Halloween

John Carpenter's iconic horror defined the slasher genre and for many it’s never been bettered.

Looking at it today, it’s startling just how simple it is, free of the dreaded bloat of more modern horror films that can’t help but over-complicate themselves. ‘The Shape’ is a nebulous terrifying boogeyman stalking Lori Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), the perfect ‘final girl.’ Carpenter lets us use our imaginations to fill in the blanks and the result is one of the most effective, frightening films there is.

This 35th anniversary release adds an all new hour-long documentary filmed at HorrorHound 2012, where Curtis made a one-time-only appearance to meet lifelong fans of the series. Anchor Bay have also revisited the visuals and produced a much better transfer than the previous Blu-ray release. This, plus a newly recorded audio commentary from Carpenter and Curtis, makes this is an essential Blu-ray for fans. [Scott McKellar]