino-masked mongoloid that brutishly skulked around in the last few film sequels.

"Halloween: H20" isn't perfect; the characterizations (with the exception of Curtis's role) are drawn rather sketchily, the plot is a little too minalmist, and the music score is far more "Scream" than "Halloween" (literally, as parts of the score is actually taken from the "Scream" film!). Still, "H20" is a must-see for any self-respecting horror fan, and is well-made enough that (just as was the case with the first film) even non-genre fans should enjoy it; a four-star film (out of five).

Recently, there has been a lot of rancorous noise regarding U.S. distributer Echo Bridge's recent budget Blu-Ray release of "Halloween H20", which can either be purchased alone or as a double feature with the awful "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers". Primary criticisms from early reviews have been the following: "H20" has had its original aspect ratio changed; only a Dolby 2.0 lossless soundtrack is included; the print is of poor quality; and there are no extras of any kind.

Regarding the Echo Bridge Blu-Ray release, even at a price of $9.99, this is one sucky presentation of a quality film. Blacks range from dark gray to crushing, detail fluctuates between soft and mediocre, colors look flat, the print is dirty, and DNR, edge enhancement and compression artifacts all pop up intermittently throughout the film. Also, the film's original theatrical aspect ratio has been altered from 2.35:1 to 1.78:1 (although nothing has been cropped, as the film was shot in Super 35, which allows for aspect ratio changes on a film without losing any picture). Unfortunately, the open matte presentation does indeed alter the cinematic feel of the picture, throwing composition off in many scenes, and giving the film an overall TV movie-like feel that was clearly not intended by the director. Finally, the Dolby 2.0 lossless soundtrack is adequate for a surround track, but why is this here on a Blu-Ray, when perfectly good DTS-HD 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks exist elsewhere? Overall, with a sub-par presentation and zero extras, the Echo Bridge Blu-Ray release of "H20" screams "cheap cash-in", and will certainly disappoint fans of the film, which is why the Echo Bridge Blu-Ray presentation of "H20" earns a one-star (out of five) review.

This is not my first disappointment with an Echo Bridge Blu-Ray release. My first was merely weeks ago, when I picked up Echo Bridge's recent Blu-Ray release of "From Dusk 'Till Dawn"; just as was the case with "H20", the Blu-Ray was pretty crummy looking, even for its price. Frustrated and disappointed with that earlier release, I took a chance and ordered the Canadian Blu-Ray release of "From Dusk 'Till Dawn" from Canadian distributer Alliance (who has a dodgy reputation when it comes to Blu-Ray releases), and I'm glad I did, as the Alliance Blu-Ray was superior to the Echo Bridge release in every regard. Feeling encouraged, I decided to give the "Halloween Triple Pack" Blu-Ray release from Alliance a shot (which I picked up from Amazon.ca for $30.00, including shipping). This is a case of a gem sandwiched between two turds, as the best of the Halloween sequels ("H20") is unfortunately bookended between the two very worst sequels ("Curse" and "Resurrection"). It is on the strength of "H20" alone, that I decided to splurge on the Canadian import.

So, was it worth the trouble and cash to purchase this import? Certainly, for me I feel it was. Although "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers" and "Halloween: H20" are presented in 1080i (only "Halloween: Resurrection" is shown in 1080P), the picture quality of all three of the films look respectable, certainly heads and shoulders above any DVD release. The aspect ratio for "Halloween: H20" is indeed in its original aspect ratio of 2.35.1 ("Halloween: Resurrection" is also shown in its correct aspect ratio of 2.35.1, while "Halloween: The Curse...", originally released in 1.85:1, is shown in an incorrect aspect ratio of 1.78.1). Sharpness is good, colors are accurate looking and blacks are strong for all three films. There doesn't appear to be any edge enhancement or DNR.

Is "H20" on the Alliance triple-pack presented better than the Echo Bridge release? Yes, it is. Although far from great-looking, the "H20" print on the Alliance release isn't quite as dirty-looking as the Echo Bridge Blu-Ray. As stated earlier, H20's original theatrical aspect ratio is left untouched, restoring the film's cinematic look that was lost on the Echo Bridge release. For certain, it would have been nice if Alliance cleaned up the print for "Halloween: H20" (which unfortunately looks the shabbiest of the three films on the disc), but all things considered, "H20" looks better than the Echo Bridge presentation, even in 1080i.

On the other hand, the audio on the Alliance release "H20" completely blows away the Echo Bridge release. In fact, the audio for all three films sound quite good, with each film given a solid 5.1 DTS-HD Master audio soundtrack, complete with strong surround effects and good bass.

For hardcore U.S. fans, the Alliance triple pack is indeed worth picking up. Now, make no mistake about it, all of these films can (and should) be presented in a far better manner on Blu-Ray than what is on this triple-pack disc, with a nice remastered 1080P picture and special features galore. Yet, for what it is, hardcore fans should be mostly be pleased, as the presentation for all three movies is more than watchable.

However, for casual U.S. fans, in spite of my poor review, I do think they'll be better served with either the $9.99 Echo Bridge stand-alone Blu-Ray release of "H20", or the $16.00 Echo Bridge "H20"/"Curse of..." Blu-Ray double feature. The fact is, I simply can't justify casual fans shelling out 30-plus dollars for one good film and two awful ones, especially given the weak video presentation of "H20" on the Alliance Blu-ray. Casual fans likely won't mind (and may even prefer) the screen-filling open matte presentation of Echo Bridge's "H20" Blu-Ray release, and will probably feel satisfied enough with the Dolby 2.0 lossless soundtrack.

The sad reality is, this is probably as good as it's going to get for these films on Blu-Ray in the Region "A" market... at least for a while. Hopefully, Echo Bridge's distribution rights while expire sooner than later for these "Halloween" films, and they'll see a better presentation down the line. Needless to say, I'm going to take a pass on future offerings from Echo Bridge.

Echo Bridge's release of Halloween H20 is severly comprimised and should be avoided.
First, this release is not in the original aspect ratio. Originally released theatrically at 2.35:1 (per imdb), this Blu-ray includes a cropped 1.78:1 aspect ratio
Second, the only audio option is a DTS-HD 2.0 stereo mix, as opposed to the 5.1 mix included as part of the original dvd release from December 1999! Additionally, there are no subtitle options for the hearing impaired.
Lastly, there are no special features whatsoever.
So, let's see, no OAR, comprimised audio, no subs, no special features.

Remind me again why anyone would by this rush cash grab by Echo Bridge?

Best Buy has these on sale now so I have it prior to the release date. Avoid it no matter what.

I already have the Candian triple feature blu-ray with this movie, but I was intrigued when I read that in this release the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen are removed to actually show more picture. It was cheap and I'm definitely a cult fan, so I grabbed it. Yeah, not worth it. It makes it look bad...too much sky above people's heads in lots of shots and things like that.

The picture quality is overall atrocious. It looks like a DVD print with a noise reduction filter applied to it. Some parts make you feel like your player or tv is messed up because of flicker or jitter, but no, it's just a horrible transfer. Definitely NOT 1080P even though it says it is. It also says the audio is "2.0 STERE"...great attention to detail guys.

I'm going to jump on the bandwagon and say hold out for a better release or get the Candian triple feature...it's much better quality and true to it's claim of 1080i.

When it comes right down to it, like it or not, this is the true Halloween 3. We all know that the original Halloween 3 had nothing at all to do with the first two films. The other sequels 4 - 6, began branching off the main characters as extended family of the Laurie Strode character who was supposed to be dead. With Halloween H20, the sequels 4 to 6 are basically tossed out the window and erased from accepted Halloween Canon. The good news is that none of those films were particularly great and other than the inclusion of Donald Pleasance as the avenging Dr. Loomis, they are most forgettable.

Not that this film is perfect mind you..it takes some awfully big leaps in logic. It's supposed to be 20 years later and Laurie Strode is now the head-master of an exclusive private school. Years ago she faked her death and took on the alias of Keri Tate in order to hide herself from her brother Michael. But when papers of Dr. Loomis that reveal her true identity come up missing, the Shape is once again on her trail, bent on finishing the job he started 20 years earlier.

Josh Hartnett plays Strode's son John who is supposed to leave with most of the rest of the kids on a trip, but instead stays in the almost emply school grounds with his girlfriend and several other kids to have their own private party free from adults. Naturally they are the first to encounter Michael Myers who manages to slip past the worlds worst security guard played by L.L. Cool J.

Despites some of the implausibilites of the script, it's the most effective thriller in the series since Halloween II. The scene where Laurie manages to lock a door before michael can get her, but they still come face to face due to a window is a genuinely creepy scene. Add to that is the fact that H20 Director Steve Minor was a far more experienced and accomplished director than the three guys who did the previous sequels and you have a far more effective film.

All in all, when if comes right down to it, this is the true Halloween 3!

The "Halloween" saga has always been a favorite of horror film fans. It began with a ground-breaking, terrifying original, and moved onto "Halloween II" which continued the story on the same night as the original, making it the perfect companion piece. While not as relentlessly terrifying as the original, it is a scary movie.

Then came "Halloween 3" which had nothing to do with the rest of the series. It could have been an all right movie if they had left off the "Halloween" title. But it raised so many fan expectations that it fell very short.

"Halloween 4" brought Michael Myers back, and returned to the suspense of the first two films, heralding the 10-year-old original. "Halloween 5" was a step down in quality, with a good first 20 minutes, and suspenseful second half to make up for the "stupid teenagers and sex" sub-plot. "Halloween 6" was on the same level as the fifth one--entertaining in parts, but it was so choppy, you could hardly tell what was going on a lot of the time.

Then it came full-circle. 20 years after the original film came "Halloween: H20--Twenty Years Later", bringing everybody's favorite horror heroine, Laurie Strode--played by Jamie Lee Curtis--back to the screen. It bypasses films 3-6, and becomes a direct sequel to the first two. It is an excellent film, very scary and suspenseful, while not falling too much into the trappings of "Scream" rip-offs. With Jamie Lee Curtis and Michael Myers going face-to-face 20 years later, it brings a successful resolution to the saga.

"Halloween: The Homecoming" is supposed to be coming out soon, and I'll probably see it, just because it too has JLC and Michael Myers. But I have a feeling that it is going to be about as good as "Halloweens 3, 5, and 6", which is not very good. "Homecoming" will negate the whole effect of H20's brilliant climax in which Michael finally meets with his death, and I think it should stay unreleased. If you want to experience the true story of Halloween, watch "Halloween", "Halloween II", and "Halloween H20". This trilogy of Michael Myers and Jamie Lee Curtis is super-scary and brings the terrifying story to a satisfying resolution.

It begins 20 years after the first two films, and Nurse Marion from the first two finds her house broken into, with files on Laurie Strode missing, before Michael Myers kills her. Then Michael heads out to California, where Laurie is living under a different name, with her teenage son John, and running a prep school. But as Halloween draws closer, Laurie must finally face her demons, and goes head-to-head with her masked brother for a final showdown that has an unexpected, yet completely satisfying conclusion--bringing the story of Michael and Laurie to a close. The acting is excellent for a horror film, and it is a beautifully made film. The music, which hints at John Carpenter's original themes, is very creepy. The direction is quite good as well. It is certainly the best of the "Halloween" sequels, follwed closely by "II".

The DVD is an awesome widescreen version. But there is no commentary as mentioned on the box, and no theatrical trailers. But there is a neat documentary on the making of the film. And the picture and sound quality is excellent. Buy H20 now, before it's too late! You won't regret it. Now you can see how the horror saga really ends.

I wish people could petition to run this company out of business. They are ruining everything new they release. None of their films have any extras, subtitles, all have bad sound, and picture quality is terrible when compared to other blu-rays, although it has much better picture than DVD. I could deal with no extras, but they should at least have 5.1 sound and captions. Halloween isn't the only one's they are ruining. I got Children of The Corn 5 & 6 on their double pack. I watched them. Same thing. No extras, no subtitles, bad sound, and average picture. I also picked up their Hellraiser 4 & 5 double pack which I haven't viewed yet, but I would imagine it to be the same. Customers that bought any of their blu-ray products should all write them and complain. I think echo bridge should refund half of the cost to each customer for every blu-ray they bought from them. You are getting ripped off if you pay full price. Blu-ray's are supposed to be famous for their variety of extras. Whoever heard of blu-ray's with no extras. That is so sad. The one that really gets it is that they should be ashamed of themselves for not putting captions on any of the new stuff they put out. That is a real insult. They will keep re-releasing all these new great movies in this form unless people take a stand and do something about it. I don't think I will be purchasing anything from them anymore at all. I feel cheated. I prefer captions on my movies. If you think what they are doing to blu-ray is bad, what they are doing to DVD is worse. Some of the movies they are re-releasing on DVD, not all, they are releasing as full screen formats when the movie was released prior as widescreen. Why would they do this? Not only that, some of them are nothing more than VHS transfers and it really shows. Most of their DVD's are the same way. No extras, no casptions, and bad sound. The DVD's that they do put out in Widescreen tho, will still be plagued by the same problems as the blu-rays. No extras, no captions, and 2.0 sound. I would recommend not buying anything from echo bridge till they get their act together. If people stop buying completely, they will change. From now on, I also will be checking into Alliance for the same film on blu-ray, read the reviews first on which one is the better version, and purchase the best one.

Do not suppourt Echo Bridge with your money. If you absolutely need this on Blu-ray, get the Halloween trilogy released by Alliance in Canada. It's region 1, it has a DTS master audio soundtrack and it preserves the original aspect ratio. This version of H20 has an "open matte" widescreen presentation, which, in fact, shows MORE picture information than the 2.35:1 theatrical release, it doesn't preserve the intended style of the film.

About the Blu-Ray release:

Echo Bridge Home Entertainment acquired a number of Miramax titles in the sale (they were split between them and Lionsgate), which I was excited about. We would be getting forgotten genre pictures like this on Blu-Ray at reasonable prices. I for one like "Halloween: H20 - 20 Years Later" and was looking forward to the release. What I am confused about is, like everyone else, the way Echo Bridge is treating the films they are releasing. The picture quality isn't horrible on this release. In fact it's the best the film has ever looked on home video. Moreover this is the first anamorphic transfer the film has seen, which is great. BUT for a reason I can't even fathom Echo Bridge has decided to crop the sides of the frame (harkening back to the nightmare that was Pan & Scan) and force the film (which was shot in 2.35:1) into the new HDTV 'fullscreen' aspect ratio (1.78:1). This is totally uncalled for, especially in todays day and age. Things like this shouldn't even be happening. BUT the release is a catch 22 when it comes to the picture quality. Like I said, the image we do get is rather crisp, so you will get a nice (not excellent, mind you) transfer if you do purchase it. Unfortunately, you will be loosing picture due to the cropping. Plus, if you are stuck with the old Miramax DVD, watching it on your HDTV is going to be horrible, since it's a non-anamorphic transfer. Still, you will still want to hang onto that DVD if you are a fan of the film because none of that Collector's Edition's special features are ported over to the Blu-Ray. I am going to go ahead and recommend this release only if you are a die hard fan of the "Halloween" series, because in that case, you will get nice picture quality. If you are a stickler for the technical presentation as a whole, stay far, far away from these Echo Bridge releases.

About the film:

"Halloween: H20 - 20 Years Later" is the true part 3 to the Michael Myers saga. The many films to feature the character (they number 10 in total) are mostly nonsense, but at least this picture actually tries to accomplish something. Brining back Laurie (a good Jamie Lee Curtis) into the mix was the correct thing to do. In fact, they even make the character believable. I like everything they did with the story here but unfortunately it's far too little. The film barely runs 80 minutes rendering the interesting aspects of the story vague. But against it's own sabotage it strangely succeeds. It may not be deep but it's brisk and fun and it's nice to see a conclusion to the Michael and Laurie story. (Ignore every wretched sequel besides this one.)

Side note:
I am able to comment on this prerelease due to that it's currently available as a Best Buy exclusive until May 3, 2011.

Once upon a time, way back in 1978, there was a little independent film released at the wrong time of year for its title: Halloween. Halloween was not only the first of its kind (in a very long time), but it provided its horrors elegantly and suspensefully, not grotesquely and blatantly. It was the first film from director John Carpenter (waaaaaay before he insisted that his name go above the titles of his increasingly bad movies). Halloween's popularity inspired not only imitations galore (Friday the 13th, The Burning, etc.), but its own sequels. The first sequel (Halloween II) continued the horrors set up in the original on the same evening of the original (but this time full of gore), employing the newly crowned queen of scream, Jamie Lee Curtis, as the star just off her turn in the original. This was a coup that made the sequel a huge hit too. Then the misery began....

Someone in Hollywood got the bright idea to change the Halloween films into a brand name. Thus was born Halloween III: Season of the Witch. This film had absolutely nothing to do with the first two films and it also had absolutely nothing to do with horror or scares (unless you count the horror of paying to watch such dreck).

Halloween IV through VI were sequels to the first two Halloweens, but their premise and association was only remotely attached (Halloween V was a decent delivery, but only when seen as a stand alone film).

Halloween H2O was a return to the original franchise. All the press that came out on the film told viewers that this film is the real sequel to Halloween II. In other words, it is the real Halloween III. This was a wise move. Not only do we have a return to the original story basis, but we are given a return of the original Halloween heroine - Jamie Lee Curtis (no longer a newbie, but a seasoned and accomplished actress, who has the Halloween films to thank, in part, for her success).

It is 20 years later (thus the 20, part of the title - the H refers to Halloween - get it? - Halloween 20 years later). Laurie Strode is alive and disturbed after the horrors of that night some twenty years earlier. She is a mental basket case, a functioning alcoholic, single mother to Josh Hartnett, and the head mistress of a toney boarding school in the middle of nowhere California. Having faked her death many years earlier to avoid the infamy of the horrors of that long ago night (and to hide from her brother Michael, whom she still believes to be alive), she lives as much of a normal life as she can. Only her son and she knows who she really is.

Of course, Michael is no more dead, than the Pope is Jewish.

Halloween H20 does some really neat things that make this film seem not only like a real sequel, but a welcomed return by an old friend. For example, the opening scene features a nurse returning home from work - the nurse seems oddly familiar - and rightly so - if you remember waaay back, it is the same nurse who accompanied Donald Pleasance to the insane asylum the night that Michael Myers originally escaped in 1978. The same actress is used. I don't think she's ever done another film between these two films, but darned if I didn't like that continuity!

Also, Jamie Lee's secretary at the school is none other than her very own "real life" mother: Janet Leigh. This is a really cool cameo, because it offers us a nod to the Hollywood legacy that Jamie Lee inherited, but it also ties in the horror connection as well - Janet was the first to die in the Great Grandfather of all slasher films: Psycho! Now, the filmmakers decided to go even one better, which is the most delicious part of all to the cameo. The car the secretary drives is the exact - and I do mean exact same car that Janet Leigh drove in Psycho. Plus - Plus - if you listen carefully, you will hear the music change very briefly to the Bernard Hermann score from Psycho. It is a very cool cameo!!

Halloween H20 is really a fine sequel and is deserving of being the real Halloween III. No longer just a weakling girl who runs from Michael, Laurie stands up to him and shows her mettle. This is not only within character, but necessary in light of the female empowerment movies that would not allow her to do otherwise (Sigourney Weaver in Aliens, anyone?).

Rent this film, because it is not only a good fright film, but it is an worthy descendent of the original film.