Since there's a lot of Halloween Ends haters out there trying to throw it in with H3 as a negative connotation, My wife and editor, and I watched Tommy Lee Wallace's Halloween III: Season of the Witch, on the night of its 40th anniversary. It holds up to the standards I enjoyed it for on home video some 38 years ago. Unlike Halloween Ends, there is no Michael Myers, (except on random television screens in the background, separating this universe from that one) and apparently this was why fans didn't like it. I'm baffled at the idea of Universal calling it a failure, as compared to the "runaway hit" Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, it pretty much made the same money, and adjusted for 6 years of inflation, maybe more.
It brought back the memories of me finding serious evil in the plans of Conal Cochran (Dan O'Herlihy in a softly diabolical performance) using a chunk of Stonehenge (in conjunction with those snazzy three masks created by wiz Don Post) to create a method of killing millions of children across the country in the ultimate practical joke on October 31st. (And something to do with 3000 years since the hills of Ireland ran red on Samhain). Or is he mad at entitled kids running around with masks on, "begging for candy" as he says with a sneer. Our hero, alcoholic horndog physician Dan Challis has to process a lot of this in a short period of time.
I, and Tom Atkins' Challis, think he's just plain nuts.
As an aside, I was an 11 year old Halloween and John Carpenter fanatic already. I have vivid memories of sitting on the front porch of our Lichter Road home, sun sinking in the eastern fall sky, looking at the black and white movie ads, wishing I could find a way to go see this one. Unlike apparently most fans, who despite the great ad campaign didn't realize Ol' Mike wasn't in this, I was well aware. I couldn't wait to see it. It would be about 2 years for that to occur. On a rented VHS tape.
Anyhoo, John Carpenter's score is among his best (I'd hold it right up there with The Fog), Dean Cundey is there with his trademark Halloween lighting and DP work, and Tommy Lee Wallace does a nice job with his directorial debut. In interviews, Wallace calls it a "pod movie", likening it to Invasion of the Body Snatchers, even setting most of it in the same fictional town, Santa Mira. There's a slick paraphrasing of that Don Siegel film's original ending, even.
Lots to like here, despite the poo-pooing of the pessimistic past, beyond just nostalgia, and the giant cult following it's developed is proof of that. As a matter of fact, Wallace has a book coming out this Halloween about the making of the film. I really can't wait for that one. Gather round for the Halloween view here, Kids, it's time for the big giveaway!
Watch!!!
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