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| Halloween III: Season of the Witch [1982] | ![Halloween III: Season of the Witch [1982]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51G5BZ2743L._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Director: Tommy Lee Wallace
Actors: Tom Atkins, Stacey Nelkin, Dan O'herlihy
Studio: Sanctuary Visual Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: £9.99
Buy New: £9.25
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (19 reviews)
Sales Rank: 17760
Format: Anamorphic, Pal, Widescreen
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Media: DVD
Running Time: 96 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 5050361730240
ASIN: B00006IXB9
Release Date: September 30, 2002
Theatrical Release Date: 1982
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
 seperate movie May 12, 2008
this is a good movie, but I dont see why its in the Halloween series...it could be a seperate movie by its self...
A cult classic November 2, 2007
Halloween III should be seen along with all its flaws as a bit of a near piece of genius. It's a cult classic and should be the film that everyone watches every 31st October.
Michael Myers isn't in it so don't compare it to the previous 2 films.
There is no horror film like it. The originality and the cleverness of the whole production make it very special;
from the opening credits - the pumpkin and the desperate escape; the chronology of the story captioned on screen;
the haunting advert jingle; the whole Autumnal Halloween atmosphere captured; the almost undiscovered Irish community which hides something so very sinister; the Halloween cameos and references; to Dan O'hilerhy's sublime portrayal of the dark, calm satanist who just seems to exude evil without doing very much at all with just a smirk, a look or a gesture. The last 10 minutes of the film just seems to break all the rules of the genre and all credit to the film and all involved in it.
This is a clever film. There are moments where you could pick holes in it at leisure but it'd be difficult to top Halloween III for innovation, orignality and atmosphere. Pure Halloween magic.
A DECENT EDITION TO THE SERIES October 31, 2007
A community in Northern California is rocked by a series of deaths, and Dr. Dan Challis, (Tom Atkins) decides to investigate with Ellie Grimbridge, (Stacey Nelkin) the daughter of one of the dead men. The search leads to the small town of Santa Mira, where the big business is Conal Cochran, (Dan O'Herlihy) and his company, Silver Shamrock, which makes Halloween masks for children. When they suspect something not quite right about the whole set-up, and the true nature of the masks and their purpose is fully revealed. Dan and Ellie race against time to stop the nefarious plot before it's put into action.
The Good News: There is potential here, really. The story, while not great by any means, is still clever enough to work. It's a new idea that has the potential for some wonderful moments spread throughout, and this does exactly that. The build-up is engaging, the differences presented to the townspeople throughout are enough to give a sense of the unknown, and the plot twist at the end is a real eye-opener. The same can be said for the gore effects as well. There are heads ripped off, eyeballs gouged out, skulls turned into bugs and snakes, robots smashed apart and one is pinned to a bed by a laser beam through their mouth. There's plenty of blood splatter on display as well, making this a pretty bloody affair. When it does showcase some action, it's not that bad at all. The opening, where an android walks into a hospital and kills a victim, then setting itself on fire, is as great an opening half as there could've been, working in some great action and mystery in there as it transpires with no explanation given, and is thoroughly creepy. A fight with an android which continues on even after its decapitated is the supreme highlight, mixing an aura of suspense and dread with high action that works wonders. Overall, this is a wrongfully maligned film of the highest order.
The Bad News: Yes, there is no Michael Myers in here, but that shouldn't be the soul reason to cast off this film. There are a few other areas in need of fixing as well. The pace of the film is the biggest culprit. It moves along at a very, very slow pace, and pretty much blows off many important sequences since they're mostly played off as being there mainly to slow the film down. It really drags itself out needlessly, and could stand to do with some editing down, especially in the second half when the plot swings a little more upbeat. The motives for the villain is pretty ridiculous and don't really make a whole lot of sense at all. Take the jingle whichever side you want to, but it doesn't really make a difference in the rating.
The Final Verdict: Despite the fact that Michael Myers is nowhere to be seen in here doesn't make it a maligned movie. It's decent enough on it's own to warrant a viewing from the less discriminating crowd, but if you're not able to get over that, then just bypass it all together.
 Samhain October 3, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Where is Michael Myers? This question relates to the majority of reviews that slate 'Season of the Witch', the third instalment of the 'Halloween' franchise that appears as relentless as the psychopathic killer himself. How can there be a 'Halloween' movie without Michael Myers?
I disagree.
'Halloween III: Season of the Witch' was never meant to include the psychologically-disturbed menace of suburban America. Tommy Lee Wallace [Stephen King's 'IT'] - in his first attempt at directing a feature film - wanted to avoid another 'slasher' sequel and instead concentrated on exploring the domestic roots of Halloween and its relationship to Celtic folklore.
So what is the general plot here? Conal Cochran [Dan O'Herlihy], a demented toymaker, has produced millions of Halloween masks, inside which pieces of the monument Stonehenge are buried. Through corporate advertising, Cochran has the world spellbound and craving for the day when they can don the masks and watch 'the great giveaway' on 31 October. His plans are to commit mass genocide, his victims mainly being the world's population of children, thus re-enacting the sacrifices that supposedly occurred hundreds of years ago at ritualistic monuments like Stonehenge. The story closely follows the legend of Samhain, the Celtic lord of death - the very God that children and animals were supposedly offered to as a sacrifice on the one night when the dead and the living walk together and children go 'begging for candy'. Indeed, Cochran is attempting to re-awaken the Celtic festival by way of the traditional elements of witchcraft and modern technology.
Dr Dan Challis [Tom Atkins, 'The Fog' & 'Creepshow'] decides to investigate the goings on within the confines of Cochran's toy factory in the remote Irish state of Santa Mira, California. He is suspicious of the Silver Shamrock masks - skull, witch & Jack-o'-Lantern - that are being produced inside the factory. The building and surrounding town are guarded by androids resembling humans, mechanical slaves created by the toymaker. He must stop Cochran and warn the world before the advert goes out on Halloween night.
'Not enough gore' is the general consensus, and critics have universally damned the film as a sub-average thriller. The film is nevertheless a breath of fresh air - Michael Myers returning from the grave [alongside his other 'slasher' brothers, Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees] becomes tiresome despite their ongoing popularity; the storylines being weak and predictable. 'Season of the Witch' boasts originality and examines the real legend of Halloween, the Festival of Samhain.
John Carpenter produced and wrote the score for Halloween III: Season of the Witch, and it is good to see that the director of the first film [arguably the best horror movie ever directed] was involved in the project. 'Halloween III', I think, was the only original sequel in the series and the most accomplished of the subsequent 'Halloween' films ... until Rob Zombie came along and directed 'the' best re-make of a 1970s/1980s horror film.
But that's another story.
fine dark symbolistic horror story October 28, 2006
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is one of my favourite films of the 1980s. It is a fine dark horror film and a symbolistic fairy story, the meaning of which is that TV destroys childhood and children's minds. It has adults as robots conspiring with the commercialism behind TV. It has great use of halloween imagery and is very atmospheric.
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