Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

Very well executed

Good movie but grossly overrated

As Good As It Gets

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

The most under-appreciated of horror films, the ugly step-child of the Halloween franchise that doesn't deserve its ill reputation. When I think of Halloween (the holiday) I think of children wearing the masks from this film and that incredible, indelible, iconic shot of trick r' treaters silhouetted against the sunken sun, the sky orange going on black, looking out over the low lights of Phoenix from the hills above. Damn that's nice. Oh and that insanely catchy Silver Shamrock song. So much memorable from such a strange, casually plot irrelevant movie. It doesn't really do one thing exceptionally well - besides presentation. The plot is fine, silly verging on nonsensical. The blood and gore are mostly pedestrian but with glimmers of imagination (if only the family murder scene didn't devolve into snake bites). The main characters are likable ciphers - there are a few insights into them but it's mostly matter of fact without much more than a passing interest. Without a better way to put it and hating this turn of phrase - they don't make them like this anymore, whatever the hell that means.

The original idea was let Michael Myers die, and do a different Halloween movie every year, with a different story, this idea obviously failed, because Michael Myers never dies, and people apparently want to keep seeing him killing people and not dying at the same time. But I like Halloween 3: Season Of The Witch, I understand the argument, that it doesn't go with the other Halloween movies, so in my opinion, call it Season Of The Witch, if the the complete title bothers you. This film is pretty scary, the idea itself is probably more scarier than Michael Myers himself. It's not a perfect movie by any means, but it's strong very effective, extremely violent horror movie. The over the top, playing of the silver shamrock commercial can be annoying, but I think that's the point, so when we learn the secret of it later, we can understand the crazy nonstop promotion for it. The one that did really bother me, was making making the 2 leads have sex every moment, I mean isn't that girl supposed to very depressed, over seeing her father's brutally killed corpse, and the point is to find out what happened to him, wow, she really got over that fast, she now just wants to have sex, very unrealistic. But that's really my only problem with this movie. The score is brilliant, the death scenes are extreme, and pretty memorable, and it's definitely not boring at all. Tom Atkins give a strong performance as the doctor who slowly finds out, the true horrifying meaning of the Silver Shamrock commercial, and Dan O'Herlihy is downright evil as the owner of the Silver Shamrock company. Filled with some really creepy moments, and a disturbing, haunting question mark ending, I really have to say, I enjoyed Halloween 3: Season Of The Witch a lot and I highly recommend it.

In northern California, a doctor teams up with a young woman to investigate a series of deaths occurring that seem to be linked to a mysterious corporation selling Halloween masks to young children. Their revelations, however, are far more sinister than imagined.This notorious botched departure from the Michael Myers plot of "Halloween" and "Halloween II" has been panned by many and defended by a few. I saw the film years ago and could not commit myself to it because of its "black sheep" role in the series, but in the context of what the filmmakers were attempting to do with the series, it's easier for me now to understand the aim. In the context of how the series went on, however (bringing back Myers for "Part 4"), the film suffers greatly. The plot of the film is admittedly wonky and perhaps its utter strangeness made it even more alienating to audiences. There is a strange sci-fi bent to it all somewhere in the crosshairs of technology and the supernatural. As unusual as it is, there are some fun special effects and flashy splatter sequences that are as inventive as they are bizarre. The involvement of the children in the narrative makes it an unexpectedly dark film at its core, which is at times at odds with its slick sheen.Atmospherically, the film looks and feels quite similar to "Halloween II"—perhaps not surprising given the director is Tommy Lee Wallace, Carpenter's protégé, and there is a lot of the same crew involved, but it does give the film something of a through-line in terms of mood and aesthetic choices. The performances here are decent and the script is relatively well-handled, save an obligatory (and kind of absurd, albeit subdued) romance subplot, and the finale is playful, closing on a grim note.In the end, I've found that I have warmed up to "Halloween III: Season of the Witch" over the years. As a psychotronic seasonal-themed horror romp, it's quite fun and reasonably well-made. It's also admittedly ridiculous in many regards, but not necessarily to its own detriment. As a followup to the previous two films, it does pale in comparison, and perhaps alienates a great deal of its audience for being too far out on the fringe (to say it "does something different" may be a bit of an understatement). Though certainly not perfect, it is a film that I think is ultimately doomed by its context more than its content. For me, it works as a zany mystery flick as much as it does a reminder of why Michael Myers made such a great screen villain in the first place. Best moment: The montage of children in cities across America donning their Shamrock masks. 7/10.

Let's address the elephant in the room here. MICHAEL MYERS IS NOT IN THIS ONE! There we go. Anyway, "Halloween III" follows Dr. Challis, who's patient is spouting nonsense about someone coming for him. His daughter meets Challis and they decide to get to the bottom of what he's talking about. They find a little town called Santa Maria, which is home to the worlds largest Halloween mask factory. They investigate a bit until they discover the head of the mask company, Colonel Cochran, is planing on killing every child in the country, through his masks, to revive the festival of Samhain."Halloween III Season of the Witch" is an...interesting film. It's never terrible, but it's a very perplexing movie. The plot feels like an episode of "The Twilight Zone" and the scares just aren't there. Michael Myers doesn't have to be present to make "Halloween III" a good movie, but you'd expect some creepy atmosphere from something with the word "Halloween" in the title. You're never fully able to root for the protagonists because you never feel like you know them too well. They just feel like side characters that have been accidentally cast as main characters. And Colonel Cochran is a pretty boring villain for the film. Dan O' Herily is great in the role, but once again it feels like he's in the wrong movie.That's pretty much the problem with "Halloween III", it's not bad because Michael Myers is in it-but it's completely devoid of scares, a good plot and atmosphere. There's scenes that capture the feel of Halloween, mainly the montage in the middle of the film, but the whole film feels like it has nothing to do with the holiday and instead like a bad episode of "The Outer Limits". It has it's moments, but "Halloween III Season of the Witch" as a whole is not a spectacular movie.