Friday, October 14, 2022

John Carpenter's Halloween: The TV Edit

 



Another Friday means another long-form program, and today is another special one.

Today is one of the biggest days this Halloween season, because today is the release of the long-awaited movie Halloween Ends, the final showdown between Michael Myers and Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). It opens in theaters today and appears on the streaming service Peacock.

In preparation and celebration of this event, here is where it all started--the original classic Halloween. But at the same time, not quite the original!

This is in fact the TV edit of the film made for broadcast on NBC on October 30, 1981, which was the movie's television debut. After editing the film for content (this was over-the-air TV after all), Halloween was running too short for a two-hour broadcast, even with commercials. So at the request of the network, brand new scenes were shot specifically for the TV version, filmed at the same time as Halloween II (which was opening in theaters the same weekend this version of the original aired). Reluctantly, John Carpenter and the other filmmakers agreed, and this edit of the movie was born.

Enjoy! Have a great weekend! Eat, drink, and be spooky! Beware the Bogie Man!

7 comments:

Tom said...

This would have been the way I first saw this movie. I was 14 when this aired and remember it well. I watched it alone and threw a blanket over my head several times. Okay, I was kind of a chicken.

Phillyradiogeek said...

Tom, one of these days I'll write about how much this movie scared the you-know-what out of me! The movie haunted me for years!

Tom said...

Philly, I was obsessed with this movie after watching it too. I even created my own Pumpkin-headed killer cartoon character after watching it.

Mikes On Bikes said...

I had no idea they shot new scenes for a TV edit, you've blown my mind!

Phillyradiogeek said...

Hi Mike! Yep, at the request of the network, no less. These days you almost never see a theatrical movie on a major broadcast network.

Caffeinated Joe said...

Haven't watched this version in awhile, so popped it on to the tv from your link. Thanks for tonight's entertainment, bud!

Phillyradiogeek said...

Thanks Joe! Hope you enjoyed it!