Halloween III: Season of the Witch

Best Halloween movie. Don't argue with me.

Best Halloween movie. Don't argue with me.

This is such a wonderfully weird but amazing seasonal horror film. What starts as a slow burn mystery builds up into something totally schlocky and full of charm. It's so creative, fun and unique in its own way. It really takes its exploration of Halloween terror to new places. I thought the company with hidden agenda plot was fantastic and the TV commercial song is super addictive. The characters are all fun to watch, especially the leading man and the villain. There are also some truly disturbing and graphic kills in this, combined with the score that genuinely make me uneasy during the whole thing. I can see why some people hate this film because there's no Michael Myers in it. But watching it now knowing it has a large cult following, really makes sense because this film is easily my favorite of the franchise so far. I haven't seen the other Halloween sequels, but I have a strong feeling that I'd still prefer this one. It's a shame that the anthology direction got scrapped because it received such a poor reception when it came out. I personally love this film and it comes highly recommended.

Tom Atkins plays pretend James Bond and battles charismatic villain Conal Cochran, who's plotting an evil plan sure to wreak havoc on the planet. Stacey Nelkin co-stars as Bond Girl Ellie Grimbridge.

Tom Atkins plays James Bond and battles charismatic villain Conal Cochran, who's plotting an evil plan sure to wreak havoc on the planet. Stacey Nelkin co-stars as Bond Girl Ellie Grimbridge.

I wish the Halloween series had continued with this anthology format. Michael Myers was already a worn out idea at this point.

If they had just called this "Season of the Witch" and dropped the Halloween branding, this would have gone down as one of the better horror films of the 80s.

Halloween day of my 31 Days Of Horror rolls on with this annual re-watch! Love it! And I've loved it for the longest time, all you Johnny-Come-Latelys! But it's nice everyone is finally getting on board.

Not like the other two before it,.. but who cares .. it’s fun/ ridiculous

Pleasance is amazing as the Doctor

Talk about a movie giving you mixed feelings. Before seeing Halloween III, I knew one thing…neither Michael Myers or Jamie Lee Curtis was going to be in it…so the real question was…how was it even a Halloween movie? Doing a little research, I discovered the creator of Halloween thought it would be a wise choice to do the same thing as American Horror Story and switch up the stories. A new Halloween tale every year. Well, you know the problem with that right? It’s not even the fact that people love Michael Myers, it’s the fact that you had two movies with him back to back…and then this. I have extremely mixed feelings about Season of the Witch – so let’s get into it.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch is not about Michael Myers, nor is it really about any witches…it’s really about androids. I’m talking full on cybernetic organisms. A doctor ties the death of a patient to a factory that produces popular Halloween masks. As they look to uncover that death, more deaths occur, and they are all seemingly linked to this factory and company Silver Shamrock – and the mystery of what this company is trying to do is unpredictable, believe me.

I think I have a handle on what went wrong here – and the fault lies exclusively with pre-production. First of all, you shouldn’t call this a Halloween movie, and if you do, you can’t say it’s Halloween 3, because people are expecting Michael Myers and Jamie Lee Curtis. All you’re doing there is making people mad when they see the movie. Second of all, you shouldn’t call this Season of the Witch either, because witches play no part in this film . There is magic, but it’s magic taken from a Stonehedge rock. The rest of the movie is strange, creepy, mysterious android humanoids. Which, by the way, aren’t bad. Not at all.

If you went to a friend’s house and they made you watch this movie but didn’t tell you what it was called, there’s a good chance you’ll love it. In fact, if they released this under a different name altogether, it might be its own classic horror film. As it is now, it’s ruined expectations and false advertisement. That’s where my mixed feelings come from, because as a movie on its own without any labels, this is a fine horror film that had me invested from the get go. The only actual complaints I have about it is the decision to have the lead play a doctor instead of the obvious – a cop. He looks and plays the part, a doctor doesn’t make a ton of sense, nor furthers the story. I would also say the film lacked certain motive towards the end, but that’s not a deal-breaker, either.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch is incredibly creepy and disturbing – facts that nestle since the beginning and flourish as the film goes on. It’s creative gore was unique and never overdone. Just the sight of these android humanoids chills you to the bone, and the end game teased throughout the movie is brave and bold – altogether creating a horror flick that would be remembered for a long time if it weren’t for its poor, poor foundation and promotion practices. It’s not a movie that should be a part of the Michael Myers collection, nor should anyone say it’s a witch movie either. It’s simply a decent movie that has no real title in my books. Check it out and let me know what you think!