Halloween 3 – Season of the Witch is a very controversial entry in the series. It really is the Yoko Ono of the group and has many fans divided. Lets get into it!
Not a Halloween Movie
No Michael Myers, no Laurie, no relation to any other movies in the series? Yes the only connection this movie has to the Halloween franchise is that the previous Halloween movies exists as fictional films in this universe! This upset a lot of fans at the time and it’s not surprising that Michael was brought back for the next movie. Putting the title and franchise to one side though….is this a good movie?
The Twilight Zone
The plot of Halloween 3 is intriguing. Feeling more like a creepy mystery akin to episodes of the twilight zone or tales of the unexpected. The feeling of not quite knowing what’s going on until the final act make this a great first watch. Hints of what the bigger picture might be are sparsely given to the viewer and keeps you interested until the very end. Everything feels creepy and unsettling throughout and the few death scenes on display are truly disturbing.
John Carpenter & Debra Hill
This power couple need a mention. This Director/Producer combo have given us many great movies over the years. They are expert storytellers and here they have created a slightly off universe that gets under your skin the more you watch. Without giving too much of the story away, A doctor played by begins to investigate a shady halloween mask toy company after his patient is killed under mysterious circumstances by a shady suited man. The plot gets way out there but as I’ve mention, the world they’ve created here feels unnerving and it’s never dull. You’ll find yourself trying to guess what’s really going on right up to the big reveal. Solid storytelling with each scene building more suspense as the movie ticks along. John’s use of music deserves an extra nod too and is something that has become his signature on movies. The loud synthesizers and eerie drum beats help to build a spooky atmosphere. Even though this movie is directed by Tommy Lee Wallace, it’s very apparent that Carpenter and Hill have put their stamp on this movie.
The Ending
Of course I’m not going to spoil anything here, just give my thoughts. Like I’ve mentioned this film builds and builds, adding tension all along the way. For me the reveal and the ending are very satisfying although I’m sure not everyone will agree. I love the smart (if a bit far fetched) tale they’ve weaved here and I particularly like the implications of what will happen after the credits roll. I’ve mentioned the Twilight Zone above and I do feel like this is more of a feature length episode of that show than a Halloween franchise movie. In fact, if they had just used the tagline Season of the Witch for the title, they could have avoided all the backlash they received for not including Michael Myers.
This movie is great. It has the magic of John Carpenter behind it and stands alone as a solid disturbing fright fest. Give it a watch and see what you think.
www.geekgasm.org 