Fan Syncs Restored ‘Halloween’ Footage With Audience Audio Recorded During 1979 Screening

Few movie-watching experiences can compare to seeing a horror film on the big screen with a large crowd, but even with a classic like Halloween, fans who have seen the film before likely won’t react as extremely as people seeing it for the first time. With the original film recently receiving a 4K release, this restored footage was synced with audio from a 1979 audience to immerse fans in the world of seeing the classic slasher while surrounded by likely first-time viewers.

While both the audio and synced versions of the clip have been circulating for years, this appears to be the first time fans can enjoy the experience with high resolution footage.

In the original film, “On a black and unholy Halloween night years ago, little Michael Myers brutally slaughtered his sister in cold blood. But for the last fifteen years, town residents have rested easy, knowing that he was safely locked away in a mental hospital — until tonight. Tonight, Michael returns to the same quiet neighborhood to relive his grisly murder again…and again…and again. For this is a night of evil. Tonight is Halloween!”

While most members of a film’s cast and crew would likely support their film getting an impressive restoration, Nick Castle, who played the masked Michael Myers in the original film, is nervous that the improved lighting conditions of the restoration could inadvertently spoil one of the film’s best scares.

“I just talked to [director] John [Carpenter] about this and he said he and the cameraman did a viewing of this [restoration],” Castle shared with Bloody Disgusting. “He was impressed with the sharpness. My question would be there is one scene that [director of photography] Dean [Cundey] had a great idea. Near the end, where Michael Myers is in the shadows, he actually dials up the light very, very slowly so that he starts to appear behind [actress] Jamie [Lee Curtis]. It’s right before he tries to either stab her or choke her. And I just wonder if that will be seen too early. That’s, I guess, my one concern, other than the fact that I’d love to see it in this format.”

The original Halloween with an all-new 4K restoration is available on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack now. Fans can enjoy seeing the new Halloween with a live audience in theaters this weekend.

[H/T Twitter, DailyGrindhouse]