Four John Carpenter classics returning to cinemas for Halloween with 4K restorations

UPDATE: Hot on the heels of the 4K re-releases of The Fog, Escape From New York, Prince of Darkness, and They Live, we’ve just learned that John Carpenter’s seminal horror Halloween is also getting a super high-definition remaster just in time for the spookiest month of the year.

The Halloween 4K Ultra HD Release, with exclusive art cards, is out 1 October, 2018. More details at the bottom of this article.

ORIGINAL STORY: Fans of genre master John Carpenter are in for a treat this Autumn as four of his most iconic movies are returning to cinemas for Halloween.

Studiocanal has announced that The Fog, Escape From New York, Prince of Darkness, and They Live have all been lovingly restored in 4K using the original camera negatives giving audiences a chance to see the films looking better than ever.

The restoration of 1980’s The Fog will receive its premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on 15 October. 1988’s They Live and 1987’s Prince of Darkness will then receive limited theatrical releases from 26 October, ahead of a big one-night only Halloween special screening of The Fog on 31 October.

Escape From New York, starring Kurt Russell as Snake Plisskin, will return to cinemas for one day only on 22 November. Watch a new trailer for the restorations below.

All four films will later be available on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD with new covers featuring artwork by celebrated UK artist Matt Ferguson, new and “best of” extras, plus a 4-disc Collector’s Edition will be available that will also include a copy of the film’s seminal soundtrack composed and performed by Carpenter himself.

Here’s the full blurb, and the new artwork, for each release, courtesy of Studiocanal:

The Fog (1980)

Antonio Bay, California has turned a hundred years old and is getting ready to celebrate its centennial year. But as the residents of the tight knit community begin to prepare for the festivities, a mysterious cloud of fog appears upon the shore and begins to creep its way across the town, leaving a trail of horrifying slaughter that hints at a deep, blood-soaked secret from its past.

Theatrical release: From October 26 – special Halloween screenings October 31
HE Release: October 29

Escape From New York (1981)

The year is 1997 and in a police state future the island of Manhattan has been turned into a maximum-security prison. The rules are simple: once you’re in, you don’t come out. But when the United States president (Donald Pleasance) crash lands an escape pod into the centre of the city after fleeing a hijacked plane, a ruthless prison warden (Lee Van Cleef) bribes ex-soldier and criminal Snake Plisskin (Kurt Russell) into entering the hazardous Manhattan and rescuing the stranded President from the twisted underworld and the demented clutches of its criminal overlord The Duke (Isaac Hayes).

Theatrical release: November 22
HE release: November 26

Prince of Darkness (1987)

Deep in the basement of an abandoned church, once run by a sinister religious sect, lies a strange bottle of green liquid being investigated by a group of local theoretic physics students. But as the night draws on the students soon realise that the strange relic holds a dark and powerful force beyond their control. A force that could well be the essence of pure evil: the remains of Satan himself. Starring Donald Pleasence, Jameson Parker and Victor Wong.

Theatrical release: October 26
HE release: November 26 (Steel-book Oct 29)

They Live (1988)

WWF wrestler “Rowdy” Roddy Piper plays John Nada, a homeless, unemployed construction worker who discovers a pair of sunglasses that when worn suddenly reveal a world run by yuppie aliens intent on keeping the human race brainwashed and sedate with subliminal messages fed through advertising and the media. Luckily for us all John Nada is a man of action and so begins the fight- back (including perhaps the longest fistfight in cinema’s history) to save humankind.

Theatrical release: From October 26th
HE release: October 29th

Halloween (1978)

Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasance star in the ultimate, original slasher movie Halloween… Escaped psychopathic child-murderer MichaekMyers returns to the home where he butchered his sister with a carving knife to torment and murder residents once again. Baby-sitter Laurie Strode becomes his new target in this creepy, evil and unforgettable film.

Theatrical release: 10 October
HE Release: DVD/BD 24 September, 4K UHD BD 1 October

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