#31DOH Day 31 – Halloween III Season of the Witch
Greetings my Movie Ghouls!
Spooky Spoilers!
Today is the day. Halloween has come. The pumpkins are carved, the decorations are out and we’ve all got our Silver Shamrock masks. Today we’re looking back at an attempt to create an anthology series of movies under the title Halloween. Halloween III Season of the Witch is the third film under the banner of Halloween, but unlike the first two, there’s no Laurie Strode, Dr Loomis or Michael Myers.
Halloween III Season of the Witch
Starring Tom Atkins and Stacy Nelkin it follows the mystery of a shop owner who was brutally murdered in a hospital. The murderer flees being chased by Atkins’ Dr Dan Challis who witnesses the man immolate himself. Nelkin portrays Ellie Grimbridge the daughter of the shop owner. Together they go and investigate where her father had been prior to turning up at the hospital.
Making their way to the town of Santa Mira a company town for the novelty company Silver Shamrock. Whilst there they uncover a plot by the company to sacrifice the children who bought the three novelty Halloween masks during a free giveaway on Halloween. The sacrifice would bring back an age of witchcraft.
They do this by fixing a chip on the back of the masks imbued with fragments of a piece of Stonehenge that was stolen. A race against time as Challis fights to survive and stop the ‘free giveaway’ TV spot that activates the chip.
Cult Classic
This film isn’t a Halloween film. But Halloween III doesn’t try to be. It only tries to tell a compelling story that hopefully scares the audience. After watching the film for the first time, I can say that it does have elements that are both good and bad. The premise is interesting giving the world a supernatural edge, which is always a positive. The effects are excellent down to the masks that were produced for the film. The scene where we see what the happens when the masks activate is creepily grotesque especially as the test subject is a child.
It does, however, suffer slightly with some elements that seem dated to today’s standard. There is a scene where an android keeps coming back for the final scare a little too many times, but even this is clutching.
It’s understandable why the film is a cult classic as it tried to start a series of movies that were all different. Something that it could be argued made American Horror Story so popular.
Michael Myers
But does the film falter due to a lack of Michael Myers? In my opinion I don’t think it does. It’s interesting to see the ‘Timeless Classic’ get so much screentime as an in-world movie suggesting that this story takes place in our world. If it did it’s a shame we don’t get that good a quality Halloween masks.
Happy Happy Halloween
What has to be said for the Halloween series is that the music is always catchy. Be that the music from John Carpenters synth classic intro theme. (Which I lovingly stole for the Halloween Countdown this year). As well as Halloween III’s extremely catchy Silver Shamrock as that plays constantly throughout the movie.
Conclusion
Halloween III Season of the Witch is an extremely well made and competent horror movie. Despite being light on scares (I am a wuss) the gross-out factor was ramped up and if that camera held onto the decomposing boy a little too long all’s the better. It helps too, that the end is left ambiguous. If you haven’t seen it, and I got to 34 before I watched it, I would urge you to find it and stick it on this Halloween. I already know some of you will be.
Now, all together…
“One more day till Halloween
Halloween, Halloween
One more day till Halloween
Silver shamrock”
Thanks for reading look back at this month’s 31 Days of Horror here and follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Subscribe on YouTube .
