An original Starz documentary, Halloween: 25 Years of Terror (2006) seems to take a lead from Charles de Lauzirika’s Alien Quadrilogy docs and actually acknowledges some of the more critical aspects of the Halloween franchise while remaining respectful of the “X” factor that keeps ardent fans keen on seeing each and every film irrespective of whatever failings they may have (and some are huge).

It’s the same, to an extent, with the Hellraiser sequels that at one point reached a nadir in their direct-to-video existence by having two instalments released in one year in 2005. Why do fans keep coming back for the next film, knowing that most tend to be weaker than the previous? Rob Zombie admits it’s accepted among fans that the sequel will never reach the creative apex of the original, and yet seeing that number after the title will draw a core group every time.

That brand loyalty is evident in the handful of fan statements that show a resilient audience that’s also accepting of some of the crazy turns within the series, and it is startling to hear criticism levied at John Carpenter for bringing in the brother-sister ties between Laurie Strode and Michael Myers in Part 2. As one critic theories, it may well have stemmed from the Star Wars ‘Luke I’m your father’ angle, with exhaustion, beer, and a deadline that had Carpenter introduce the family connection when he was struggling to create a script for the first sequel.

It is easy to pick apart bad planning within a franchise, and yet that issue is also a serious problem among TV series when the first season was a jaw-dropper, and the second meandered because the creative team had to plan, or were juggling studio suggestions and efforts to out-guess excited fans. It’s what affected Lost, Desperate Housewives, 24, and especially Heroes, and sometimes it takes the most unwanted indulgences and fan outrage to convince the overlords of a franchise to go back to basics. It’s a mantra that the late Moustapha Akkad said repeatedly in interviews, but missing from the anniversary doc are some of his own self-criticisms about the nonsensical elements within Parts 4 and 5 that even he couldn’t explain.

There’s also the valid observation by another critic in Stefan Hutchinson’s doc that when the surrounding characters are interesting, they become compelling when a ‘faceless’ menace starts hacking away; make the characters bland and formulaic (as in Parts 4 thru 6, as well as 8), and it’s just stupid people being traumatized. With no cast to care about, there’s no drama to pull the audience into the film.

Ardent fans have probably seen The Producer’s Cut of Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers, but it’s surprising to see a few clips from that alternate version in the doc, as well as hearing some comments from writer Daniel Farrands, and criticism by select cast and crew about the conflicts between producer Akkad (les gore), director Joe Chappelle (more gore), and the effects men whose work was ultimately knocked down to less challenging victim stabs.

That awkward blend of cooperation between the releasing studio, the Akkads who own the franchise, directors wanting to make an impact, and writers trying to stay true to the original while pleasing so many others is what’s made the series very wonky, and it’s examined in the cases of Part 5 (via conflicts from director Dominique Othenin-Girard), 6, and 7 – Halloween H20: 20 Years Later.

Perhaps one reason that film ended up fulfilling Akkad’s ‘back to basics’ mantra is strong personalities. John Carpenter was given total control over Halloween, and director Steve Miner and actress Jamie Lee Curtis appeared to do sift away as many dumb suggestions so the film stayed focused on one woman finally having to face her personal boogeyman.

There’s also a short interview with composer John Ottman regarding the dumping of most of his score in favour of Marco Beltrami’s new cues, although what’s left out is the issue of the dreaded temp score that had Beltrami basically extending chunks of material from his Scream films.

Director Hutchinson wisely keeps a balance of opinions, and if the doc seems too fast and less meaty in the dirty details, it’s probably due to the 90 min. length; more time would’ve allowed him to indulge in longer segments, but it may also have rendered the doc slow and ponderous.

The interviews are drawn from existing sources, as well as new, and some surprises include Nancy Loomis as well as cast and crew members from Parts 2 and 3, which fill in the gaps left by Universal’s bare bones DVDs. (More material on those films are archived in the Extras section, as well as other films in “Extended Celebrity Interviews.”)

The doc also covers the issue of stalkers – Ellie Cornell and Danielle Harris have had their own unwanted uber-fans – and Loomis respectfully declines any further comments, inferring she’s had her own share of eerie close encounters.

More important, though, is the convention (selected highlights have been compacted into a number of separately archived featurettes, including several panel discussions) where the bulk of cast and crew assembled in 2003, and how that one-of-a-kind event was the result of more than 3,000 fans wanting to share their fervour for a beloved group of characters. The internet is credited as creating a resurgence for the stop-and-go franchise, although it did inspire some of the aspects within the series’ worst film, Halloween: Resurrection (Part 8).

Anchor Bay’s DVD includes the feature-length doc as well as an extensive collection of featurettes and additional interviews that are mandatory for any series fan.

“Halloween’s Hallowed Grounds” has The Horror Channel’s Sean Clark taking us on a tour of the major locations used in the first film (the Myers home, the streets, the phone booth by the railroad, etc.), with P.J. Soles popping up for a short street walk, as well as some vintage footage shot by Clark of areas prior to recent modifications.

The DVD also includes on-set footage from Part 5 (ported over from that DVD’s extras gallery), a clip of the Part 9 contest (of which a babe who flashed the cameraman in the doc apparently wins some spot in the planned ninth film), and the amusing “Fans of Halloween.” That compilation begins with a montage of fan-made films (two in stop-motion) and is flowed by two very funny contest winners – a two-man, low-fi retelling of all 8 films; and Michael Myers at home with his happy wife – and a closed with fans bidding everyone adieu.

For those who feel bereft in being unable to attend the convention, Disc 2 contains decent panel discussions by cast/crew from Parts 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6, as well as Part 1's cinematographer Dean Cundey, the men who played Michael Myers, and series producers. Given there are no special editions for Parts 2 and 6, the panel discussions add further info on the making of these troubled films.

Fans should note, however, that there’s not much replication of the convention Q&A archived on Anchor Bay's Part 4 DVD. That bonus 18 min. montage has actors from Parts 4 and 5 discussing the films, their careers, and engaging in fun banter with each other.

This DVD is available as a separate 2-disc edition, and Disc 1 (which contains the doc and half of the extras) is included in the Halloween 30th Anniversary Commemorative Set.

© 2009 Mark R. Hasan