31 movies to watch in October: Halloween III: Season of the Witch

Welcome to our 31-day “challenge”, in which I am recommending one movie per day for the month of October. Today’s selection is a true Halloween film: Halloween III: Season of the Witch.

I will be addressing the rest of the Halloween film franchise later on in the month, but I am treating Halloween III as a stand-alone film…because that’s what it is. Released in October of 1982, a mere year after Halloween II, it has no relation to the numerous other films in the series, and Michael Myers is nowhere to be found.

When original Halloween writers John Carpenter and Debra Hill were asked to create a third film, they would not agree to do it unless it was not a direct sequel to the Michael Myers-driven Halloween II. Instead, they created an entirely new storyline, introducing us to the fine folks behind Silver Shamrock, who released a line of three very popular Halloween masks.

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Do you know what else we are introduced to? The earworm that is the Silver Shamrock jingle; you know the one: “Three more days ’til Halloween, Halloween, Halloween. Three more days ’til Halloween, Silver Shamrock!” Enjoy spending the rest of your day getting that happy little tune out of your head.

With actor Tom Atkins in the lead role of Dan Challis, Halloween III tells the bonkers story of microchip-embedded masks, each implanted with a small piece of Stonehenge. Silver Shamrock’s Watch and Win promotion is intended to activate the chips, causing the children to be zapped and insects and snakes to pour out of their heads. Fun!

Halloween III: Season of the Witch was not nearly as successful as the first two films. In fact, it has only become beloved more recently, since viewers at the time were not happy with the exclusion of everyone’s favorite serial killer Michael Myers.

There were a few shout outs to the original films, including the appearance of actress Nancy Kyes, who played Annie in Halloween. At one point, we see part of Halloween playing on a television, and the opening sequence includes a digitally animated Jack O’ Lantern.

For all of its shortcomings, Halloween III is a fun watch and does not require that you watch the first two films to enjoy it. You can watch Halloween III: Season of the Witch on Amazon.

Have you watched Halloween III, or have you been avoiding it? Will you watch it this year? Let us know in the comments section.