Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Lack of good storyline.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

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.

This second sequel to the "Halloween" series does not have the same storyline or continuity of Michael Myers. Instead, we have a totally different plot about a company called the Silver Shamrock who manufactures Halloween masks for kids. The owner, Conal Cochran, wants to murder people during Halloween through an ancient Celtic ritual involving a stolen boulder from Stonehenge and the masks.This has an interesting and unique storyline, somewhat chilling and suspenseful - plenty of investigative action, but not much on ghost or horror action. The commercial jingle that advertises the Halloween masks was pretty annoying, the love affair between the two leads was random, and some of the scenes were left ambiguous. Still, not a bad film - there's decent acting and a rather fast-paced plot to keep you interested.Grade B-

A bizarre murder/suicide at his hospital leads doctor Tom Atkins into an investigation that reveals a plot by toy maker Dan O'Herlihy to kill a huge number of people on Halloween. Infamous as the film that brought the "Halloween" franchise to a screeching halt, though it doesn't really deserve that reputation. Tying this film to that franchise was probably a mistake since it not only doesn't involve Michael Myers or any of the characters from the previous two films (although Nancy Kyes who appeared as Nancy Loomis in the previous films appears briefly as Atkins's ex- wife), it is wildly different in tone. This is a really loopy film that's closer to "Dead & Buried" in tone than any slasher film. It's not a great horror film, but it's an immensely enjoyable one with one hell of a delightfully bleak ending.

I am pleasantly surprised how good this film is. Based on the reviews, it clearly is a controversial film in the Halloween series, but if you can get passed the expectations of a Serial Killer theme and would like to enjoy a good horror movie give this one a chance. I personal enjoy allot of elements from this film. For example, Jon Carpenter Music is fantastic. From the first to last scene he creates a wonderful focused and hollow mood. Carpenters music is a critical component of the original Halloween movie and luckily he gave Witch a great soundtrack. Clearly it's much more new wavy electronic, but it offers a certain quality and style that only Carpenter has. That slowly luring you into the screen and then grab you by throat for a ride style gives the film a big boost. Another element that I enjoyed was that the story brings in a little bit of the historical aspects of the Halloween Holiday. The fact that Halloween itself originates from Ireland and what some Irish did is a main theme of the film. If you understand the history you will have a better understanding and appreciation from the writers perspective in my opinion. Otherwise you won't know whats going on in some cases. Wikipedia it or watch the History Channel History of Halloween first 10 minutes and you will have enough info to get by.A couple of areas where the film may lack is a strong Hollywood hero image. The hero is played extremely well by Tom Atkins, but due to the older age/image he has and the woman he is helping the story line for his role it's not a perfect fit. The image is off to me a little and perhaps a more youthfully portrayed actor would have worked a little better. Personally I don't care, I enjoy Tom Atkins in films, but it is a back of my mind during a few moments. The other area is the transition from one scene setting to another, sometimes it feels a little forced or rushed. The next thing you know you at a new destination and it works OK. And OK sometimes is not good enough.As you can imagine the expectations on this film upon release must have been high. The third movie in the internationally successful Halloween series should be. Well maybe if the movie studios were not worrying about making guaranteed money hand of fist from people who wanted to see Michael Myers and instead they let the movie be what it a separate film all together this would have been known to be a great horror movie. Instead they branded it as a Halloween series movie and used images that were extremely misleading to the actual plot itself. Sometimes when you are marketed or told one thing and another thing happens this puts your mind off and you become confused, frustrated or disappointed. When all these things are happening, how can you give this movie a fair shack. Not to mention you are comparing it one of if not the greatest horror movie of all time. This movie had no chance and I am sure the studios knew, did not care and just wanted to make money. Thankfully the director and crew really cared and the effort can be seen.As another reviewer states accurately the title of the film creates issues. Personally if you go into this wanting a Mike Myers slasher film you will be immensely disappointing and I imagine may people are. This is why this film get so many mixed reviews, because at the core of the actual movie taking the expectations away this is a solid horror move.Final thoughts...If you are looking for a Halloween serial killer slasher genre movie, don't bother with this film. If you looking for a solid Horror film, with good story, Jon Carpenter music and Halloween day setting theme this film is a hidden Gem in my opinion.