John Carpenter’s Halloween is the scariest movie ever made. I know, that’s a bold statement for someone like me to make, but one that’s nonetheless appropriate.

For those who’ve been living under a rock for the past thirty-five Octobers, Halloween tells the story of Michael Myers; a psychotic murderer whose been institutionalized since childhood for the murder of his sister.

Fifteen years after his initial confinement, Myers manages to escape the institution and begins stalking bookish teenage girl Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her friends while his doctor Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence) chases him through the streets of his hometown.

From the opening credits to the climactic final confrontation between Loomis and Myers, Halloween holds the coveted spot as my greatest horror film of all time and for good reason. Unlike many of today’s horror films which rely heavily upon the use of over the top death scenes and gallons of fake blood and gore to sell its scare, Halloween’s scariness stems from using it’s audiences own imagination to instill that fear upon themselves.

Whether it’s the innocence of Laurie Strode; the subtle, yet highly effective use of camera angles and jump scares; the “shape” standing visible and then suddenly disappearing or the eerie theme music playing at the most (in)appropriate of times, it’s the vulnerability and fear of the unknown that causes us to not only be afraid of the monster, but also to honestly consider whether or not this actually could be happening.

I’ll always remember how excited I was whenever Halloween was coming on, but to this day still find it uncomfortable watching those opening credits (even in broad daylight) and being forced to recall my own childhood fear of the bogeyman and the dark. As a youth, whenever the glowing pumpkin and creepy intro music came on the screen announcing the film was about to begin, that was always my cue to close my eyes and cover my ears until after the credits were over.

In celebration of the film’s 35th anniversary, Anchor Bay Entertainment and Trancas International have just released a special 35th Anniversary Blu-ray version of Halloween. This new 35th Anniversary package includes an all-new HD transfer that was personally supervised by the film’s original cinematographer, Dean Cundey, as well as a new 7.1 audio mix.

But the real “treat” of this package has to be the brand-new, feature-length audio commentary by writer/director John Carpenter and actress Jamie Lee Curtis, discussing the film with fresh perspective all these years later. Available in a collectible limited-edition book-style format, the package also includes 20 pages of archival photos as well as an essay by Halloween historian Stef Hutchinson and specially commissioned cover art by Jay Shaw.

Want my advice? Grab some popcorn, turn down the lights (never completely off, of course) and skip past the opening credits. Because thankfully, modern technology allows us the opportunity to do so. (Five Stars)