Published Oct 16, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT
Padraig is a Senior Features Writer and has been part of Screen Rant since 2017. Padraig is a writer, editor and retired Game of Thrones extra who has been writing about movies and TV online for over a decade. He has also written for The Irish Times, Den Of Geek, Little White Lies and many more. It's pronounced Paw-rick, BTW.
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The Halloween franchise has an entirely official found footage entry that not even its fans talk about. The Halloween movie franchise has been endlessly rebooted and sequelized - to the point where it's tricky to remember which sequel belongs to which canon. Trying to untangle the Halloween movie timeline is a fool's errand, but it says a lot that NONE of the follow-ups or reboots have ever beaten the purity of the original.
This John Carpenter movie invented the slasher genre (much to Carpenter's own chagrin) and introduced horror's greatest boogeyman, Michael Myers. Following the end of Blumhouse's legacy sequel trilogy with 2022's Halloween Ends, the future of the property is unknown. Given that Myers close out that particular outing being ground into pulp, the odds are good the next film will be a reboot.
The franchise has a few duds too, with 2002's Halloween: Resurrection often being considered the worst. That's with good reason, as it's largely suspense-free with unlikable main characters, annoying comedy, and it doesn't even do much with its reality TV hook. In a roundabout manner, though, Resurrection led to the creation of a stealth found footage Halloween movie.
Halloween: Resurrection controversially opens with Michael finally killing his sister Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis), before it cuts to the main plot. This involves reality TV company DangerTainment (fronted by Busta Rhymes' Freddie) setting up a webcam show in Michael's childhood home. Cameras are dotted around Myers' abandoned abode while a group of contestants explores the sealed-off building; of course, it's not as empty as they assumed, and Michael HATES uninvited guests.
Lots of webcam footage was shot during Halloween: Resurrection's production, so when it came time for the movie's DVD release, a special feature dubbed the "WebCam Special" was edited together. This re-cuts the entire film into a 41-minute found footage chiller, which also removes the opening death of Laurie and sprinkles in various deleted scenes and dialogue.
Halloween: Resurrection gave Katee Sackhoff (The Mandalorian) one of her first major movie roles.
As the title suggests, this special feature only uses webcam footage, which has the added benefit of losing the more obnoxious scenes from the theatrical edit. Obviously, the issues that plague Halloween: Resurrection are still present (such as terrible dialogue or Busta Rhymes' grating performance), but all in all, the "WebCam Special" is a fascinating, little-seen curio.
Halloween: Resurrection "WebCam Special" Is The Best Way To View The Movie
The Halloween fanbase is so varied that it's easy to find defenders of the divisive Rob Zombie remakes or even the widely mocked The Curse of Michael Myers. There are few willing to stand on a soapbox to make a case for Resurrection, and that's no accident. It is a straight-up terrible movie, and one almost totally lacking in soul.
Halloween devotees may have balked at the concept of a found footage sequel back, but looking at the "WebCam Special," it feels like the direction Resurrection should have committed to. For one, it makes this 2002 entry feel utterly unique from every other installment, and it is eerie watching long takes of characters moving around Michael's silent house, oblivious to his presence as he picks them.
It's not wholly successful, and it won't cause viewers any sleepless nights, but it is still the best way to watch Halloween: Resurrection. Not just because it cuts the runtime in half, but that it feels like the way the sequel always should have been presented. The producers clearly liked having a half-hearted found footage angle to the sequel, while not having to fully commit to it.
Halloween: Resurrection - WebCam Special is a look at the found footage movie that should have been. It's not a lost classic, and it's still one of the lesser entries, but at the very least, it's a way more interesting entry because of its experimental nature. Fans will need to seek out a DVD or Blu-ray copy to watch this feature in full, but it's worth the curiosity viewing.
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Halloween: Resurrection - Web Cam Special
Release Date December 10, 2002
Runtime 41 minutes
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Movie(s) Halloween, Halloween II, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, Halloween: Resurrection, Halloween, Halloween II, Halloween, Halloween Kills, Halloween Ends
First Film Halloween
Genres Horror, Slasher
Cast Jamie Lee Curtis, Nick Castle, Donald Pleasence, Brian Andrews, Kyle Richards, Nancy Stephens, Charles Cyphers, Andi Matichak, Danielle Harris, Judy Greer
Character(s) Laurie Strode, Michael Myers, Dr. Loomis, Tommy Doyle, Lindsey Wallace, Marion Chambers, Sheriff Leigh Brackett, Allyson Nelson, Jamie Lloyd, Karen Nelson
Director John Carpenter, Rick Rosenthal, Tommy Lee Wallace, Dwight H. Little, Dominique Othenin-Girard, Joe Chappelle, Steve Miner, Rob Zombie, David Gordon Green
Halloween is one of the longest-running horror franchises in cinema. Debuting with Halloween (1978), it introduced audiences to Michael Myers, a masked killer terrorizing the fictional town of Haddonfield on Halloween night. Spanning over 13 films, including sequels, remakes, and reboots, the franchise centers around Michael's relentless pursuit of his original target, Laurie Strode.
English (US) ·