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Halloween: The Doctor’s Cut
Updated
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie Title:
Genre:
Franchise:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
1978
Original Running Time:
91 & 92
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
129
Time Cut:
65
Time Added:
10
Subtitles Available?
Available in HD?
Additional Links:
Brief Synopsis:
It is Halloween 1 & Halloween 2 shortened and streamlined into one movie with additions from Halloween 1 Extended Edition. Additional music scores and creative changes supplement the narrative and film experience. The twist is that it focuses more on the relationship between Dr. Loomis and Michael rather than Laurie and Michael.
Intention:
To tighten up the entire story of the night he came home with the primary focus being on Loomis and Michael with less focus on Laurie and others. I additionally wanted to add more tension, suspense and a fresh sense of creativity to an already incredible story.
Special Thanks:
The Doctor’s Cut was an idea I had over a decade ago and very old drafts have been lost from that time. The idea behind it was extremely important to me and I believe this story deserved to be told. It was so important that I finally made a real effort to get it where it is now. I have ArtIsDead to thank for having discovered my thread and giving me the push to make it happen. Getting such positive feedback, winning this award and putting me in the realm to continue down the path of editing has been insanely rewarding. I think what makes this edit work so well is what made the original Halloween work: it’s simple. There were no over-the-top editing techniques or ideas to reinvent the wheel. This does not negate the amount of work and changes made, the story is simply retold with a fresh sense of creativity and strong atmosphere. Thanks again to ArtIsDead for constantly watching and giving me criticism/advice to make it as great as it turned out. INIGHTMARES also deserves a shout for watching multiple times and helping me in similar ways. Lastly to Ryantology for helping me with a video quality issue and to all of you who watched before and after the approval process. This is such a wonderful community.
Release Information:
Digital
Editing Details:
I tried to eliminate Laurie as much as realistically possible. In earlier drafts, I went a little overboard and did too much trimming. I’ve since allowed the film and characters to pace themselves better for a smoother movie. I’ve added lots of music throughout and restructured the beginning completely. Some characters completely removed and an overall streamlined story of the complete night he came home. With the exception of one short scene, Loomis isn’t cut from this edit. Watch and see some other fresh takes on the story.
Cuts and Additions:
All changes noted are roughly within a second or two.
Halloween 1978 removed:
0:00-3:34 - The opening credits/part of the opening scene of Michael watching his sister and boyfriend
6:00-7:00 - Michael walking outside after killing sister
14:29-16:25 - Loomis talking to Wynn and Laurie in class
25:37-28:06 - Laurie seeing Michael outside, talking on the phone with Linda
16:25-18:35 - Tommy no longer outside of school being stalked by Michael
44:05-49:56 - Tommy talking about the boogeyman, Annie getting stuck in the laundry room
54:19-56:18 - Tommy seeing Annie being carried by Michael
1:07:44-1:07:50 - Linda being strangled on the phone, removed Laurie referencing her "famous chewing"
1:13:38-1:14:22 - Trimmed Laurie looking for Paul and Linda in the house
1:27:36-1:30:56 - Cut after Loomis says "as a matter of fact, that was" and then walks by Laurie. This transitions into the 2nd film
Halloween 1978 added:
-Beginning scene of Michael stalking Judith is now black and white with "Don't Fear The Reaper" playing. Judith can be heard saying Michael and stab effects are included until the scene eventually fades out to black.
-Scene from the Extended Edition added where Loomis is at the panel discussing Michaels future. Also includes Loomis walking back into Michael's room and telling him that he "fooled them". Opening credits and title are added and included in this scene. Two additional scores are added to this scene and Halloween theme fades out during 15 years later scene of Loomis and Marion in the car driving in the rain, signaling the end of the new intro.
-Extended Edition scene added of Loomis seeing Michael's room where he wrote "sister"
-Additional score begins in the scene of Loomis yelling at Lonnie and eventually talks to Brackett.
-New titles added featuring the dates and location early in the film. These replaced the ones from the original film that were in place.
Halloween 2 1981 removed:
0:00-3:05 - Opening recap removed. First film transitions into Loomis running outside to see Michael not in the grass
3:33-7:28 - Loomis not seen standing up after touching grass, opening title removed
8:30-12:27 - Michael not seeing stealing knife, killing neighbor girl, siren of police car removed during scene of EMS picking up Laurie.
14:17-16:02 - Laurie in ambulance trimmed to quicker arrival at hospital, boy with blade in his mouth removed entirely
19:59-22:02 - More of boy with blade in mouth removed, Jimmy visiting Laurie removed
24:29-27:55 - Karen heading to work removed, Michael being seen walking towards hospital removed, Bud and crew watching news about Michael removed
28:22 -32:16 - Garrett not seen letting Karen in, more of Bud and crew in break room watching news removed, Michael not seen walking down stairs, Karen talking with Mrs. Alves removed
34:59-40:22 - Mr. Garrett no longer checks the storage unit and death removed
44:22-52:35 - All of Bud and Karen removed. Laurie's dream sequence removed.
56:06-57:53 - Janet no longer finds Dr mixter and death removed
Halloween 2 1981 added:
-Halloween main theme begins when Loomis is visualized stepping outside to see Michael not in the grass. It plays through until scene of EMS picking up Laurie and fades out at the beginning of said scene.
-Additional score during the Samhain scene at the school
-Additional score after Loomis points gun at officer shouting "those orders have changed!" and plays through after Laurie seeing Loomis and crew entering hospital
-Don't Fear The Reaper cover fades in and plays when ambulance drives away with Laurie and plays through the newly constructed end credits.
Halloween 1978 removed:
0:00-3:34 - The opening credits/part of the opening scene of Michael watching his sister and boyfriend
6:00-7:00 - Michael walking outside after killing sister
14:29-16:25 - Loomis talking to Wynn and Laurie in class
25:37-28:06 - Laurie seeing Michael outside, talking on the phone with Linda
16:25-18:35 - Tommy no longer outside of school being stalked by Michael
44:05-49:56 - Tommy talking about the boogeyman, Annie getting stuck in the laundry room
54:19-56:18 - Tommy seeing Annie being carried by Michael
1:07:44-1:07:50 - Linda being strangled on the phone, removed Laurie referencing her "famous chewing"
1:13:38-1:14:22 - Trimmed Laurie looking for Paul and Linda in the house
1:27:36-1:30:56 - Cut after Loomis says "as a matter of fact, that was" and then walks by Laurie. This transitions into the 2nd film
Halloween 1978 added:
-Beginning scene of Michael stalking Judith is now black and white with "Don't Fear The Reaper" playing. Judith can be heard saying Michael and stab effects are included until the scene eventually fades out to black.
-Scene from the Extended Edition added where Loomis is at the panel discussing Michaels future. Also includes Loomis walking back into Michael's room and telling him that he "fooled them". Opening credits and title are added and included in this scene. Two additional scores are added to this scene and Halloween theme fades out during 15 years later scene of Loomis and Marion in the car driving in the rain, signaling the end of the new intro.
-Extended Edition scene added of Loomis seeing Michael's room where he wrote "sister"
-Additional score begins in the scene of Loomis yelling at Lonnie and eventually talks to Brackett.
-New titles added featuring the dates and location early in the film. These replaced the ones from the original film that were in place.
Halloween 2 1981 removed:
0:00-3:05 - Opening recap removed. First film transitions into Loomis running outside to see Michael not in the grass
3:33-7:28 - Loomis not seen standing up after touching grass, opening title removed
8:30-12:27 - Michael not seeing stealing knife, killing neighbor girl, siren of police car removed during scene of EMS picking up Laurie.
14:17-16:02 - Laurie in ambulance trimmed to quicker arrival at hospital, boy with blade in his mouth removed entirely
19:59-22:02 - More of boy with blade in mouth removed, Jimmy visiting Laurie removed
24:29-27:55 - Karen heading to work removed, Michael being seen walking towards hospital removed, Bud and crew watching news about Michael removed
28:22 -32:16 - Garrett not seen letting Karen in, more of Bud and crew in break room watching news removed, Michael not seen walking down stairs, Karen talking with Mrs. Alves removed
34:59-40:22 - Mr. Garrett no longer checks the storage unit and death removed
44:22-52:35 - All of Bud and Karen removed. Laurie's dream sequence removed.
56:06-57:53 - Janet no longer finds Dr mixter and death removed
Halloween 2 1981 added:
-Halloween main theme begins when Loomis is visualized stepping outside to see Michael not in the grass. It plays through until scene of EMS picking up Laurie and fades out at the beginning of said scene.
-Additional score during the Samhain scene at the school
-Additional score after Loomis points gun at officer shouting "those orders have changed!" and plays through after Laurie seeing Loomis and crew entering hospital
-Don't Fear The Reaper cover fades in and plays when ambulance drives away with Laurie and plays through the newly constructed end credits.
Trailer 1
Trailer 2
User reviews
16 reviews
Overall rating
9.4
Audio/Video Quality
9.7(16)
Visual Editing
9.5(16)
Audio Editing
9.1(16)
Narrative
9.3(16)
Enjoyment
9.4(16)
Overall rating
9.9
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Audio Editing
9.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
I watched The Doctor's Cut as a double feature with LastSurvivor's "The Night of the Boogeyman", and really appreciated the way the two versions of the combined Halloween and Halloween II movies worked. While LastSurvivor's edit focuses mostly on Laurie and feels like a complete story, Jnisch's focus on Loomis makes just as much sense, and while it doesn't feel quite as complete as Laurie's story, all of the extra material added with Loomis at the mental institution helps to make this edit feel more like the first chapter in Loomis' story as he battles against the Shape, and it makes the later Thorn Trilogy sequels feel more justified in largely ignoring Laurie to tell the story of Loomis instead.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
A
Overall rating
9.9
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Audio Editing
9.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
I watched this a month or so ago and I loved it. As usual I'm happy to say I really don't need to see the theatrical versions anymore now that this is available. My one minor nitpick would be I think some of the music is a tad too high on a scene here or there and it makes some of the dialogue a little difficult to understand but it's not a big deal. That's the only thing I would try to fix and that's why I deducted one point in the audio score. I look forward to watching this again on Halloween night.
Once again, I'd like to thank the editor for sharing this work with the fans. Thanks a lot, I appreciate it. GREAT JOB. This is a must for Halloween fans.
Once again, I'd like to thank the editor for sharing this work with the fans. Thanks a lot, I appreciate it. GREAT JOB. This is a must for Halloween fans.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
P
Overall rating
9.2
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Audio Editing
9.0
Narrative
9.0
Enjoyment
9.0
Definitely a very solid edit. I viewed a very early version of this edit and the narrative has really been strengthened since that early cut so congrats to JNisch on all their hard work. All the cuts and additions have really made Loomis the star here and it definitely works. Though being more of a supporting character or second lead here, Laurie's story is still given room to breathe and she remains an important part of the narrative. You still feel the same attachments you would have to characters even if they don't have quite as much screen time.
Great job inserting the Loomis centric scenes from the TV Cut of Halloween. I myself have always loved them and they fit right in here. Kudos as well for pairing down the runtime to Halloween II. I feel you need very little of this movie to tell a full story. I did enjoy a lot of the score replacements and scoring more of Loomis scenes did help him feel more like the main character. Though the feel of the Halloween 1-3 scores can be quite different, I didn't find it particularly distracting to have all of them present here.
I have a few nitpicks but they are minor. Audio removal tool could probably help limit the amount of the original soundtrack is present when Judith yells Michaels name. While I'm absolutely in love with the somber version of "Don't Fear the Reaper" used to close out the movie, the original version of "Don't Fear the Reaper" used to open the movie just didn't quite work tonally for me. I do however know this is personal preference and many have loved this. Lastly, Laurie mentions someone watching her in Mr. Riddle's back yard while Annie guesses it was actually just Mr. Riddle. With Laurie actually seeing Michael in her backyard being cut, you can't really say who's right. I would've preferred either that scene been left in or this dialogue exchange been cut. Again, these are minor when weighted against the edit as a whole.
A fun way to watch Halloween and Halloween II for sure! Great to see how far this edit came from its early inception!
Great job inserting the Loomis centric scenes from the TV Cut of Halloween. I myself have always loved them and they fit right in here. Kudos as well for pairing down the runtime to Halloween II. I feel you need very little of this movie to tell a full story. I did enjoy a lot of the score replacements and scoring more of Loomis scenes did help him feel more like the main character. Though the feel of the Halloween 1-3 scores can be quite different, I didn't find it particularly distracting to have all of them present here.
I have a few nitpicks but they are minor. Audio removal tool could probably help limit the amount of the original soundtrack is present when Judith yells Michaels name. While I'm absolutely in love with the somber version of "Don't Fear the Reaper" used to close out the movie, the original version of "Don't Fear the Reaper" used to open the movie just didn't quite work tonally for me. I do however know this is personal preference and many have loved this. Lastly, Laurie mentions someone watching her in Mr. Riddle's back yard while Annie guesses it was actually just Mr. Riddle. With Laurie actually seeing Michael in her backyard being cut, you can't really say who's right. I would've preferred either that scene been left in or this dialogue exchange been cut. Again, these are minor when weighted against the edit as a whole.
A fun way to watch Halloween and Halloween II for sure! Great to see how far this edit came from its early inception!
R
Overall rating
9.1
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Visual Editing
9.0
Audio Editing
9.0
Narrative
9.0
Enjoyment
9.0
**Halloween: The Doctor’s Cut** (Halloween I and II) - JNisch
Filesize = 5 GB, Video = 1920 X 1080p AVC, Audio = 164 kbps 2-Channel Stereo, AAC. No subs.
Very good edit, especially for a first edit. A few too many fade to blacks at the beginning, although the editor does not make that a habit.
The video editing is skillfully done, especially the transition from the first film to the second.
Overweighed with the first film, I probably would not have missed an additional 10 minutes cut.
Second film is noticeably darker, although that works to disguise Jamie Lee Curtis’s age. In neither does she resemble a high school student.
High praise to the editor doing such a fine job merging the two films.
The first film was fresher, though I’ve always found Carpenter an adequate director, at best. Too many long shots, poorly paced until the final third, too much time where little happens. The second film was better directed, with nail biting tension from beginning to end, and the deaths were better shot.
For many (including me) this will be all the “Halloween” you need.
Filesize = 5 GB, Video = 1920 X 1080p AVC, Audio = 164 kbps 2-Channel Stereo, AAC. No subs.
Very good edit, especially for a first edit. A few too many fade to blacks at the beginning, although the editor does not make that a habit.
The video editing is skillfully done, especially the transition from the first film to the second.
Overweighed with the first film, I probably would not have missed an additional 10 minutes cut.
Second film is noticeably darker, although that works to disguise Jamie Lee Curtis’s age. In neither does she resemble a high school student.
High praise to the editor doing such a fine job merging the two films.
The first film was fresher, though I’ve always found Carpenter an adequate director, at best. Too many long shots, poorly paced until the final third, too much time where little happens. The second film was better directed, with nail biting tension from beginning to end, and the deaths were better shot.
For many (including me) this will be all the “Halloween” you need.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
V
Overall rating
9.5
Audio/Video Quality
9.0
Visual Editing
9.0
Audio Editing
9.0
Narrative
9.0
Enjoyment
10.0
A much better way to watch the two of them. Nice flow from one to the other.
Although Donald Pleasence, does seem to turn it up to 11, but as always his performance is very enjoyable.
If only we could do something about that wig.
Although Donald Pleasence, does seem to turn it up to 11, but as always his performance is very enjoyable.
If only we could do something about that wig.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
P