Halloween III - Season of the Witch
by Tommy Lee Wallace
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Dan O'Herlihy, Michael Currie, Ralph Strait, Stacey Nelkin, Tom AtkinsDirector: Tommy Lee Wallace
Writer: Tommy Lee Wallace
Producer: Barry Bernardi
Producer: Debra Hill
Producer: Irwin Yablans
Producer: John Carpenter
Producer: Joseph Wolf
Writer: Nigel Kneale
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Letterboxed, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 98 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-05-01
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Good Times Video
Movie Reviews of Halloween III - Season of the Witch
Movie Review: On Silver Shamrock: misunderstood or morbid
Summary: 5 Stars
Here is my rant regarding all of the criticism - and it has been a lot recently, hasn't it? - directed toward the maligned Halloween III: Season of the Witch: Hogwash! The movie is not an epic. But the main thrust of the film still "works" despite the absence of Myers, eternal villain. I have argued in my thesis that the Silver Shamrock theme rescues the film, lifting it to the level of "a very good horror flick" while not compromising its hardened slasher-flick mentality. It compares favorably to Friday the 13th Part V, a black sheep sibling of the original version. If nothing else, it surpasses Jaws III, which clearly was a flop but at least still had the damn shark. I watch Season of the Witch every couple months and still, on rainy days as Halloween approaches, find myself - in a fast food restaurant, bank or library - pulling out a mask and singing the harmonious, melodic Silver Shamrock jingle. And I must say, it usually does not take long before a passerby points out, "Hey, that tune is from Halloween III: Season of the Witch. I love that, dude." And I say, "Thank you, dude." To balance this critique, I respectfully offer the following suggestion that would have elevated the movie - Myers be damned - to the rarefied heights of a Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Leprechaun 3: They should have casted a young Meg Ryan. Why not, right? The talented actress appeared in Amityville 3: It's about time (a film that provokes vomiting with astonishing success, but that's another story for another day), and may have been willing to star in Season of the Witch. I honestly do not know, it should be noted, but people vastly familiar with early 1980s gore movies and habits have told me in confidence that she may or may not have agreed to "be in it" depending upon whether she was or was not asked and by whom. What's more, Ryan clearly would have been a natural progression after Curtis' post-Part Two vanishing act. The avalanche of criticism recently aimed at Season of the Witch speaks more to a lack of appreciation for Silver Shamrock and the spellbinding horror the tune creates. In any case, to conclude: I don't need Myers to spark sensations of fear and anxiety down my spine or pelvic region. This, The Season of the Witch, is "a very good horror flick" that succeeds in spite of, or perhaps because of, Myers' absence.
Summary of Halloween III - Season of the Witch
The one Halloween sequel in which He doesn't come home, Halloween III: Season of the Witch was producer John Carpenter's attempt to get the series away from the original's psycho-on-the-loose story line and turn it into a vehicle for more far-fetched Halloween-themed horror tales. Incredibly, the fans voted for more of the same and Carpenter walked away for others to rehash the Michael Myers plot line in a succession of look-alike movies that are still turning up every few years.After the mysterious death of a toyshop owner, a doctor (Tom Atkins) and the man's daughter (Stacy Nelkin) investigate the Irish-dominated Northern California community of Santa Mira, a company town owned by the Silver Shamrock Novelty corporation. Atkins and Nelkin are typical low-rent horror movie protagonists, dim bulbs who discover an Invasion of the Body Snatchers-style conspiracy involving sharp-suited corporate robots. But guest star Dan O'Herlihy steals the film as a Celtic joke tycoon who hates the way American kids are despoiling the religious spirit of Samhain and decides to teach them a nasty lesson. His scheme, which involves a stolen Stonehenge megalith and a techno-magic spell that turns the heads of TV watchers into writhing masses of snakes and insects, is value for money, and O'Herlihy mixes enough serious malice into the charm to come across as a great screen bad guy. --Kim Newman
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