Halloween made it’s television debut on NBC in 1980. “First they told us what had to go, which was everything, and I wrote them back, telling them this was ridiculous,” Debra Hill said in a 1981 interview. Carpenter went back and filmed a few extra scenes for the television version during the production of Halloween II. They include Dr. Loomis talking with Smith’s Grove officials on May 1, 1963, telling them “He’s waiting.” Loomis then walks into Michael’s room, sees Michael, and asks, “You’ve fooled them, haven’t you Michael? But not me.”
Another extra shot features Dr. Loomis at Smith’s Grove checking out Michael’s abandoned cell right before he leaves for Haddonfield – as well as the word “Sister” scratched into the door. Finally, a scene was added in which Lynda comes over to Laurie’s house before she leaves to baby sit. In this scene Jamie Lee Curtis (Laurie Strode) is wearing a towel over head to keep with continuity of the first film. After Halloween was filmed Curtis had cut her hair much shorter and had to wear a wig for Halloween II.
The television scenes were released on a two-tape “limited-edition” VHS set of the film and the television version of the film was released on a second disc in the two-disc “limited-edition” DVD release of the film in 1999, stand alone in 2001 as Halloween: Extended Edition on VHS and DVD as well as the Halloween: 30th Anniversary Commemorative Set along with the original Halloween on DVD and Blu-ray, disc one from the 25 Years of Terror documentary DVD and the Divimax editions of Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers in 2008 and is featured on the bonus disc in the Halloween limited edition Blu-ray box set released in 2014.
Halloween – © 1978 – Present | Compass International Pictures | © 1978 Falcon International Productions