Original 1978 ‘Halloween’ 4K UHD Release Officially Announced

John Carpenter’s 1978 seminal horror classic Halloween premieres on the 4K Ultra HD format this October for its 40th anniversary, Halloween Movies officially announced Monday.

Halloween comes home on 4K September 25 in the US and Canada through Lionsgate. The Jamie Lee Curtis-starrer reaches the format just weeks before Curtis reprises her most famous role of Laurie Strode in the David Gordon Green-directed Halloween, a 40-years-later direct sequel to Carpenter’s original.

Halloween Movies has not yet detailed if the disc will feature new or reused special features from past releases or if Carpenter shepherded the updated transfer.

The disc art reuses the cover art specially created by artist Jay Shaw for Halloween‘s 35th anniversary Blu-ray re-release from 2013, suggesting extras from that release — including a newly-recorded commentary track from Carpenter and Curtis, as well as hour-long Curtis-centric documentary ‘The Night She Came Home’ — could be included on the new set.

Shout! Factory announced earlier this month they will be issuing new Halloween II (1981) and Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) steelbooks, with both films receiving new 4K-scan transfers.

UHD discs often feature High Dynamic Range, or HDR, giving the picture brighter, deeper, and more lifelike colors — making the format the go-to pick for home theater enthusiasts and movie collectors.

Halloween‘s 4K makeover comes just before the Universal Pictures and Blumhouse-produced Halloween slashes its way into theaters. Ignoring all installments past the 1978 original, the sequel finds Laurie Strode (Curtis) as a four-decade trauma survivor who once again must confront escaped masked murderer Michael Myers (Nick Castle and James Jude Courtney) after he returns to Haddonfield, Illinois.

The returning Curtis and Castle are joined by Carpenter, who serves as composer and executive producer. Writer-director David Gordon Green (Stronger) and writers Jeff Fradley (Vice Principals) and Danny McBride (Eastbound & Down) re-imagine the franchise as a direct follow-up foregoing developments established in past sequels, namely the since-erased sibling relationship between Michael and Laurie.

Halloween releases to the premium 4K Ultra HD format September 25. The newest Halloween reaches theaters October 19.