Synopsis:

This is an HD recreation of a VHS recording of the 1981 NBC Halloween broadcast, which was only available in very low quality. I sourced the highest-definition elements I could find and remade the broadcast, complete with commercials from the era.

Intentions:

One year I watched a VHS recording of the '81 broadcast and loved the experience: the NBC promos... the dialog changes... the pan-o-scan... the hilarious 80's commercials... I only wished the visual quality was better, so I lovingly remade it from scratch.

Change List:

My strategy was to be as accurate to the original NBC Broadcast as possible. The TV edit is replicated shot-for-shot, including the audio changes, edits for sex and violence, and pan-o-scan, which is recreated frame-by-frame. I preserved as many of the original commercials as I could, in the same order they originally aired. If I couldn't find higher-quality commercials than those in the VHS version, I replaced them with HD ads from 1981 or earlier. I limited ad breaks to three commercials each, which trimmed 13 minutes out of the running time. The movie trailer ads (Looker, Time Bandits, Halloween II) were remade from scratch, using DVDs of the movies. The NBC promo trailer and the promo for CHiPs / Death of a Centerfold were recreated the same way. Remade TV cut frame-for-frame, preserving broadcast edits for sex and violence Recreated broadcast matte of clown mask in opening scene Inserted additional TV scenes in proper places (with slight sharpening) Cropped film to 4:3 ratio Added 4;3 "TV squeeze" to main titles and end titles Recreated pan-o-scan frame-by-frame Replaced theatrical audio with broadcast audio (music changes, dialog changes, outtro promo) Added fades to black at ad breaks Replaced low-res ads with higher-quality versions when available Cut 13 minutes of low-res ads and station promos Added HD commercials Inserted NBC promos and interstitials Remade opening NBC promo trailer in HD Remade "Looker" trailer from scratch Remade "Time Bandits" trailer from scratch Remade "Halloween II" trailer from scratch Remade NBC promo for "CHiPs / Death of a Centerfold" from scratch Boosted shadows 40% to approximate look of broadcast Denoised and EQ'd broadcast audio Added analog noise under theatrical audio to match broadcast Added VHS static to match VHS portions of the edit

Other Sources:

Halloween Extended Cut (1080p) used for movie footage and the three extra TV scenes. VHS recording of the '81 broadcast used for dialog/soundtrack changes and frame-by-frame matching. Various youtube channels for higher-quality NBC promos and broadcast ads. Mondo A-go-go Video (youtube) for additional HD commercials. CHiPs DVD for NBC promo remake. Death of a Centerfold DVD for NBC promo remake. Looker DVD for trailer remake. Halloween II DVD for trailer remake. Time Bandits DVD for trailer remake.