Spooky Season Reviews: Halloween III Season of the Witch

I have heard it said on more than one occasion that Halloween III: Season of the Witch, is the "worst" Halloween movie, because it does not have Michael Myers. This of course was often said when there were only two or three Michael Myers movies, not the original plus five sequels and two reboots, and I suppose people at the time wanted more of good ol' Michael. (Who, let's be frank ... after all these iterations ... is he even that interesting of a character anymore?)

The reality is, despite its many flaws, Halloween III, while not any kind of Michael Myers movie to speak of, is actually a pretty darn good Halloween movie, one of the few that actually draws heavily on the holiday's Celtic roots for its plot. It's actually a pretty cool concept, has a great villain, has subtle social commentary, and some pretty catchy music.

After a toy shop owner is mysteriously murdered by a man who promptly blows himself up, Dr. Daniel Challis (familiar horror actor Tom Atkins) takes it upon himself to investigate the motive behind the killing, eventually joining forces with the deceased man's daughter, following the trail of evidence to an uber rich, eccentric Irish toymaker, whose company has produced this year's hottest mask. Turns out these masks, infused with power from a stolen chunk of Stonehenge, will help him and his cult sacrifice millions of children and their families on Halloween night.

The masks - a witch, a skull, and a Jack-O-Lantern are pretty darn cool-looking, the Halloween jingle in the commercials is mind-numbingly catchy, the company logo (Silver Shamrock) is awesome, and the tie in to Celtic folklore and ancient religion is awesome. The heavy, Conal Cochran, played with devilish delight by Dan O'Herlihy, is on screen for a woefully short time. He's an effective villain, providing the subtle but clear social commentary of the film: a multi-millionaire businessman, secretly the leader of an ancient cult, capitalizes on the greed and gluttony of the holiday to turn it into a bloodbath.

The movie is dated and cringey at times. Dr. Challis is an odd choice for a hero, he's a serial sexual harasser, quite possibly a drunk who may or may not drink while doctoring, and he promptly beds the much younger daughter of the poor old guy whose murder he is investigating. On that note, Ellie (Stacey Nelkin), didn't plan on going on a long trip, yet somehow remembered to bring sexy lingerie in her single carry-on sized bag? Things like this are goofy, but don't take away from the sheer fun of the movie. It is at times spooky, the town of Santa Mira, where the Silver Shamrock factory is located, is atmospheric, and the cliffhanger ending just hits you right in the guts. If you've avoided Halloween III because it doesn't have Michael Myers, don't.