4K Ultra HD – US Edition – Shout Factory – 89 min – 05 October 2021
Video format
• Intermediate Master: 4K
• Standard HDR: Dolby Vision
• Ratio: 1.85
Soundtrack
• English Dolby Atmos
• English DTS-HD MA 5.1
• English DTS-HD MA 2.0
• English Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles
• English
It is brought to the attention of our dear readers as well as the viewing equipment specified and used by each tester of the MaG team, the rendering may differ from one installation to another, whether or not it is calibrated, as well as personal preferences and expectations may influence the rating. Moreover, the images in the article are not representative of the edition tested.
WORK – The Shape is back!
Killer Michael Myers is still alive. Severely burned and immersed in a deep coma, he is always kept under high surveillance in a federal psychiatric hospital. The night he was to be transferred to a state hospital, Michael Myers managed to escape by killing the nurses. Decided to catch him up, Dr. Loomis is following a trail of dead bodies that leads him straight to Haddonfield...
Banal and too soft (but where did the brutality of the 2nd opus go?) despite a third intense act (whose shocking end was swept away with a back of hand afterwards), this slasher who finds Michael Myers prefers to rely on suspense (failed) and atmosphere (automnal) rather than on gore and violence. Failing to be notable, this iteration of evil remains distracting!
IMAGE – The night of Halloween, the evil is prowling...
From a new 4K scan of the original negative, this UHD transfer encoded into Dolby Vision leaves behind it the old HD releases!
The contrasts are now well balanced (deeper shadows and bolder lighting), so the image can enjoy a true depth that it did not previously know (it was dull before) and exploit a luminous vitality that it could only imagine (but where was life before?). Now, the boogeyman hides fully in the darkness and the Jack-o-lantern, moonlight and other red and blue gyrophares can shine as never before... Especially since the colors are otherwise brighter (blood, vegetation) and robust (carnation), away from the folice of the past.
The image, which is thoroughly cleaned with two or three quiucs, also benefits from a solidified definition, more visible fine details (the scars on the bodies, urban furniture, interior decoration) and a light organic grain which, unlike its predecessor, suffers from no instability.
SON – It's gonna scream in Haddonfield!
Once flat and unsynchronized (differently depending on the editions), the soundtrack released in Dolby Atmos today has much more breath in addition to drastically expanding the sound field... Without transforming the sound design of the work, essentially frontal with rather discreet atmospheres.
And if she misses some vertical opportunities (such as the debris of a garage door or the presence of Myers on the roof of a car), not all fortunately (the storm in opening, the explosion at the gas station, Rachel hangs along the roof line), she has the score which she adds weight (cf. the basses) and uses with parsimony the surrounds (the bursts of fire of the « protective » of the city, Bucky electrocution).
For purists of original mixing, long unobtainable, the DTS-HD MA 2.0 track is a safe value because frontal imaging is excellent, robust sounds and constant clarity.
CONCLUSION – A little bit of Biafine and it's going back?
Only the « Sream Queens » of any age are reassured, this fourth episode of the franchise Halloween is worthy to be revisited thanks to a Blu-ray Ultra HD that greatly improves the image and sound of previous versions of the film. So go ahead, scream!!!
Artistic note
6.5
Video quality
9
Audio quality
8
0
Subscribe
Connection
0 Remarks
oldest
