After the events of 1981’s “Halloween II” saw Michael Myers burned alive, producers John Carpenter and Debra Hill wanted to take the series in a bold new direction. Subsequent films under the “Halloween” moniker would be their own horror anthologies, with each episode revolving around the spirit of the season. “Halloween III: Season of the Witch” was set to release the following year, but, unfortunately, it would be the first and last time this franchise attempted something like this. It’s a shame because the Tommy Lee Wallace-directed entry is among the best of the 13 “Halloween” films, and even more unique in its own right.
“The Witching Season” travels outside suburban Haddonfield, Illinois, to Santa Mira, California, where curious Dr. Dan Challis (Tom Atkins) uncovers a sinister conspiracy within the confines of the Silver Shamrock factory that involves Halloween masks, a catchy TV jingle and Stonehenge. At the head of this terrible plot is Conal Cochran (a deliciously evil Dan O’Herlihy), who delights in returning Samhain to its wicked roots. There are so many reasons to love him, but the public didn’t see him that way. In fact, some people thought that having “Halloween III” in the lead made them feel like Michael would have a role to play, and unfairly turned their disappointment towards the movie they got when he didn’t show up. But even that is technically incorrect.
About 20 minutes into “The Witching Season”, Dr. Challis goes to have a drink at a bar. He is annoyed by the cartoon that is playing on television and kindly asks the bartender to change the channel. As he does so, he sees the final seconds of a promo for Carpenter’s “Halloween” where Michael can be seen as clear as day walking down the stairs.
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Listen, Michael, you’re on TV!
A commercial for John Carpenter’s Halloween on television in Halloween III: Season of the Witch – Universal Pictures
This is the part of the article where you might feel compelled to throw rotten pumpkins at this poor writer for making you think you missed Michael in the background somewhere. But that would result in dirtying your screen, and we don’t want that. Am I being a little cheeky with my statement? Maybe, but it shows how ridiculous the complaint about Michael’s absence is.
Claims that calling it “Halloween III” was a bad idea are ridiculous in hindsight, given that none of the marketing materials were misleading about what kind of movie “Season of the Witch” was going to be from the start. It’s a classic case of being so focused on the movie people imagined in their heads versus the one they got. Funny how it came back to this same series 40 years later with the legitimately awesome “Halloween Ends.”
The audience was left with a strange cooler whose value had always been there. The trio has metamorphosed from a cult classic in horror circles to an undisputed Halloween staple, with /Film’s Chris Evangelista making a strong argument for it being the best sequel in the series. period. I have an affinity for many sequels that brought everything back to one of the all-time slasher villains, but, unfortunately, we missed out on a really cool idea.
Considering the TV show “Halloween” is sponsored by Silver Shamrock, Michael is, in a strange way, part cog in their evil plan. There’s even a great moment where the “Laurie theme” fits perfectly into Cochran’s Halloween short stories.
“Halloween III: Season of the Witch” is currently streaming on Peacock.
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Read the original article on SlashFilm.
