"The Evil is gone!" says Donald Pleasence, and John Carpenter unleashed faceless psychopath Michael Myers to slash his way into a generation's nightmares. But Halloween stands up as a classic independent horror film not because of gore (there's hardly any), but because of Carpenter's incredibly stylish shooting (which pays tribute to both Alfred Hitchcock and Howard Hawks), an unforgettable score (also composed by Carpenter), and Jamie Lee Curtis' debut (as a plucky babysitter sworn to guard her charges). Presented in a new widescreen digital transfer in the original aspect ratio of 2.35:1.

Criterion's CAV Special Edition features:

• Screen-specific audio commentary featuring writer/director/composer John Carpenter, writer/producer Debra Hill, and actress Jamie Lee Curtis
• The original theatrical trailer
• Separate music and effects track
• Additional footage shot for the 1980 television release
• Photo essay on the making, marketing, and mimicking of Halloween
• Illustrated filmographies of John Carpenter, Donald Pleasence, and Jamie Lee Curtis
• Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert give splatter movies the thumbs down while praising Halloween in a controversial 1980 Sneak Previews segment
• Genre guide by John McCarty, author of Splatter Movies: Breaking the Last Taboo of the Screen, including capsule reviews of cold-blooded killer movies from The Bad Seed to Halloween 5