Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) Review

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

Season of the Witch follows Dr. Daniel Challis, who, after a man is mysteriously murdered in his hospital, teams up with the man’s daughter to uncover the connection between the murderer and factory selling Halloween masks. 

Pretty well panned upon it’s release, Halloween III is the only Halloween film in the series that doesn’t focus on Michael Myers, instead going the anthology route. Aside from the original however, one could easily argue that this is still one of the best in series, regardless of how different, though this entry works as more of a sci-fi thriller than a slashy horror, with an underlying message about consumerism, taking the ‘poisoning’ of kids on Halloween to new heights. 

Opening on the mysterious men in suits, dead set on killing a man for knowing too much, it’s evident that this is a similar, even visually comparative film to John Carpenter’s Halloween but with a creepy twist, the end goal to sacrifice thousands, if not millions of kids around the country. The horror and eerie atmosphere is so subtle but it always feels more like a tense investigative thriller than anything, with a heart pulsing score from Carpenter that always keeps you gripping the edge of your seat tight. And while our villain, Conal Cochran’s plan involving witchcraft, Halloween masks, and Stonehenge does get a little hokey, the end result is no less terrifying, culminating in an ending that makes Challis’ actions for nought, failing to save anyone from the mass horror that is inflicted. 

We get a real tight cast, starring Al Berry, Wendy Wessberg, Jadeen Barbor, Ralph Strait, Dan O’Herlihy, Stacey Nelkin, and Tom Atkins. Atkins makes for a touchingly flawed average guy hero, who proves more than competent as the always in danger Dr. Challis, with a spooky performance out of O’Herlihy to guide him along the way. 

Season of the Witch, directed by Tommy Lee Wallace, sadly had the fate of being associated with the Halloween franchise and therefore got a bad rap, for as a standalone horror, it’s originality and nerve inducing moments are all top notch. 

9/10