The Halloween Saga: Halloween III - Season of the Witch

The Night No One Comes Home

The release of Halloween II was significant for two reasons. One, it showed that audiences were still eager to see the continuing adventures of Michael and Laurie and two, signified the supposed end of the Michael Myers saga. Making back ten times its budget, Halloween II was a bonafide success. And production started immediately on a third movie.

At the same time, production had begun on Friday the 13th Part 3 and, while producing the third Halloween, John Carpenter directed and released the gruesome (and highly underrated at the time) The Thing. The third Friday movie was released in 3D and two months before the third Halloween. And like it's predecessors, it was a box office hit. Audiences were eating up the cinematic tales of unstoppable killing machines such as Jason Vorhees. A slew of other films were released to cash in on the craze including Frightmare, The House on Sorority Row and a sequel to the 'original slasher film', Psycho. Whether in the mainstream or underground circuit, these movies thrived with audiences in both theatres and the new 'concept' of home video.

So while these slasher films were eating up the box office receipts, the producers of Halloween wanted more. Carpenter and producing partner Debra Hill were done with Michael Myers and his story. After all, he had died at the end of the second film. So they came up with the idea to make Halloween into a series in the vain of Night Gallery and Twilight Zone, only it would be theatrically based and each story would revolve around Halloween night. And thus, on the 22nd of October, 1983, Halloween III: Season of the Witch was released.

Written and directed by Tommy Lee Wallace, Halloween III's plot revolves around a toy company that has evil and world ending plans and a doctor that comes across the diabolical plot and is the only one who can stop it. There are no connections so to speak to the previous Halloween movies in the script. In fact III goes as far as saying (which goes against what makes them scary) that part I and II were not 'real', not part of our world, by having it play on television in the background.

There are though, stylistic connections to the previous Halloween films that can be found throughout the film. The credit sequence is a modern take on the pumpkin opening credits, the music is eerie and similar to the previous films, and the bad guys (well the henchmen) behave and act very much like Michael Myers in the second film. As well, Dean Cundey returns for the third time as cinematographer and brings his glorious use of lighting and lenses to the film, making it look very much like a 'Halloween' film.

The lead actor in Halloween III is Tom Atkins, who does a decent job of carrying the movie. His (much younger) love interest is played by Stacey Nelkin, who is pretty and cute but doesn't add much to the story. Dan O'Herilhy eats up the scenery as the bad guy and his performance excels above everybody else in the picture. While most of the performances are good and enjoyable, there are a few minor roles that could have been cast better. They are badly acted and very wooden and they tend to ruin the atmosphere of the film, but they are few and far between and thus don't detract to much from the enjoyment to be had watching this film.

The story is fun, original and keeps you awake and interested until the last minute. Even though it is filled with enough plot holes to sink the Titanic, it breezes by and feels a lot shorter than the 98 minute run time it has.  Some neat (but very few) gore effects, an effective bad guy, eerie music, the killing of children and a rather enjoyable last 5 minutes make Halloween III an effective, but somewhat forgettable film.

The biggest critique of Halloween III, and by no fault of it's own, is that this film, as mentioned earlier, has nothing to do with the previous films. After the astounding first film and the rather enjoyable second film, the news that a third film was being made was rather exciting. Unfortunately it is a third film in name only. Take out the III from the title, or take out Halloween completely and Season of the Witch would not disappoint horror aficionados. While not the greatest of films, Season of the Witch still manages to be fun and exciting. It hits the right buttons at the right moments and if nothing else, it can help keep you company on a lonely, miserable, cold, and dark rainy night.


Film Rating: 70%

Breakdown (How Halloween III: Season of the Witch scored 70%):

Production Design: 7 out of 10
Cinematography: 8 out of 10
Re-playability: 7 out of 10
Originality: 7 out of 10
Costumes: 7 out of 10
Directing: 6 out of 10
Editing: 7 out of 10
Acting: 6 out of 10
Music: 9 out of 10
Script: 6 out of 10

The Halloween Saga: Halloween II

More of the Night he Came Home

Halloween was a huge box office hit. It made 47 million (157 million adjusted for inflation) on a very low budget and had audiences jumping in their seats time and time again. It was well reviewed and it brought on a slew of imitators that performed well and helped to start a new genre of horror: the slasher film. Movies like Happy Birthday to Me and Prom Night (also starting Jamie Lee Curtis) popped up in theatres and, following the same format as Halloween, brought money into the pockets of the filmmakers and fear into the hearts of the audiences.

The biggest and most successful of the imitators was Friday the 13th, released two years after Halloween. Pretty much a direct copy of Halloween, Friday the 13th followed the same formula albiet in a different setting. Set on a campground, the story involves a murder years before, a lead female, a hidden killer who stalks the victims and the use of the killer's perspective complete with the heavy breathing and killer theme music.

Friday the 13th was a hit with audiences but unlike Halloween, it played poorly with critics.  It focused more on gore and jump-scares than Halloween did and it racked up the body count; 11 deaths compared to Halloween's 4. A year later, a sequel to Friday the 13th followed, following the exact formula that made the first one a success, and again, audiences at it up.  The Slasher film was incredibly popular and what better reason to make a sequel to the film that jump started the genre.

Halloween II was released on October 30th, 1981, 3 years after the original and many slasher films later.  Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasance returned to their roles playing Laurie Strode and Dr. Loomis respectively.  John Carpenter and Debra Hill return as writers and producers but sadly Carpenter did not want to direct the sequel. Instead we get newcomer Rick Rosenthal who does an ok job of replicating Carpenter's style and technique.

Taking place literally right after the first film ends, Halloween II pales in comparison to the original. It is not as tightly paced, it isn't as scary, it relies on Michael Myers jumping out of places rather than lurking in the background and it relies on gore more than scares. Halloween II seems more influenced by Friday the 13th and the other pale imitators of Halloween than Halloween itself. That's not to say the film isn't enjoyable but it just feels lack luster in comparison to the original.

The film drags a little at parts, it fleshes out connections between characters that aren't really needed (and makes the masked killer less mysterious and therefore less scary), it has some over the top scenes (especially involving Dr. Loomis) and it has a new guy playing Michael Myers who unfortunately doesn't capture the menace of Nick Castle in the first one.

The biggest problem with this film, as mentioned earlier, is that it borrows more from than the imitators than the original. Myers isn't really seen in the background, or moving out of blackness and into the frame. He is either right there on screen or he pops up out of nowhere. The first film really emphasized that eerie methodical unknown killer element, always having him looming in the background. He was always there but he took his time and when he killed it was effective. Here he kills and kills, again and again, over and over.

The film does pick up and get significantly better in the last half hour, when it becomes Laurie vs. Michael. At this point the movie feels almost like the original as Laurie is stalked through hospital corridors. It's eerie and fun and exciting and foreboding. And when it finally ends, it wraps the story up nicely and leaves the audience satisfied. Unlike the first film there is no ambiguos ending, it finishes the story of Michael Myers, Dr. Sam Loomis and Laurie Strode and finally, like the last shot of the film, allows for the sun to let a little light into the darkness that preceded it.


Film Rating: 72%

Breakdown (How Halloween II scored 72%):

Production Design: 8 out of 10
Cinematography: 8 out of 10
Re-playability: 7 out of 10
Originality: 5 out of 10
Costumes: 9 out of 10
Directing: 6 out of 10
Editing: 7 out of 10
Acting: 8 out of 10
Music: 8 out of 10
Script: 6 out of 10

The Halloween Saga: Halloween

The Night He Came Home

Horror movies have been around since the early days of cinema. Right from the beginnings of the silent era and effortlessly continuing through the many ensuing decades, horror cinema has left it's mark on audiences and always leaves with them wanting more.

Dracula, The Mummy and Frankenstein were the giants of the 30's and in the 50's monster movies were all the rage, but for the most part these movies, although scary at times, lacked a sense of sheer terror to them. The type of movies where you grip the person next to you or dig your nails into the seat just didn't exist. Cinema hadn't matured enough yet and these films relied heavily on the 'fantasy of cinema' rather than realism, or in the case of horror a sort of hyper-realism.

Then the 60's came along and things began to change. Films like Psycho and Rosemary's Baby brought that realism into the genre. The spectacular-ness of the previous era was over and the new filmmakers entering the industry were brining new and interesting ideas and changing the way things had been done.

Case in point is George A. Romero. In 1968 he made and released Night of the Living Dead. This movie was terrifying, gory and a game changer for the industry. This movie single handedly cemented into the minds of the general public what a zombie is and what it looks like. Rarely had a horror movie shaped the genre as much as Night of the Living Dead had done. 

By the 70's horror had become something completely different to the days of Legosi and Karloff. Movies like The Exorcist and Texas Chainsaw Massacre were bringing in a sense of realism that suggested to the audience that these events could happen to you, out in the woods or even right there at home. Strong acting, methodical directors and innovate and gory effects took horror movies into a far darker place than ever before.

Then on October 25th, 1978 Halloween was unleashed on the public. Directed by John Carpenter and starring Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode and Donald Pleasance as Dr. Loomis, Halloween was unlike anything that had come before it. An unstoppable evil killer, Michael Myers, haunts a small town killing anyone he comes across as his doctor races to stop him.

Halloween is a tense, scary and exhilarating thrill ride from the opening scene to the  last shot. It's got a dark and moody  atmosphere, and beautifully composed shots by a very young Dean Cundey.  The dark lighting has Myers popping in and out of the blackness that surrounds Laurie and her friends and helps set the mood of the film.

As does the music. composed by Carpenter himself. The haunting score is simple but effective and is used perfectly to emphasize the terror of Myers. His nightmare inducing theme is an instant classic. And there are plenty of music-less stretches too, where all you can here is Myers breathing and not knowing where he will pop up next.

It is fantastically directed by the young Carpenter who pulls great performances out of his leads. You feel for Laurie, you believe Dr. Loomis when he speaks and you fear Myers; a hulking large, brooding, masked killer who oozes evil in the way he walks and the way he moves. Unfortunately the acting of the kids in the film is poor and is really the only thing wrong with Halloween as a film.

Everything else just works perfectly. There aren't that many kills, there is no gore and there is not much action until the last half hour but again, everything just gels perfectly. Watching the film will have you glued to the screen for every second of its 90 minute run time. 

Halloween is a well made, original horror movie that is outright terrifying and downright unmissable. You can watch this movie over and over and never get bored and even though you know what's coming you'd still be scared and gripping your blanket tight.


Film Rating: 95%

Breakdown (How Halloween scored 95%):

Production Design: 9 out of 10
Cinematography: 10 out of 10
Re-playability: 10 out of 10
Originality: 9 out of 10
Costumes: 9 out of 10
Directing: 10 out of 10
Editing: 10 out of 10
Acting: 8 out of 10
Music: 10 out of 10
Script: 10 out of 10