Is Blu-Ray Good For Horror?

I was watching Halloween 2 (1981) and it was at the climax. Michael Myers had spent the whole movie searching for his (newly revealed) sister, Laurie Strode, who was sedated at Haddonfield Memorial Hospital.

Michael had Laurie and Dr. Loomis in a tight spot, he was about to kill his target, an objective that had eluded him all night. He creeps closer, his grip tightening around the scalpel. But then Laurie, who had been struggling with Dr. Loomis’s gun, shoots both of his eyes out with impeccable accuracy. Michael cries blood and is blinded, swiping his scalpel aimlessly.

But, there was a problem. I had burned this movie up on VHS and seen it a hundred or more times, but this was the first time I ever noticed that Michael had his eyes closed and you could see where the blood was coming from. How could this crystal clear version of Halloween 2 betray me like this? The illusion from my static-y VHS tape was smashed into oblivion. My childhood memories of this movie were shot in the eyes.

No longer was I marveling at how fucking cool Michael crying blood was, all I could look at was the actor, Dick Warlock, closing his eyes and letting his blood capsules above his eyelids run. You can even see his eyes flinching!

Which led me to wonder… is blu-ray good for old horror films?

I think the magic of horror movies in the age of practical effects came from when they finally made it to the local video store and into your VHS, the quality was like 320p with random static lines throughout. It was great and essential because practical effects come with their flaws and not being able to see it added to the wizardry of the horror section.

Take Demon Knight, I love that movie, it’s my second or third favorite movie to ever exist. But when I was watching it in crystal clear HD, I noticed the fake palm Billy Zane was wearing when he cuts his hand and uses his neon green blood to resurrect the demons. It’s a bad effect. The fake palm doesn’t even match his hand!

Hell, even a beauty like Near Dark opened itself up to show me dead bodies breathing and whatnot.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a blu-ray guy through and through. I think they are one of the best things to happen to physical copies in a digital world. And I think, despite all the flaws you can see when the picture is clearer than filtered water, you should seek out a VHS and blu-ray copy of your favorite horror movies. One version gives you the illusion, while the other lets you see behind the curtain. Sure, Michael Myers crying blood isn’t cool in the blu-ray, but on an older, slightly damaged tape, you’ll be thinking this dude’s eyelids were blown out.

Nobody likes magicians explaining their tricks; but when they do, we find new ways to appreciate the work.