Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

Director:

Tommy Lee Wallace

Writer:

Tommy Lee Wallace (written by)

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

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

Strange and slightly fascinating

I like "Halloween III". Some people consider it to be one of those "so bad it's good" kind of films, but they're wrong. It's competently made and much better than the "Halloween" films that appeared after it. As sequels go it's pretty strange, though. For starters, Michael Myers is nowhere in sight. This second sequel has nothing to do with the two previous films in the series (personally I couldn't care less about that) and the plot is downright weird. What's strange about it is that there's very little symbolism at stake - something which is rare in occult horror films. Normally, filmmakers seem to feel that they need some sort of psychological excuse to show us unrealistic horror. Not so in "Halloween III". We never get to know the main characters and get only the most superficial impression of their personalities. The sinister goings-on in the film have nothing to do with the personal traumas of the protagonist - he's just there because he has to be, in order for the plot to move on. In this sense, the film is refreshingly "naive". The atmosphere or tone of the film is why I like it. It has that "midnight movie" feel, mainly - I think - because of the soundtrack. Music is rarely used, but always effectively like in John Carpenters "The Thing" (1982). And there are some almost surreal images thrown in along the way, like the one where snakes surprisingly appear from within the pumpkinhead.