Last October, we here at The Roarbots did a Big Dumb Thing and binge watched the entire Halloween franchise in the weeks leading up to the release of the most recent installment. Prior to that, I had only ever seen the original – which is a classic of the genre. Counting the newest film (out now on digital and physical media), there are 11 films in the franchise. So watching all of them in about three weeks is a bit of a thing.

But we did it. And I have zero regrets.

The newest film, simply called Halloween (the third film in the franchise with that title) is a direct sequel to the original John Carpenter classic (also called Halloween). The other 9 films are completely and totally ignored. The good news is that you don’t need to binge all 11 films (like we did) to stay current and understand this one. The even better news is that these are the two best films in the series, and watching them is the absolute best way to experience Michael Myers’ and Laurie Strode’s story.

If you want to listen to a really fun conversation (if I do say so myself) about our thoughts on this film and the entire franchise, do yourself a favor and listen here. (And feel free to track back through our live recaps of the first 10 films here.)

Director David Gordon Green’s Halloween is notable for not only being the second-best film in the franchise (when was the last time an 11th film was so good?) but also FINALLY doing the character of Laurie Strode justice. Jamie Lee Curtis originated the character in 1978 and later appeared in three of the sequels. She wasn’t exactly a shrinking violet in those films, but the writing never quite matched the promise of the original character. (Halloween H20 came close, though.)

The newest Halloween is absolutely worth watching. It’s not just a great horror movie; it’s a great movie. And if you missed it on the big screen, now’s your chance to bring Michael Myers home and get scared in the comfort of your own jammies.

I’m not about to recap or review the film itself, which has been done admirably many places (including the conversation linked to above). But what about the extras? What else can you expect to find with this release?

I’m not going to lie; there’s nothing earth shattering here – nothing essential – but if you’re a fan of the film or franchise, it’s some good fun. One thing I certainly miss, however, is a commentary track. It would’ve been great to have a feature-length director’s commentary (or with Jamie Lee Curtis). Alas.

Deleted/Extended Scenes: There are 7 scenes that run about 12 minutes in total, and it’s obvious to see why they were all cut. Each would’ve slowed down the story too much, but it’s still interesting to see what was supposed to happen between other scenes. This is probably the highlight of the special features. The most “revealing” is the scene with Laurie’s granddaughter, Allyson, and her boyfriend after their fight at the school dance. Their story always felt like a bit of a loose end. The scene with Dr. Sartain in the police car will leave you scratching your head. It feels like a blooper, but the actors play it totally straight.

Back in Haddonfield: Making Halloween: This is a 6-minute “making-of” featurette that doesn’t really touch on how they made the film. It’s more a promo piece featuring quick interviews with the core cast intercut with scenes from the movie.

The Original Scream Queen is a 2.5-minute focus on Jamie Lee Curtis and the character of Laurie Strode.

The Sound of Fear is a 3-minute focus on the music of the movie. Halloween has always been known for its music (particularly its hauntingly simple piano tune), and I’d absolutely place the score for this film in the Top 3 of the franchise (along with the original Halloween and Halloween III: Season of the Witch – both also composed by John Carpenter). The brief look into the studio lets us see John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies actually composing and recording the score.

Plus, we learn that John Carpenter uses the Halloween theme as his ringtone! That tidbit was worth the price of admission alone.

Journey of the Mask is a 2.5-minute focus on the Michael Myers mask. It quickly covers how they crafted the new mask for this movie, why it’s so scary, and how it changes the actor playing The Shape.

The Legacy of Halloween, finally, is a 4.5-minute roundtable discussion with Jamie Lee Curtis, John Carpenter, David Gordon Green, and Jason Blum. It feels more like PR than a natural conversation, but it’s still fun. Plus, they tease another movie and “more story” left to tell.

(Disclosure: We were provided with a review copy of this Blu-ray. All opinions remain our own.)