Standing as the black sheep of the franchise, as echoed in discussions among horror fans, Halloween III - Season of The Witch (1982) veers into a completely original narrative, making it a divisive yet daring departure from the series’ roots.
Where’s the Boogeyman When You Need Him?
Season of the Witch trades the familiar streets of Haddonfield, Illinois, for California, as John Carpenter wears many hats as co-writer, composer, and producer, but steps away from behind the camera. His influence enough to leave subtle marks for eagle-eyed fans of the franchise. But this time it’s all about Silver Shamrock, a sinister toy company peddling the most sought-after Halloween masks of the year, which every trick-or-treater wants. Though these masks are part of a deadly plan aimed at the nation’s children. Unfortunately, the result is far from a masterpiece, making us long for the knife-wielding maniac in blue overalls.
A Different Kind of Halloween
Eyes wide with panic, a man named Harry (Al Berry), bursts through the night, hunted by slick suits. Clutching a pumpkin mask as his life depends on it, he crashes into a gas station, collapses, and gasps out a warning to the clerk: "They’re coming, they’re coming." Sadly, this is not a codename for Michael Myers coming to save the day, and Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode is nowhere in sight.
Instead, we have Ellie Grimbridge (Stacey Nelkin), Harry's daughter, and Dr. Daniel Challis (Tom Atkins), a pair of bright spots in this '80s dud, teamed up as our dynamic duo, charging into a high-stakes crusade to save the day. Ellie is a daughter on a mission to find out what happened to her father, whose pumpkin-mask introduction leaves him in the hospital, where the chaos continues from the ICU bed. As Halloween slowly approaches, all leads point to Conal Cochran (Dan O'Herlihy), the scheming CEO of Silver Shamrock, who, along with his robotic henchmen, prepares to unleash havoc.
In a movie that's more yawn than yikes we're on the side of the Halloween purists, proudly brandishing our Michael Myers posters and howling in betrayal over the movie's brazen sidestep of our slasher king. On the other hand, a loyal legion of cultists hoists it's mask-driven gambit as a stroke of mad genius and a refreshing detour. Either way, slapping the Halloween namesake on this certainly earned it recognition and kept the movie in the spotlight all these years later. Four decades on, people are still throwing this on every year for a seasonal watch.
Masks, Monotony, and Missteps
Its stroke of genius might be the catchy commercial jingle, which echoes throughout and gets stuck in your head like a nursery rhyme that you can’t help but sing along with, counting down the days and building suspense as the movie progresses toward its fateful day. It’s just a shame the rest of the musical score isn’t as pleasant, as it goes all-in on those loud, obnoxious 80's synth tones when signaling danger or when something spooky is supposed to happen. However, it all feels far too dramatic and intense for what actually unfolds on screen.
Moving on from the pandemonium at the hospital, where the action pretty much hits its peak, Season of the Witch delivers little, if anything, going forward to further pique our interest. Doctor Challis and Ellie’s road trip to uncover the truth behind her father’s death serves up its biggest scare in the form of an ill-timed and puzzling romance that blossoms between the pair. Initially resembling a wholesome father-daughter dynamic, with Dan taking on a protective, paternal role toward the younger Ellie, the relationship feels more mentor-student than romantic. This misplaced smooch might just be the movie’s scariest moment.
As Dan and Ellie poke around the factory town during their investigation, the home base of Silver Shamrock and the Cochran empire, the latter part of the movie has a real tendency to drag us into boredom. When we finally limp to the end, it’s hard to describe it as anything but a letdown, an unresolved climax that feels as if the filmmakers banked on a sequel they forgot to make.
