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Description
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
Director: Tommy Lee Wallace
Studio: Universal

Cast:
Tom Atkins
Stacey Nelkin
Dan O'Herilhy
Nancy Kyes
Garn Stephens
Dick Warlock

Part 3 of my Halloween review series

Now we are at the supposed "black sheep" of the franchise and the only film that doesn't feature Michael Myers (aside from a cameo on a TV),

Halloween III: Season of the Witch

"The night no one comes home!"

Because of that reason alone, many back and still certain people today outright despised and ridiculed the movie, completely unaware of the original intention. At the franchise's beginning, John Carpenter and Debra Hill wanted to make the Halloween series an anthology series, in the veins of The Twilight Zone, Tales From The Crypt or Creepshow for old school horror fans or like Goosebumps or American Horror Story for more contemporary horror fans, with each entry being a completely separate story with them being set on Halloween being the only common threw line between them. But despite intending to do it in the second movie, they were mandated to make a part 2 to the Michael Myers story and killing him off by the end. But even with that and the very skewed marketing campaign back then, the film was so hated and misunderstood for its lack of connection to the previous two films and was for a long time overlooked and because of fan outcry, Michael Myers was brought back into being the face of the franchise, for better or worse....

But in more recent years, Halloween III had been given a new lease on life and resurgence as an underrated cult classic in the horror genre and is now appreciated and looked at as a hidden gem and a classic in its own right, even on par with the original Halloween if not more so.

For me, I remember not liking at all back then, not because of the common "Where's Michael" thing, but instead because I initially found it to be a bit disturbing in many aspects that we shall discuss and left me uncomfortable after first viewing. A few years later, I gave the film a second chance and to this day, this film has really grown on me and as a standalone horror film, it is a criminally underrated masterpiece and my second favorite film of the whole franchise, if not my favorite if not for the classic status of the original Halloween.....

POSITIVES

The movie's story is a very engaging and wild ride with many crazy twists and turns in the plot that makes the movie memorable with its various combo of different genres as its core story begins to unfold and the creepy and foreboding tone that looms throughout the film, thanks to the brilliant cinematography and the very eerie and masterful score.

I really love how this movie more than most of the other Halloween films, has the most Halloween like atmosphere to it and how the holiday actually is a part of the story rather than just being a story that just happens to be set on Halloween, Halloween III revolves around the holiday in a very well done way that really gives off that cold, eerie feel of the season.

The cast in this movie really stand out and while not as iconic as characters like Laurie, Loomis or Michael, they hold their own brilliantly. Dr. Dan Challis, played by 80s horror alumni Tom Atkins, is a very good lead in that he's not the traditional horror hero but more of a flawed every man. He's an alcoholic, a womanizer, somewhat of a dick and his whole motivation for getting involved in this crazy predicament of a plot is because he's horny. He isn't the best role model but that adds charm to his character as we the viewers see a bit of ourselves in him as a human because we're all flawed and thanks to Tom's brilliant performance, Dan's a character you root for during the film.

Alongside Tom's Dan, there is also the gorgeous Stacey Nelkin as Ellie Grimbridge who is a wonderful co-lead of the film and has some honestly endearing chemistry to Dan and without giving any spoilers is able to play different sides and opposite ends of the character in certain parts of the movie very seamlessly.

And the main villain and owner of Silver Shamrock Novelties, Conal Cochran, played by Dan O’herlihy, is an amazing and Intimidating villain who might even be debatably more scarier than Michael, and that's saying something. The way Cochran is able to present himself from the moment we meet him as this charming and friendly Walt Disney like character and then once the jig is up, switches to this calm and sinister villain who unfolds his motivations and his plans for "The Big Giveaway" is on point. And his motivation of using these masks and some dark Celtic witchcraft to sacrifice many children on Halloween, reverting it back to the holiday's dark roots, is ruthless and makes him one of the most underrated horror villains in cinema.

The Kills and deaths in this movie are very brutal for the time and some are quite disturbing to see, like a drunk bum getting his head effortlessly ripped off by one of Cochran's goons (played by Dick Warlock) who turn out to be life like androids, the main coroner getting drilled in the head despite being offscreen but the suggestion is very brutal, and Marge Guttman, played by Tom Atkins' real life wife at the time, fiddling with one of the masks' badges with the cursed chip and getting a laser shot in her face and her mouth is partially split open and her eyes are bloodshot with her laying there twitching and breathing in pain. But the one death that really Disturbed me the first viewing was the infamous Test Room A scene where little Buddy Kupfer Jr. is the first victim to the masks' true purpose as the Silver Shamrock jingle and commercial for the Big Giveaway plays and it melts his brain and spiders, insects, and snake crawl out of his mouth and kills his parents in the room. The visual of it is absolutely disturbing and creepy and is one of the most memorable moments if not the most memorable of the film that I use to hate that scene but now I like it for how morbid and dark it is, and the fear that it sets as nearly everyone in the country has one of those masks and the stakes are a lot more apocalyptic.

The score of the movie is absolutely brilliant and perfectly sets the creepy mood and atmosphere that persists throughout and gives those moments of unease when necessary. And one of the other memorable parts of the movie is the "Silver Shamrock" jingle that plays throughout the movie whenever it comes on TV or radio. Inspired by London Bridge, its a dreadfully catchy song that once you hear it, you can't ever forget it even if you tried and the more it plays, the more it begins to feel more creepy and like an omen to the impending dread.

And the ending of the movie is quite the doozy (in a good way) for how ambiguous and down of an ending it is, very much implying the worst and its lack of a conclusion. Initially it was going to have the screams of children play during the credits and in the novelization directly states that Cochran's plan succeeded, but the decision to have it just cut to black and leave the viewer wondering is the better alternative. Top that off with Tom Atkins' manic performance in the final shot in a well done homage to "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and you got one hell of a memorable horror movie ending!

NEGATIVES

One gripe I have with the film is not the fault of the film itself but rather the fact that its called Halloween III, and because of that alone is why it was shunned for so long because even though it was meant to be part of an anthology route for the series, I agree with many that if it was just called "Season of the Witch " and didn't have the Halloween name attached to it, then this movie would have been regarded as an instant horror classic or at least would have been better received back then. And its best that first time viewers go into the movie, under the pretense that its a separate story.

And another flaw is that while I do like how bizarre and wild the movie is, there are some weird moments that somewhat suspend disbelief and don't give much of an answer as to how they happen or why if at all, which I imagine could be a turnoff for some people if the movie isn't for you or you're not on board for the movie's out there direction. It being a movie thats a bit too out there or have a bit much weirdness for you is a more valid critique to have with this movie, than the stuff I mentioned before.

Favorite Scene: Cochran's Villainous Reveal & Speech
Favorite Kill: The Test Room A Kill of the Kupfer Family

FINAL THOUGHTS

Despite my initial thoughts on the movie from first viewing, this movie overtime is an absolute Halloween classic in my eyes and deserves to be recognized and celebrated by many more as the ingenius masterpiece it is. And despite it not being a part of the Halloween series as a whole outside of the name, it is the most Halloween feeling out of all the films in the franchise, even the original, and is a masterfully done piece of 80s horror that should be viewed on its own merits. So if you have not seen this film and were turned away from it from the negative reputation or word of mouth it undeservingly received, I implore you to please seek out this unsung Halloween horror classic and remember....

🎶 Happy Halloween
Halloween
Halloween
Happy Happy Halloween
Silver Shamrock!🎶

10/10

And here is joshvirgin's take on Halloween III: Season of the Witch.....

Hey Again As Promised Here Is My Review Of “Halloween III Season Of The Witch” Enjoy.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=q-9mQgu0…
“It’s Cyber And JV’s Creature Feature.”
“‘Halloween III Season Of The Witch’ Is The Worst In The Franchise Because Of Michael Myers Not Being In It.” Is Usually What The Average “Halloween” Fan Says When It Comes To This Film. Yeah I Know I Stole That From Brandon Tenold A Little But It’s No Exaggeration. And It’s Rather Sad At That Because “Halloween III Season Of The Witch” Is A Surprisingly Entertaining Film. The Idea Behind It Was It Meant Be A New Beginning For John Carpenter And Crew Now That The Shape Was Good And Dead In “Halloween II.” Specifically The Film Was Meant To Usher In An Anthology Route In The Veins Of Stuff Like “The Twilight Zone” “Goosebumps” “Creepshow” “Tales From The Crypt” And So Forth. Each New Film Would Take Place On Halloween With A New Story Each Time. A Common Misconception Was The Franchise Was Always Meant To Be An Anthology And While That Might Be Half True (I Have Heard John Wanted The Second Film To Be This One.) I Sort Of Doubt It. Though Carpenter Was Granted Permission To Do It Only If He Did “Halloween II” First. Sadly The Idea Of The Series Becoming An Anthology Wasn’t Well Advertised. If This Was Made Today In The Age Of The Internet I Could See It Being More Forgiven Now. But The Only Thing To Promote It For Now Was This Ad With A Computer With A Witch Hat Which Hints At Witchcraft And Modern Technology Being A Theme.
www.i-mockery.com/halloween/ba…
And Sadly The Film Was Met With Universal Failure At The Time With Audiences And Critics Confused As To Why The Lack Of Michael Myers (Except For An Ad For The Original Film.) Was Evident. It At Least Made Back Its Budget In The Box Office But Needless To Say It Was Panned By Many At The Time. But In Recent Years The Film Found Its Audience And People Started To Show Their Love To This Film And Has Become An Integral Part In Horror Almost As Much As The Original. I Apologize For The Some What Long History Lesson In This Review But I Just Wanted To Show That Unlike Uhhh “Certain ‘Halloween’ Fans On Here” We Did Our Homework On The Matter. Any Way Onto The Film. The Film Follows Dr. Dan Challis Played By Tom Atkins In Perhaps His Most Celebrated Role In The Horror Genre For Fans. I’ll Explain Why Later. He Attends To A Patient Who Was On The Run From A Suited Man While Clutching A Halloween Mask Rambling About How “They’re Going To Kill Us. All Of Us!” After Caring For Him The Old Man Gets Killed By Another Suited Man Who Laters Blows Him Self Up In His Car. (Man John Carpenter Really Has A Thing For Explosions In Hospitals.) The Patient’s Daughter A Young Ellie Grimbridge (Played By The Lovely Stacey Nelkin.) Wants To Find Out What Happened In Regards To Her Father’s Murder So They Travel To Santa Mira California (Little Fact It’s The Same Town In “Invasion Of The Body Snatchers” From 1956.) Home To Silver Shamrock Novelties The Company Behind The Mask He Ran In With Earlier Which Is Also Responsible For This Ungodly Catchy Jingle.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=hIHUv2oo…
Believe Me You’ll Be Singing This Until Christmas For A While. Turns Out The Mastermind Behind It Is Conal Cochran (Played By The Late Dan O’herlihy.) Who Intends To Bring Halloween Back To Its Sacrificial Routes. And Those Jingles Trigger A Chip Which Kills The Kids Wearing Them By Turning Their Heads Into Bugs. Wow Leave It To This Movie For Having The Greatest Kill In A “Halloween” Not Administered By Michael Myers. So The Good Doctor Challis Must Stop Him Before It’s Too Late. Honestly This Film Was A Blast. The Sacrificial Celtic Elements Are Fittingly Eerie And The Films Carries That Well For Most Of The Film. Tom Atkins Is Great As Dan Challis For A Lot Of Reasons. He’s Not The Typical Pretty Boy Stud We’ve Come To Expect. He’s More Subdued And Is Shown To Be A Divorcee Of Sorts Dealing A Naggy Ex Wife (Whose Played By Annie Her Self Nancy Kyes.) And Kids Who Don’t Seem To Respect Him. He’s More Compelling And Interesting In That Sense. His Chemistry With Stacey Nelkin Is Beautiful And The Two Work Off Each Other Well. Both Speak Highly Of Each Other In Most Interviews And Have Both Have Taken A Liking To The Film’s Future Success. They Oddly Work As A Couple Too And It Doesn’t Feel Forced Like Most Cases. Plus I’m Sure Lots Of Guys Wished They Were Tom When He Got Some Action With Stacey In One Scene. (Homer Simpson Trill.) PS He Also Gets It On With Jamie Lee Curtis In “The Fog.” Go Tom. Ironically Tom’s Then Current Wife Who Plays Marge Guttman Is Next Door And Gets Lasered To Death Thanks To The Silver Shamrock Chip. Dan O’herilihy Also Plays Cochran Well As This Shady Business Man. It’s Amazing How He Could Be This Cheery Walt Disney/Willy Wonka Like Man One Minute Then On A Dime He Goes To Sinister And Creepy The Next. Even When The Jig Is Up He Still Plays It Like He’s Making A Sales Pitch. But Why?
Cochran: Do I Need A Reason?
Well Not Really.
Cochran: I Do Love A Good Joke And This Is The Best Ever. The Joke On The Children.
Okay That Works Too. It’s A Shame Dan Disowned The Movie Later. Had He Lived To See The Major Following It Had He Might Have Changed His Tune. Despite It Not Being A Slasher And More Of A Pod Film (Again Think “Body Snatchers.”) It Still Has Slasher Elements Like Sex And Brutal Kills. I Already Mentioned Little Buddy Getting Axed In The Testing Scene But Another Stand Out Kill Goes To A Hobo Who Loses His Head Thanks To One Of The Suited Creeps. (Played By H2’s Michael Myers Dick Warlock.) About Them They Were Actually Robots Cochran Made To Do His Bidding And Kill Any One And Every One Who Troubles Him. Why? I Refer You To My Earlier Quote From The Man. And Of Course That Damn Jingle No One Can Forget. While Jovial The First Listen You May Notice It Gradually Gets More Sinister Each Time Hinting At A Greater Danger At Hand. Thankfully Chicago Wasn’t One Of The Towns Listed In The Montage So We’re Good. Speaking Of I Can’t Get Over How… Well Halloweeny The Film Looks. Even More Than “Halloween” Ironically. You Could Believe The Masks They Sell Would Be Huge Household Brands Overnight. Funny Enough Now You Can Actually Buy Them Thanks To Trick Or Treat Studios. They Were Originally Don Post Masks With The Exception Of The Pumpkin Which Was Made For The Film. They Were Actually Making Them In Real Time During The Factory Scene. Now Let’s Talk About The Ending Because It’s Heavy. Spoilers Again. Dan Returns To The Gas Station Ellie’s Dad Arrived In To Warn The Networks Of The Commercial Pulling 2 Out Of 3 Ads Off The Air Yelling Into The Phone To “Stop It!” In Another “Body Snatchers” Homage. We Don’t Know If He Won Or Not But It’s Likely Every One Died. The Novel Says So And They Initially Had It In Mind For The Credits To Have Kids Screaming While The Music Plays. So The Villain Wins Basically. “Halloween III Season Of The Witch” Holds A Place In My Heart As An Unexpected Gem In Horror. I Hope If And When The Myers Story Ends We Can Get A Proper “Season Of The Witch” Anthology Series In The Future Especially Now That Anthologies Like “The Twilight Zone” And “Creepshow” Saw Reboots In Recent Years. The Closest We’ve Come To A Halloween Based Anthology Is “Trick ‘R Treat” Which I Also Recommend. Check Them Both Out. 5/5 For Sure. And Remember “70 Days Till Halloween Halloween Halloween. 70 Days Till Halloween Silver Shamrock!”

Description
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
Director: Tommy Lee Wallace
Studio: Universal

Cast:
Tom Atkins
Stacey Nelkin
Dan O'Herilhy
Nancy Kyes
Garn Stephens
Dick Warlock

Part 3 of my Halloween review series

Now we are at the supposed "black sheep" of the franchise and the only film that doesn't feature Michael Myers (aside from a cameo on a TV),

Halloween III: Season of the Witch

"The night no one comes home!"

Because of that reason alone, many back and still certain people today outright despised and ridiculed the movie, completely unaware of the original intention. At the franchise's beginning, John Carpenter and Debra Hill wanted to make the Halloween series an anthology series, in the veins of The Twilight Zone, Tales From The Crypt or Creepshow for old school horror fans or like Goosebumps or American Horror Story for more contemporary horror fans, with each entry being a completely separate story with them being set on Halloween being the only common threw line between them. But despite intending to do it in the second movie, they were mandated to make a part 2 to the Michael Myers story and killing him off by the end. But even with that and the very skewed marketing campaign back then, the film was so hated and misunderstood for its lack of connection to the previous two films and was for a long time overlooked and because of fan outcry, Michael Myers was brought back into being the face of the franchise, for better or worse....

But in more recent years, Halloween III had been given a new lease on life and resurgence as an underrated cult classic in the horror genre and is now appreciated and looked at as a hidden gem and a classic in its own right, even on par with the original Halloween if not more so.

For me, I remember not liking at all back then, not because of the common "Where's Michael" thing, but instead because I initially found it to be a bit disturbing in many aspects that we shall discuss and left me uncomfortable after first viewing. A few years later, I gave the film a second chance and to this day, this film has really grown on me and as a standalone horror film, it is a criminally underrated masterpiece and my second favorite film of the whole franchise, if not my favorite if not for the classic status of the original Halloween.....

POSITIVES

The movie's story is a very engaging and wild ride with many crazy twists and turns in the plot that makes the movie memorable with its various combo of different genres as its core story begins to unfold and the creepy and foreboding tone that looms throughout the film, thanks to the brilliant cinematography and the very eerie and masterful score.

I really love how this movie more than most of the other Halloween films, has the most Halloween like atmosphere to it and how the holiday actually is a part of the story rather than just being a story that just happens to be set on Halloween, Halloween III revolves around the holiday in a very well done way that really gives off that cold, eerie feel of the season.

The cast in this movie really stand out and while not as iconic as characters like Laurie, Loomis or Michael, they hold their own brilliantly. Dr. Dan Challis, played by 80s horror alumni Tom Atkins, is a very good lead in that he's not the traditional horror hero but more of a flawed every man. He's an alcoholic, a womanizer, somewhat of a dick and his whole motivation for getting involved in this crazy predicament of a plot is because he's horny. He isn't the best role model but that adds charm to his character as we the viewers see a bit of ourselves in him as a human because we're all flawed and thanks to Tom's brilliant performance, Dan's a character you root for during the film.

Alongside Tom's Dan, there is also the gorgeous Stacey Nelkin as Ellie Grimbridge who is a wonderful co-lead of the film and has some honestly endearing chemistry to Dan and without giving any spoilers is able to play different sides and opposite ends of the character in certain parts of the movie very seamlessly.

And the main villain and owner of Silver Shamrock Novelties, Conal Cochran, played by Dan O’herlihy, is an amazing and Intimidating villain who might even be debatably more scarier than Michael, and that's saying something. The way Cochran is able to present himself from the moment we meet him as this charming and friendly Walt Disney like character and then once the jig is up, switches to this calm and sinister villain who unfolds his motivations and his plans for "The Big Giveaway" is on point. And his motivation of using these masks and some dark Celtic witchcraft to sacrifice many children on Halloween, reverting it back to the holiday's dark roots, is ruthless and makes him one of the most underrated horror villains in cinema.

The Kills and deaths in this movie are very brutal for the time and some are quite disturbing to see, like a drunk bum getting his head effortlessly ripped off by one of Cochran's goons (played by Dick Warlock) who turn out to be life like androids, the main coroner getting drilled in the head despite being offscreen but the suggestion is very brutal, and Marge Guttman, played by Tom Atkins' real life wife at the time, fiddling with one of the masks' badges with the cursed chip and getting a laser shot in her face and her mouth is partially split open and her eyes are bloodshot with her laying there twitching and breathing in pain. But the one death that really Disturbed me the first viewing was the infamous Test Room A scene where little Buddy Kupfer Jr. is the first victim to the masks' true purpose as the Silver Shamrock jingle and commercial for the Big Giveaway plays and it melts his brain and spiders, insects, and snake crawl out of his mouth and kills his parents in the room. The visual of it is absolutely disturbing and creepy and is one of the most memorable moments if not the most memorable of the film that I use to hate that scene but now I like it for how morbid and dark it is, and the fear that it sets as nearly everyone in the country has one of those masks and the stakes are a lot more apocalyptic.

The score of the movie is absolutely brilliant and perfectly sets the creepy mood and atmosphere that persists throughout and gives those moments of unease when necessary. And one of the other memorable parts of the movie is the "Silver Shamrock" jingle that plays throughout the movie whenever it comes on TV or radio. Inspired by London Bridge, its a dreadfully catchy song that once you hear it, you can't ever forget it even if you tried and the more it plays, the more it begins to feel more creepy and like an omen to the impending dread.

And the ending of the movie is quite the doozy (in a good way) for how ambiguous and down of an ending it is, very much implying the worst and its lack of a conclusion. Initially it was going to have the screams of children play during the credits and in the novelization directly states that Cochran's plan succeeded, but the decision to have it just cut to black and leave the viewer wondering is the better alternative. Top that off with Tom Atkins' manic performance in the final shot in a well done homage to "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and you got one hell of a memorable horror movie ending!

NEGATIVES

One gripe I have with the film is not the fault of the film itself but rather the fact that its called Halloween III, and because of that alone is why it was shunned for so long because even though it was meant to be part of an anthology route for the series, I agree with many that if it was just called "Season of the Witch " and didn't have the Halloween name attached to it, then this movie would have been regarded as an instant horror classic or at least would have been better received back then. And its best that first time viewers go into the movie, under the pretense that its a separate story.

And another flaw is that while I do like how bizarre and wild the movie is, there are some weird moments that somewhat suspend disbelief and don't give much of an answer as to how they happen or why if at all, which I imagine could be a turnoff for some people if the movie isn't for you or you're not on board for the movie's out there direction. It being a movie thats a bit too out there or have a bit much weirdness for you is a more valid critique to have with this movie, than the stuff I mentioned before.

Favorite Scene: Cochran's Villainous Reveal & Speech
Favorite Kill: The Test Room A Kill of the Kupfer Family

FINAL THOUGHTS

Despite my initial thoughts on the movie from first viewing, this movie overtime is an absolute Halloween classic in my eyes and deserves to be recognized and celebrated by many more as the ingenius masterpiece it is. And despite it not being a part of the Halloween series as a whole outside of the name, it is the most Halloween feeling out of all the films in the franchise, even the original, and is a masterfully done piece of 80s horror that should be viewed on its own merits. So if you have not seen this film and were turned away from it from the negative reputation or word of mouth it undeservingly received, I implore you to please seek out this unsung Halloween horror classic and remember....

🎶 Happy Halloween
Halloween
Halloween
Happy Happy Halloween
Silver Shamrock!🎶

10/10

And here is joshvirgin's take on Halloween III: Season of the Witch.....

Hey Again As Promised Here Is My Review Of “Halloween III Season Of The Witch” Enjoy.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=q-9mQgu0…
“It’s Cyber And JV’s Creature Feature.”
“‘Halloween III Season Of The Witch’ Is The Worst In The Franchise Because Of Michael Myers Not Being In It.” Is Usually What The Average “Halloween” Fan Says When It Comes To This Film. Yeah I Know I Stole That From Brandon Tenold A Little But It’s No Exaggeration. And It’s Rather Sad At That Because “Halloween III Season Of The Witch” Is A Surprisingly Entertaining Film. The Idea Behind It Was It Meant Be A New Beginning For John Carpenter And Crew Now That The Shape Was Good And Dead In “Halloween II.” Specifically The Film Was Meant To Usher In An Anthology Route In The Veins Of Stuff Like “The Twilight Zone” “Goosebumps” “Creepshow” “Tales From The Crypt” And So Forth. Each New Film Would Take Place On Halloween With A New Story Each Time. A Common Misconception Was The Franchise Was Always Meant To Be An Anthology And While That Might Be Half True (I Have Heard John Wanted The Second Film To Be This One.) I Sort Of Doubt It. Though Carpenter Was Granted Permission To Do It Only If He Did “Halloween II” First. Sadly The Idea Of The Series Becoming An Anthology Wasn’t Well Advertised. If This Was Made Today In The Age Of The Internet I Could See It Being More Forgiven Now. But The Only Thing To Promote It For Now Was This Ad With A Computer With A Witch Hat Which Hints At Witchcraft And Modern Technology Being A Theme.
www.i-mockery.com/halloween/ba…
And Sadly The Film Was Met With Universal Failure At The Time With Audiences And Critics Confused As To Why The Lack Of Michael Myers (Except For An Ad For The Original Film.) Was Evident. It At Least Made Back Its Budget In The Box Office But Needless To Say It Was Panned By Many At The Time. But In Recent Years The Film Found Its Audience And People Started To Show Their Love To This Film And Has Become An Integral Part In Horror Almost As Much As The Original. I Apologize For The Some What Long History Lesson In This Review But I Just Wanted To Show That Unlike Uhhh “Certain ‘Halloween’ Fans On Here” We Did Our Homework On The Matter. Any Way Onto The Film. The Film Follows Dr. Dan Challis Played By Tom Atkins In Perhaps His Most Celebrated Role In The Horror Genre For Fans. I’ll Explain Why Later. He Attends To A Patient Who Was On The Run From A Suited Man While Clutching A Halloween Mask Rambling About How “They’re Going To Kill Us. All Of Us!” After Caring For Him The Old Man Gets Killed By Another Suited Man Who Laters Blows Him Self Up In His Car. (Man John Carpenter Really Has A Thing For Explosions In Hospitals.) The Patient’s Daughter A Young Ellie Grimbridge (Played By The Lovely Stacey Nelkin.) Wants To Find Out What Happened In Regards To Her Father’s Murder So They Travel To Santa Mira California (Little Fact It’s The Same Town In “Invasion Of The Body Snatchers” From 1956.) Home To Silver Shamrock Novelties The Company Behind The Mask He Ran In With Earlier Which Is Also Responsible For This Ungodly Catchy Jingle.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=hIHUv2oo…
Believe Me You’ll Be Singing This Until Christmas For A While. Turns Out The Mastermind Behind It Is Conal Cochran (Played By The Late Dan O’herlihy.) Who Intends To Bring Halloween Back To Its Sacrificial Routes. And Those Jingles Trigger A Chip Which Kills The Kids Wearing Them By Turning Their Heads Into Bugs. Wow Leave It To This Movie For Having The Greatest Kill In A “Halloween” Not Administered By Michael Myers. So The Good Doctor Challis Must Stop Him Before It’s Too Late. Honestly This Film Was A Blast. The Sacrificial Celtic Elements Are Fittingly Eerie And The Films Carries That Well For Most Of The Film. Tom Atkins Is Great As Dan Challis For A Lot Of Reasons. He’s Not The Typical Pretty Boy Stud We’ve Come To Expect. He’s More Subdued And Is Shown To Be A Divorcee Of Sorts Dealing A Naggy Ex Wife (Whose Played By Annie Her Self Nancy Kyes.) And Kids Who Don’t Seem To Respect Him. He’s More Compelling And Interesting In That Sense. His Chemistry With Stacey Nelkin Is Beautiful And The Two Work Off Each Other Well. Both Speak Highly Of Each Other In Most Interviews And Have Both Have Taken A Liking To The Film’s Future Success. They Oddly Work As A Couple Too And It Doesn’t Feel Forced Like Most Cases. Plus I’m Sure Lots Of Guys Wished They Were Tom When He Got Some Action With Stacey In One Scene. (Homer Simpson Trill.) PS He Also Gets It On With Jamie Lee Curtis In “The Fog.” Go Tom. Ironically Tom’s Then Current Wife Who Plays Marge Guttman Is Next Door And Gets Lasered To Death Thanks To The Silver Shamrock Chip. Dan O’herilihy Also Plays Cochran Well As This Shady Business Man. It’s Amazing How He Could Be This Cheery Walt Disney/Willy Wonka Like Man One Minute Then On A Dime He Goes To Sinister And Creepy The Next. Even When The Jig Is Up He Still Plays It Like He’s Making A Sales Pitch. But Why?
Cochran: Do I Need A Reason?
Well Not Really.
Cochran: I Do Love A Good Joke And This Is The Best Ever. The Joke On The Children.
Okay That Works Too. It’s A Shame Dan Disowned The Movie Later. Had He Lived To See The Major Following It Had He Might Have Changed His Tune. Despite It Not Being A Slasher And More Of A Pod Film (Again Think “Body Snatchers.”) It Still Has Slasher Elements Like Sex And Brutal Kills. I Already Mentioned Little Buddy Getting Axed In The Testing Scene But Another Stand Out Kill Goes To A Hobo Who Loses His Head Thanks To One Of The Suited Creeps. (Played By H2’s Michael Myers Dick Warlock.) About Them They Were Actually Robots Cochran Made To Do His Bidding And Kill Any One And Every One Who Troubles Him. Why? I Refer You To My Earlier Quote From The Man. And Of Course That Damn Jingle No One Can Forget. While Jovial The First Listen You May Notice It Gradually Gets More Sinister Each Time Hinting At A Greater Danger At Hand. Thankfully Chicago Wasn’t One Of The Towns Listed In The Montage So We’re Good. Speaking Of I Can’t Get Over How… Well Halloweeny The Film Looks. Even More Than “Halloween” Ironically. You Could Believe The Masks They Sell Would Be Huge Household Brands Overnight. Funny Enough Now You Can Actually Buy Them Thanks To Trick Or Treat Studios. They Were Originally Don Post Masks With The Exception Of The Pumpkin Which Was Made For The Film. They Were Actually Making Them In Real Time During The Factory Scene. Now Let’s Talk About The Ending Because It’s Heavy. Spoilers Again. Dan Returns To The Gas Station Ellie’s Dad Arrived In To Warn The Networks Of The Commercial Pulling 2 Out Of 3 Ads Off The Air Yelling Into The Phone To “Stop It!” In Another “Body Snatchers” Homage. We Don’t Know If He Won Or Not But It’s Likely Every One Died. The Novel Says So And They Initially Had It In Mind For The Credits To Have Kids Screaming While The Music Plays. So The Villain Wins Basically. “Halloween III Season Of The Witch” Holds A Place In My Heart As An Unexpected Gem In Horror. I Hope If And When The Myers Story Ends We Can Get A Proper “Season Of The Witch” Anthology Series In The Future Especially Now That Anthologies Like “The Twilight Zone” And “Creepshow” Saw Reboots In Recent Years. The Closest We’ve Come To A Halloween Based Anthology Is “Trick ‘R Treat” Which I Also Recommend. Check Them Both Out. 5/5 For Sure. And Remember “70 Days Till Halloween Halloween Halloween. 70 Days Till Halloween Silver Shamrock!”