Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

Director:

Tommy Lee Wallace

Writer:

Tommy Lee Wallace (written by)
(more)

Release Date:

22 October 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

...and now the earth will run with blood again!

Plot:

A large Halloween mask-making company has plans to kill millions of American children with something sinister hidden in Halloween masks.

Plot Keywords:

Mask | Halloween | Stonehenge | Hospital | Doctor

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Tom Atkins	...	Dr. Daniel 'Dan' Challis
Stacey Nelkin	...	Ellie Grimbridge
Dan O'Herlihy	...	Conal Cochran
Michael Currie	...	Rafferty
Ralph Strait	...	Buddy Kupfer
Jadeen Barbor	...	Betty Kupfer
Brad Schacter	...	'Little' Buddy Kupfer Jr. (as Bradley Schachter)
Garn Stephens	...	Marge Guttman
Nancy Kyes	...	Linda Challis
Jonathan Terry	...	Starker (as Jon Terry)
Al Berry	...	Harry Grimbridge
Wendy Wessberg	...	Teddy
Essex Smith	...	Walter Jones
Maidie Norman	...	Nurse Agnes
John MacBride	...	Sheriff
Loyd Catlett	...	Charlie
Paddi Edwards	...	Silver Shamrock Secretary
Norman Merrill	...	Red
Patrick Pankhurst	...	Technician
Dick Warlock	...	Assassin
Martin Cassidy	...	Watcher
Michelle Walker	...	Bella Challis
Joshua John Miller	...	Willie Challis (as Joshua Miller)
Jeffrey D. Henry	...	Motel Technician
Michael W. Green	...	Technician #2
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jamie Lee Curtis	...	Curfew Announcer / Telephone Operator (voice) (uncredited)
Tommy Lee Wallace	...	Silver Shamrock Commercial Announcer (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Tommy Lee Wallace

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Nigel Kneale		uncredited
Tommy Lee Wallace		written by

Produced by
Moustapha Akkad	....	executive producer
Barry Bernardi	....	associate producer
John Carpenter	....	producer
Debra Hill	....	producer
Joseph Wolf	....	executive producer
Irwin Yablans	....	executive producer

Original Music by
John Carpenter
Alan Howarth

Cinematography by
Dean Cundey		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Millie Moore

Casting by
Susan Shaw

Production Design by
Peter Jamison

Set Decoration by
Linda Spheeris

Makeup Department
Frankie Bergman	....	hair stylist
Thomas R. Burman	....	special makeup effects artist (as Tom Burman)
Ron Walters	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Jeffrey Chernov	....	executive in charge of production
Jeffrey Chernov	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Scott Thaler	....	second assistant director (as Scott Ira Thaler)
Ron Wright	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Carl Aldana	....	illustrator
Terry Feller	....	propmaker
Andrew P. Flores	....	labor foreman
Serge Genitempo	....	stand-by painter
Walton D. Hadfield	....	construction coordinator
Greg Lynch	....	swing gang
Jerry Palermo	....	construction painter
James A. Rathbun	....	property master
Daniel Stoltenberg	....	property master
James F. Walker	....	propmaker foreman (as Jim Walker)
William Kemper Wright	....	lead man (as William Wright)
John Naulin	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Joseph F. Brennan	....	boom operator
Thomas Causey	....	sound mixer
James Cavarretta	....	sound re-recording mixer
Warren Hamilton Jr.	....	sound editor (as Warren Hamilton)
Steve Maslow	....	sound re-recording mixer
Colin C. Mouat	....	sound editor
Andy Rovins	....	boom operator
Kendrick Sweet	....	dialogue editor
Bill Varney	....	sound re-recording mixer
David Lewis Yewdall	....	supervising sound editor

Special Effects by
William Aldridge	....	special effects assistant
Jon G. Belyeu	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Charles Moore	....	visual consultant

Stunts
Kerrie Cullen	....	stunts
Loren Janes	....	stunts
Dick Warlock	....	stunt coordinator
Dick Warlock	....	stunts
Lance Warlock	....	stunt double (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jon Antunovich	....	electrician
Richard Babin	....	grip
Ron Batzdorff	....	still photographer
Clyde E. Bryan	....	first assistant camera
David Golia	....	assistant camera: second unit
Laszlo Horvath	....	dolly grip
Nick Kurges	....	grip
Allen Marshall	....	electrician
Patrick Marshall	....	electrician
Thomas Marshall	....	best boy electric
Steve Mathis	....	electrician
Mark Pearson	....	grip
Joe A. Salamdino	....	best boy grip
Guy Skinner	....	second assistant camera
Raymond Stella	....	camera operator
Stephen St. John	....	camera operator: second unit
Mark Walthour	....	gaffer
Ronald Woodward	....	key grip

Casting Department
Susie Johnson	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Frances Vega Aubrey	....	costumer (as Frances Aubrey)
Jane Ruhm	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Maurie Beck	....	first assistant editor
Patricia Lee	....	second assistant editor

Transportation Department
Ray Appel	....	driver
Louis Galliani	....	driver
Steve Grossman	....	driver
Chuck Hampton	....	driver
Jim Huffey	....	driver
Marty Huffey	....	driver
James A. Lundin	....	driver (as Jim Lundin)
Dave Pierce	....	driver
Wayne Roberts	....	transportation captain
Mario Simon	....	driver
Tom F. Thomas	....	driver (as Tom Thomas)
Thomas Vilardo	....	driver
Eddie Lee Voelker	....	transportation coordinator
Gordon Wiles	....	driver

Other crew
Ben-Ami Agmon	....	location manager
Gretchen Baker	....	post-production expeditor
Jim Brockett	....	assistant animal coordinator
Randi Chernov	....	assistant: Ms. Hill
Bill Cherones	....	location assistant
Maurice Costello	....	first aid
Lynn D. Ezelle	....	assistant accountant
Chip Fowler	....	production coordinator
David Gersh	....	assistant: Matt Franco
Bernie Granados	....	first aid
Mark C. Grech	....	craft service
Larry Hand	....	production accountant
Louise Jaffe	....	script supervisor
Bert Jetter	....	caterer
David Katz	....	video coordinator
Bob Laird	....	motor police
Doug Laird	....	motor police
Ken Lavet	....	location assistant
Michele Little	....	assistant: Mr. Chernov
Sam Nicholson	....	silver shamrock commercial
Don Post	....	mask maker
Carol Rosenthal	....	assistant: Mr. Bernardi
Clint Rowe	....	animal coordinator
Anne Thompson	....	publicist
John C. Wash	....	title designer

Production Companies

• Dino De Laurentiis Company
• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1982) (USA) (theatrical)
• Succéfilm AB (1983) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Altomedia. Co. Ltd. (Korea) (DVD)
• Altomedia. Co. Ltd. (Korea) (VHS)
• Astro Distribution (2002) (Germany) (DVD)
• GoodTimes Home Video (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• GoodTimes Home Video (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Kabel 1 (????) (Germany) (TV)
• MCA Home Video (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• MCA Videocassette (1984) (USA) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• RTL2 (????) (Germany) (TV)
• Tele 5 (2006) (Germany) (TV)
• Thorn EMI Video Australia (19??) (Australia) (VHS)
• Universal Studios Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (1987) (Netherlands) (VHS)

Also Known As:

The Last Halloween (Philippines: English title)

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia) | Singapore:NC-16 | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-15 (uncut) (DVD rating) | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (VHS rating) (1998) | Finland:K-18 (1983) (cut) | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1988) | Australia:M | Austria:16 | France:-12 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (original rating) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | UK:15 (theatrical release) (uncut) | UK:15 (video rating) (1986) (cut) | UK:15 (video rating) (2002) (uncut) | UK:15 (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Domino's Pizza - 17 Kersting Court, Sierra Madre, California, USA

Company:

Dino De Laurentiis Company

Trivia:

A novelization of the film was published in 1982 by science-fiction writer Dennis Etchison under the pseudonym Jack Martin. Despite the film's commercial failure, the book became a best-seller and was even reissued two years after the film's release, in 1984.

Goofs:

Continuity: As Ellie Grimbridge meets and talks to Marge Guttman outside the motel: Ellie's jacket is open. In the following shot when Marge shows Ellie the displaced Silver Shamrock trademark, her jacket is nearly closed. Yet, in the next shot, Ellie's jacket is once again open.

Quotes:

Daniel Challis: [walking through an alley, he bumps into Starker] Whoa, Jesus!
Starker: Mister-Mister, didn't mean to scare you. I saw that bottle, I thought it looked pretty heavy. I ain't got no diseases, you mind if I have a drink?
[Dan hands him the bottle; Starker takes a huge swig]
Starker: Mmm, aw damn. Thank you.

Movie Connections:

References Dance of the Vampires (1967)

Soundtrack:

Do The Boogaloo

Not as bad as people think

I think Tommy Lee Wallace's "Season of the Witch" is an underrated classic. There are no points here for outstanding acting performances, or original plot etc (although I would like to add there's no dreadful acting) but bonus points for the music and direction, which go together to make a really creepy horror. It contains superb imaginative gore sequences, to rival the likes of "The Fly" or "Dead & Buried".

Whereas the Michael Myers type slasher movies have done the genre to death, this one remains dusty and untouched. There aren't any other horror movies worth mentioning, like this. It is very sci-fi horror though, so I think if you've a problem with far-fetched content, you'd best avoid the film as you will find it ridiculous.

I called it Season of the Witch in the first sentence, because I prefer to think of it as it's own movie, rather than having anything to do with the original classic "Halloween". This is the only problem with the movie.

"Oh ... and Happy Halloween".