No More Days Till ‘Halloween’ As Third Film Celebrates 34th Birthday
By Joey Click
After years of fan bashing, ‘Halloween III: Season of the Witch’ has been getting more respect in recent years. Help us celebrate the cult film’s 34th birthday.
In horror, sequels are more talked about than the current presidential debates. While most are complete crap, others honor the films that came before them. And a select few, on the other hand, are in the misunderstood category. Like a canoe without a paddle, they are stuck until fans swim out and find their greatness.
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Halloween III: Season of the Witch is exactly that kind of sequel. Made on a budget of $2.5M, and eventually grossing a decent $14.5M (regardless of what consensus says), Season of the Witch is massively underrated. While not in the same universe as the real Halloween films, Halloween III is a highly effective piece of cinema. Also, today marks 34 years since the film’s been unleashing its consumerism terror on the masses. So let’s get down to honoring a true cult classic.
Tommy Lee Wallace’s ‘Halloween III: Season of the Witch’-Courtesy of Universal Pictures
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Whether you like the second Halloween sequel or not, you have to respect the idea. After “killing” off Michael Myers in 1981’s Halloween II, John Carpenter wanted to take the series in a different direction. Instead of continuing the Myers storyline, the producers decided to take the “Twilight Zone” route. Attempting to transform the burgeoning Halloween franchise into an anthology series, Halloween III: Season of the Witch is the first and only attempt at series diversion.
Enter Tommy Lee Wallace. Production Designer of the original Halloween and finder of the Myers mask, Wallace came on as writer and director of the third Halloween. Infusing ideas and concepts from 1956’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Wallace creates a twisted tale of epic proportions.
OK, so I’m thinking because of its diverse nature, I must sum up Halloween III really quickly. The film follows Dr. Daniel Challis as he attempts to uncover the questionable practices of Sliver Shamrock Novelties. You seem, Shamrock makes toys and masks.So, Challis possibly thinks they mean harm with them. Along with Ellie Grimbridge, daughter of plot device and recently deceased Harry Grimbridge, the two must do what it takes to find the truth…or die trying.
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And so, because it’s Halloween, and the film’s birthday, we raise a glass to the underrated Halloween III. While you may not be as loving to some as you are to others, the ones who love you love you dearly. I know I didn’t at first, but now you are a treasured item in my film collection. A picture with unquestionable tastes and unflinching desires. Here’s to you Halloween III: Season of the Witch, and many more spooky years to come.
Love Halloween III: Season of the Witch? Think the series took a wrong turn? Let the other Smith Grove inmates know what you think in the comment section below.