Halloween: Resurrection Blu-ray Review

Echo Bridge's Blu-ray release of Halloween: Resurrection presents a mixed bag in terms of video quality, while still exceeding some expectations for a film of its age. The 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode reveals a notable layer of film grain that complements its cinematic heritage, although sporadic digital noise can detract from the overall experience. Despite the inherent grain, the transfer provides commendable fine detail; lines on Michael's mask and facial textures stand out sharply, even in the darker scenes. However, black levels can be inconsistent, ranging from deep and strong to lighter shades of gray, often resulting in poor shadow delineation and occasional black crush.

The color palette varies in effectiveness. While most of the film's darker scenes obscure vibrant hues, early bright scenes reveal a satisfying array of colors with a vivid and lively presentation. Particular highlights include the blue lighting through boarded windows and the rich reds of blood, which contrast sharply with the generally bland color scheme. Moreover, the transfer deftly showcases fine textures within the Myers house, bringing attention to its crusty paint and worn surfaces.

However, technical flaws are noticeable. The image tends to have an overly sharpened, processed appearance with occasional edge halos. While banding and blocking are mostly absent, aliasing is prevalent on items like fences and tree bark, combined with occasional flickering noise in darker scenes. Minimal speckling is evident but not enough to be distracting. In summary, this isn’t a pristine transfer; yet, it remains quite good on the whole despite some areas needing improvement.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack for "Halloween: Resurrection" delivers an energetic and immersive auditory experience from beginning to end. The familiar Halloween refrain is presented with wonderful energy, dynamically spread across the soundstage, encompassing both the front and back channels for a seamless and engaging presentation. The low end is notably strong, deep, and balanced, delivering a full-bodied, foreboding feel to the film, although extreme bass can occasionally dissolve into rattly reverberations. Nonetheless, it remains tight and heavy throughout most of the movie. The track effectively captures various horror elements like creaks and structural groans, enhancing the ambient atmosphere with precision placement that keeps the listener involved. Dialogue is generally clear and focused in the center, maintaining good balance without becoming overshadowed by other elements.

Notably, the mix starts powerfully with John Carpenter's iconic "Halloween" theme, which is superbly distributed across all channels, adding a vibrant, bassy quality fitting for the opening credits. However, issues arise with the dialogue, which is often too quiet and at times becomes inaudible, detracting from the overall clarity. Additionally, the dialogue tends to sound flat compared to the dynamic music, which might affect the viewing experience slightly. On a positive note, sound effects are mixed robustly; during intense sequences like the opening asylum scene, the sound of solid doors locking and unlocking is distinctly audible from different channels. This adds a rich layer of immersiveness to the horror elements, as bangs, screams, and other active effects are expertly distributed around the soundstage. Overall, the audio presentation of "Halloween: Resurrection" offers a potent and engrossing track, despite minor dialogue issues.

The extras on the Blu-ray of "Halloween: Resurrection" provide a mixed bag of content, with some engaging insights alongside less compelling features. The Audio Commentary by Editor Robert Ferretti and Director Rick Rosenthal delves into unused ideas, character arcs, shooting techniques, and the film's unique perspective style, offering fans an informative peek into the filmmaking process despite some occasional dullness. The alternate endings and deleted scenes, although lacking in excitement, showcase additional footage that rounds out the viewing experience. The Tour Set with Production Designer and On the Set with Jamie Lee Curtis offer glimpses into the production design and Curtis's role, albeit with lesser impact. The Head Cam Featurette provides an interesting look at the innovative head cams used in the film, though its appeal is niche. Finally, the Storyboard (Split Screen) feature allows viewers to compare storyboards with final scenes for a unique perspective on the film's production.

Extras included in this disc:

• Audio Commentary: Insights from Director Rick Rosenthal and Editor Robert Ferretti on the film's development.
• Alternate Endings and Deleted Scenes: Additional footage including multiple alternate endings.
• Tour Set with Production Designer: Troy Hansen tours the recreated Myers house.
• On the Set with Jamie Lee Curtis: Cast and crew perspectives on Laurie Strode and Curtis's role.
• Head Cam Featurette: Exploration of the film’s innovative head cams.
• Storyboard (Split Screen): Comparative look at storyboards and final scenes.

"Halloween: Resurrection," while attempting to modernize the franchise for a 21st-century audience, ultimately stumbles into mediocrity with a convoluted plot and unnecessary gimmicks. The film's premise follows six college students participating in a webcast reality show, "Dangertainment," by exploring Michael Myers' childhood home on Halloween night. These sequences heavily rely on POV footage mimicking the then-popular found footage style, yet fail to innovate beyond superficial scares. Busta Rhymes and Tyra Banks serve as the reality show's hosts, but their performances are uninspired and detract rather than enhance the tension.

The film is bifurcated with an out-of-place prologue, wrapping up the Michael Myers-Laurie Strode storyline in a rushed 16-minute segment that feels tacked on to draw attention. Jamie Lee Curtis reprises her role but is relegated to a mere cameo that fails to provide the satisfying closure fans would expect following "H20." The remainder of "Resurrection" descends into formulaic slasher territory, with Michael terrorizing the group in predictably gruesome fashion.

Despite these shortcomings, Michael Myers retains his chilling presence, delivering a sense of danger and continuity to the otherwise disjointed narrative. However, the cast is generally forgettable, save for Rhymes' occasional moments of comic relief. Overall, "Halloween: Resurrection" panders to genre conventions without adding any substantial depth or memorable innovation, rendering it a generic horror flick firmly rooted in direct-to-video quality.

Halloween: Resurrection stands as a largely uninspired addition to the long-standing horror franchise, yielding little innovation or excitement. The film's first act awkwardly attempts to resolve previous storylines with all the finesse of a rushed short film, leaving long-time fans feeling shortchanged by its hasty conclusion. The primary narrative, updated for the early 2000s with internet-age twists, simply recycles well-trodden horror tropes without injecting substantial originality. Performances vary greatly, with Busta Rhymes providing some semblance of life to the otherwise flat ensemble cast.

Echo Bridge's Blu-ray release of Halloween: Resurrection offers a mixed technical presentation. On the positive side, the video quality is surprisingly good, featuring high image detail and vibrant colors. However, the overall visual experience is marred by occasional soft shots and inconsistent focus. The audio mix, while dynamic, often suffers from imbalanced dialogue levels that undermine the viewing experience. Special features included on the disc provide some additional value, though they are primarily of interest to die-hard fans of the series.

In conclusion, while Halloween: Resurrection may find a place on the shelves of dedicated collectors seeking to complete their Blu-ray anthology, it offers little to entice either casual viewers or discriminating horror aficionados. The film’s narrative deficiencies and inconsistent technical attributes render it a mediocre entry in the franchise. This Blu-ray is best considered a rental, suitable only for those with a deep-seated appreciation for every corner of the Halloween universe.