Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

Halloween III: Season of the Witch is a 1982 American science fiction horror film and the third installment in the Halloween film series. It is the first film to be written and directed by Tommy Lee Wallace. John Carpenter and Debra Hill, the creators of Halloween, return as producers.

The film tells the story of Dr. Dan Challis (Tom Atkins), along with Ellie Grimbridge (Stacey Nelkin), who travel to the small town of Santa Mira, California, where he discovers that Silver Shamrock Novelties, a company run by Conal Cochran (Dan O’Herlihy), is attempting to use the mystic powers of the Stonehenge rocks to kill children when they all wear his masks and watch the Silver Shamrock commercial, to be broadcast on Halloween night. 

Halloween III is the only entry in the series that does not feature the series antagonist, Michael Myers. After the film’s disappointing reception and box office performance, Michael Myers was brought back six years later in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988).

It treats the prior films in the franchise as fictional films, and the film’s tagline is a reference to the one from the original as well. It also departs from the slasher genre, which the rest of the installments were a part of, and instead features a “witchcraft” theme with science fiction aspects.

John Carpenter and Debra Hill believed that the Halloween series had the potential to be an anthology series of films that centered around the night of Halloween, with each sequel containing its own characters, setting, and storyline. Director Wallace stated that there were many ideas for Halloween-themed films, some of which could have potentially created any number of their own sequels, and that Season of the Witch was meant to be the first.

The frequency of graphic violence and blood is less than that of Halloween II, but the film’s death scenes remain intense. As with other films in the series, suspense and tension is a key theme, and the element of violence against young children is also explored. On a budget of $2.5 million, Halloween III grossed $14.4 million at the box office in the U.S., and was the poorest performing film in the Halloween series at the time. Most critics gave the film negative reviews, due to disappointment over the absence of Michael Myers. Despite the reception, re-evaluation in later years has given Halloween III new legions of fans and has established its own reputation as a stand-alone cult film.