Halloween III: Season Of The Witch

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

Runtime: 98 minutes

Directed by: Tommy Lee Wallace

Starring: Tom Atkins, Stacey Nelkin, Dan O'Herlihy, Ralph Strait, Jadeen Barbor

From: Dino De Laurentiis/Universal

Here is something I don't often do: really change my mind on a film. When I saw this in the past (more than once) I didn't really care for it, and not for the stock answer many give as to why. I explain why I felt that way and why I feel different now in my Letterboxd review below:

Note 1: After this review it may be some time before I get back to seeing movies from the franchise. It may be more appropriate to see them in October anyhow.

Note 2: This “not being like the others as it has nothing to do with Michael Myers” has nothing to do with my rating.

Note 3: As like a 7 or 8 year old I saw the opening part of the movie on television one night. My mom put a quick end to that. That was likely for the best as I probably was too young for horror films at the time.

Since I first saw it I never really enjoyed this film, not due to it being separate from the rest of the Halloween franchise, but rather due to issues I had with the story. Yet, I realized the last viewing was who knows how many years ago so I figured it'd be most fair if I watched it again with new eyes and as it turns out, my opinion actually did change.

The plot: a middle aged man runs to a gas station carrying a Silver Shamrock Halloween mask then is attacked by a mysterious man in a suit before then being killed in the hospital by the same man. A Dr. Challis (Tom Atkins in a solid performance) at the hospital is troubled by this. When the man's young daughter arrives at the scene, they soon agree to go to the town of Santa Mira, California (a nice Invasion of the Body Snatchers reference) to do some investigating of the Silver Shamrock company, and what a plot they uncover.

When I saw the movie those few times in the past, I thought it was absolutely ridiculous with a massive plot hole and yet I did always recognize it had some great deaths. Well, viewing it now, it turns out I was always incorrect on believing the movie acted like the entire United States had only one time zone. It wasn't crystal clear but I just read too much into it, PLUS I finally noticed a piece of machinery in the background of one scene that gave the time for the four time zones. I will admit I was wrong.

Yes, the movie is still ridiculous, some of the special effects look on the fake side-especially viewing it on Blu-and a lot is left unexplained. Yet, this time I found the movie to be pretty entertaining, and I can rate it as being "fine". While emulating Carpenter, first time director Tommy Lee Wallace still does a nice job. Dean Cundey returns to do the cinematography and he does good work there. And the 80's synth score from Carpenter and Alan Howarth is simply awesome.

Also, the movie is constantly creepy throughout. Various weird things happen during the picture. Santa Mira looks like a rustic little town but there's a nightly curfew and no one from the town actually works at the factory. As I said before, there are still great deaths in this movie and you'll never forget them. The main cast all does a swell job, from Atkins to Stacey Nelkin as Ellie, the murdered man's daughter, and what a villainous turn from Dan O'Herlihy as Conal Cochran. He does some great subtle things throughout; while preposterous his scheme-involving Samhain, a reference to the last movie-is definitely diabolical.

Of course there were some moments that made me laugh. That old homeless guy who brazenly cursed out Cochran and then had a Cheez Whiz sandwich was pretty funny. Dr. Challis being a middle-aged guy who is a womanizer, divorced, and loves alcohol, not automatically a laugh riot. But him bringing along a six pack of Miller High Life for a drive to Santa Mira-at least he wasn't driving-and there being the expected romance between he and Ellie, resulting in him asking what her age is AFTER having sex with her... hilarious.

I don't often change course on a movie like this. But this is a time that I will have to. I was mistaken about it all these years, and I am glad I could see the light now. This bombing at the time ruined the plans of the franchise becoming a yearly anthology thing, which is definitely a shame, especially looking at the quality of those movies once Michael Myers were brought back.