'Halloween' Unmasked (1999) *** 1/2John Carpenter, Debra Hill, Tommy Lee Wallace, Dean Cundy, P.J. Soles, Jamie Lee Curtis, Nick Castle, Irwin Yablans and Moustapha Akkad are all interviewed for this thirty-minute documentary that takes a look at the making of HALLOWEEN. It's important not to be too hard on this documentary because since it was made there have been a couple others that contain even more details. The longer options are certainly the way to go but at the same time this here was a well-produced film for its time and there's no question that these interviews were terrific especially when you first saw them. Even though the running time is rather short there's a lot of great details on here about the production, the casting and of course the reaction to the movie once it was released. If you're a fan of HALLOWEEN then this is still worth watching.

I saw a stripped-down version of this mini-documentary (simply titled "HALLOWEEN: UNMASKED"--minus the "2000" part) on the second tape of my nifty "20th Anniversary Collector's Edition" two-tape set from Anchor Bay. It basically consists of Dee Snider (of Twisted Sister fame) narrating a brief history of the 1978 horror classic HALLOWEEN, followed by interviews with Jamie Lee Curtis, Moustapha Akkad, Nick Castle, and Debra Hill. Oddly enough, John Carpenter--nor any of the other cast and crew, for that matter--was not featured in the version I saw.The interviewees are likable and fun to listen to, and it's clear that they really do have a genuine fondness for this cult classic, but they don't reveal anything that the die-hard Michael Myers fans don't already know. Nick Castle's segments are probably the most entertaining, especially when you consider that this laid-back, goofy-looking guy is the same man who horrified millions as Michael Myers in the original HALLOWEEN film.As a whole, though, this documentary is pretty standard "DVD extra" fare. It isn't really engaging enough to pique the interest of the average viewer, and it isn't nearly insightful enough to satisfy the die-hard HALLOWEEN fanatics. Actually, I found the deleted scenes and the trailers (also featured on tape 2) to be much more interesting and entertaining.

For close to a quarter of a century I have held HALLOWEEN dear to my heart. A shining beacon of innovation in the horror genre. Recently acquiring a dvd of HALLOWEEN, I ignored my better judgment and watched HALLOWEEN UNMASKED 2000, included under "extras'.....BIG mistake!John Carpenter looked like a parody of himself...the "Mae West" of the director's chair! I don't think he uttered a single word had the slightest relevance to anything. I don't WANT to remember John Carpenter as a 140 year old caricature of himself....now I'm stuck with the image. Debra Hill struck me as an affable but total moron. How, pray tell, does it further the mystique of HALLOWEEN to know that she played Michael Myers at various stages? Speaking of which...... Nick Castle? Never again can I watch HALLOWEEN without seeing that goofball under his latex mask. And Moustapha Akaad? he should be selling souvenirs in the bazaar in Cairo.Thanks guys...you totally wrecked a piece of magic!

I was surprised that Halloween Unmasked 2000 was not on imdb and now that imdb.com added it from my submission, I'm glad to see that others have already voted on it.Quite simply "Halloween Unmasked 2000" was a great addition to the collector's/limited edition version of Halloween. Hopefully it is also included on the DVD because it is neet to see most of the behind-the-scenes people for the defining horror movie."Halloween Unmasked 2000" also sneeks in little tidbits of information.like-- 1-Michael Myer's hands (when he grabs for the knife) at the beginning of Halloween are actually the hands of Debra Hill.2-Debra Hill also played Michael Myers in some of the trick-or-treat scenes (when Michael was in the background).Little information like this and personal interviews with the cast and crew make "Halloween Unmasked 2000" a good viewing and a great addition to Halloween.Hopefully you can find this small treasure that actually adds to the movie instead of a lot of DVD and special edition extras.