Review: "HALLOWEEN III: Season of the Witch" is More Strange Than Good

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 155 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

Running time:  98 minutes (1 hour, 38 minutes)

MPAA – R

DIRECTOR:  Tommy Lee Wallace

WRITER:  Tommy Lee Wallace

PRODUCERS:  John Carpenter and Debra Hill

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Dean Cundey (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Millie Moore

COMPOSERS:  John Carpenter and Alan Howarth

HORROR/SCI-FI/FANTASY

Starring:  Tom Atkins, Stacy Nelkin, Dan O’Herlihy, Michael Currie, Ralph Strait, Jadeen Barbor, and Brad Schacter

Halloween III: Season of the Witch is a 1982 American horror and science fiction-fantasy film from director Tommy Lee Wallace.  It is the third installment in the Halloween film series and the only one not to feature the franchise's star antagonist, Michael Myers.  British science fiction author, Nigel Kneale, and series co-creator, John Carpenter, joined director Tommy Lee Wallace in contributing to the writing of this film.  Season of the Witch focuses on a doctor who uncovers a plot use children and a particular brand of Halloween masks to resurrect an ancient ritual.

When her father is murdered in his hospital bed, Ellie Grimbridge (Stacy Nelkin) begins to suspect the involvement of a powerful novelty company with whom her father, Harry (Al Berry), had a relationship.  She convinces an over-stressed physician Dr. Daniel “Dan” Challis (Tom Atkins) to accompany her to the headquarters of the company, Silver Shamrock, where they meet the company’s creepy owner Conal Cochran (Dan O’Herlihy).

Silver Shamrock’s big sales push occurs at Halloween, and everywhere the two go, they encounter omnipresent television ads for the company’s three Halloween masks.  As Halloween gets closer, the world around Dan and Ellie becomes more perilous and stranger, and they delve deeper into Silver Shamrock’s evil plans for the holiday.

After wrapping up the story he began in the 1978 film, Halloween, in the sequel, Halloween II (1981), John Carpenter had different plans.  He intended Halloween III: Season of the Witch to be the first in an annual series of Halloween movies that each told a different Halloween related story.  Each film would, of course, have the “Halloween” brand name, but this film failed at the box office and killed that plan.  Directed by Tommy Lee Wallace, the film editor of the original Halloween and for Carpenter's 1980 film, The Fog, Season of the Witch is average horror film with the potential to be something really great.  It is gross-filled genre fare having equal doses of horror, mystery, and science fiction.

It is difficult to point out concretely just where it all went wrong.  The mystery element is great, while the science fiction element is far fetched and more fantasy than science.  The sci-fi/fantasy element fails because of a lack of proper execution and because the magical elements are flat and unconvincing.  The horrific aspects are strong, and the dénouement is bracing and unsettling.  Somewhere along the line, however, it all falls apart, and the movie can leave the viewer as unsatisfied as it will leave him curious about what happens in the story after the movie fades to black.

Still, I’d watch it again.  There’s something in it, warts and all, that intrigues me, and I wish the filmmakers had taken the time to get whatever it is right.

4 of 10

C

★★ out of 4 stars

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