A few tense scenes don't make up for the shoddy filmmaking that pervades most of this film. Strangely, the picture quality on this DVD is quite nice. Though not quite up to par with the stellar special edition release of the original Halloween , this DVD produces a very good picture. Colors are rich and textured and skin tones are natural, smooth and bright without being oversaturated. As with any horror film, black level is vital to the overall quality of the picture and this release doesn't disappoint.
Blacks are solid and dark and never impose on the integrity of the picture.
There is an intentional grainy look to the film, but on a few occasions, I noticed some digital artifacts in the transfer. Edge enhancement is visible sporadically, but doesn't present too much of a problem. Anchor Bay created a new Dolby Digital 5.1 mix for this release, and it turns out to be a pretty good one. There's a satisfactory amount of bass to the mix, adding some needed depth to a track that could otherwise be horribly dated. The intensity is immediately noticeable during the opening credits montage, as the knife tears through the pumpkin.