'' is a 1982
Point Of Divergence Horror Film set in the fictional town of Santa Mira,
California , in the week leading up to
Halloween and the third film in the
''Halloween'' Series . The film was directed by
Tommy Lee Wallace and stars
Tom Atkins as Dr. Dan Challis,
Stacey Nelkin as Ellie Grimbridge, and
Dan O'Herlihy as Conal Cochran. ''Halloween III'' is the only film in the ''Halloween'' series that does not feature a plot revolving around the character
Michael Myers . Instead, the film focuses on Challis and Grimbridge's discovery of a plan by Cochran, owner of the Silver Shamrock mask company, to murder 50 million children on Halloween night.
Produced on a budget of $2.5 million, ''Halloween III'' grossed $14.4 million at the genre which the original ''
Halloween '' spawned in 1978. The psychotic killer is instead replaced by an elderly
Trickster . The instances of graphic violence and gore are less frequent than in ''
Halloween II '' (1983), but scenes that depict the deaths of characters are as intense.
Few critics gave the film positive reviews and movie-goers were unhappy about the absence of Myers. The film borrows heavily from other horror films one critic suggests that if ''Halloween III'' was not part of the ''Halloween'' series, then it would simply be "a fairly nondescript eighties horror flick, no worse and no better than many others."Jim Harper, ''Legacy of Blood: A Comprehensive Guide to Slasher Movies'' (Manchester, Eng.: Critical Vision, 2004), p. 103, ISBN 1900486393. Cultural and film historians, on the other hand, have read significance into the film's plot, linking it to critiques of large
Corporation s and American
Consumerism .
The film begins on Saturday, October 23, with shop owner Harry Grimbridge (Al Berry) trying to elude pursuers dressed in
Suits . He collapses at a
Filling Station clutching a Silver Shamrock
Jack-o'-lantern Mask and is taken to the hospital by the service station attendant (Essex Smith) and ranting, "They're gonna kill us all." Grimbridge is placed under the care of Dr. Daniel "Dan" Challis. While hospitalized, another man in a suit (Dick Warlock) enters his room and pulls his skull apart, killing Grimbridge immediately. The man then enters his vehicle, douses himself with
Gasoline and lights himself on fire, causing the car to explode.
) and Betty (Jadeen Barbor) and their son "Little" Buddy (Bradley Schacter). All had business at the factory and meet gruesome ends thanks to the Silver Shamrock masks.
Challis and Ellie become alarmed after touring the Silver Shamrock factory with the Kupfers and discover Grimbridge's car in a storage building and more men dressed in suits. They return to the hotel but find that they cannot contact anyone outside Santa Mira. Ellie is kidnapped by men in suits who work for Silver Shamrock. Challis breaks into the factory and discovers that the men in suits are
Android s created by Cochran. After Challis is captured, Cochran reveals his devious plan to kill children on Halloween night. He explains that the Silver Shamrock
Trademark on the masks contains a
Computer Chip imbedded with a small fragment of a five ton sacrificial stone stolen from
Stonehenge . When the Silver Shamrock television commercial airs on Halloween night (following the original ''Halloween''), the chip activates killing the wearer of the mask. Their head deteriorates and spews forth insects and snakes. Cochran is attempting to resurrect the more
Macabre aspects of the
Gaelic festival,
Samhain , which he connects to
Witchcraft .
Challis escapes, rescuing Ellie and destroying the factory and Cochran. He soon finds out that Ellie has been replaced by one of Cochran's androids and destroys it. Returning to the same filling station as Grimbridge, he contacts the television station and convinces station managers to remove all of the commercials but one. The film ends with Challis screaming into the telephone, "Turn it off! Stop it! Stop it!"
When approached about creating a third ''Halloween'' film, original ''Halloween'' writers and
Moustapha Akkad , supporters of the first two films.http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=halloween3.htm
) children.]]The , "We didn't exactly have a whole lot of money for things like props, so we asked Post, who had provided the shape mask for for the earlier 'Halloween
{Link without Title} ..., if we could work out a deal."Aljean Harmetz, "'Halloween III' Masks to Help Scare Up Sales," New York ''Times'', 16 October 1982, p. 12. The skull and witch masks Post created were adaptations of standard Post Studios masks, but the jack-o'-lantern was created for ''Halloween III''. Post added a certain significance to the masks of the film and the popularity of masks in the real world:
''Every society in every time has had its masks that suited the mood of the society, from the masked ball to clowns to makeup. People want to act out a feeling inside themselves—angry, sad, happy, old. It may be a sad commentary on present-day America that horror masks are the best sellers.''Harmetz, "'Halloween III' Masks"
Most of ''Halloween III'' was filmed in the small coastal town of Loleta in ;
Omaha, Nebraska ;
Baton Rouge, Louisiana ;
Los Angeles ;
Seattle ; and
Phoenix .
The original screenplay of ''Halloween III'' was written by
Manx film and television science-fiction writer
Nigel Kneale , whose ''
Quatermass '' series was a favorite of John Carpenter's. In an interview, Kneale said his script did not include "horror for horror's sake." "The main story had to do with deception, psychological shocks rather than physical one's." Kneale asserts that
Dino De Laurentiis did not care for it and ordered more graphic violence and gore. While much of the plot remained the same, the alterations displeased him. Kneale requested that his name be removed from the credits and director Tommy Lee Wallace was assigned to revise the script.Nigel Kneale, interview with ''
Starburst '' 4.11 (July 1983): p. 32, available
here .
Wallace told ''Fangoria'' that the title was both a reference to "a plot point"—the three masks featured in the film—and an attempt to connect this film with the others. "It is our intention to create an
Anthology out of the series, sort of along the lines of ''
Night Gallery '', or ''
The Twilight Zone '', only on a much larger scale, of course."Tommy Lee Wallace interview, in Carlomagno, "Halloween III: Season of the Witch," p. 8, available
here .
Debra Hill told ''Fangoria'' and Aljean Harmetz that ''Halloween III'' was supposed to be "a ', ''Halloween III'' is set in California (presumably in 1982) in which the original ''Halloween'' is a popular film, an "immortal classic," airing on television on Halloween night. Wallace drew inspiration from another point of divergence film
Don Siegel 's ''
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers '' (1956). The town of Santa Mira was originally the setting of ''Invasion of the Body Snatchers'' and named such in ''Halloween III'' as an homage to Siegel's film.Harmetz, "'Halloween III' Masks". Aspects of the plot are very similar as well, especially "snatching" bodies and replacing them with androids. ''Halloween III'''s subtitle comes from
George A. Romero 's second film ''
Season Of The Witch '' (1973)—also known as ''Hungry Wives''—but the plot contains no similarity to Romero's story of a housewife who becomes involved in witchcraft.Harper, ''Legacy of Blood'', p. 103.
Wallace's plot has been called "deeply flawed" by one film critic. Jim Harper argues, "Any plot dependent on stealing a chunk of Stonehenge and shipping it secretly across the
Atlantic is going to be shaky from the start." Plus, "there are four
Time Zones across the
United States , so the western seaboard has four hours to get the fatal curse-inducing advertisement off the air. Not a great plan."Harper, ''Legacy of Blood'', p. 103. Harper was not the only critic unconvinced by the plot.
Roger Ebert of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times '' wrote, "What's
plan? Kill the kids and replace them with robots? Why?" Ebert also seemed confused by the lack of Continuity between ''Halloween II'' and ''Halloween III'': "It begins at the end of 'Halloween II,' when the monster was burned up in the hospital parking lot, but it's not still another retread of the invincible monster. In fact, the monster is forgotten, except for a lab technician who spends the whole movie sifting through his ashes."Roger Ebert, review of ''Halloween III: Season of the Witch'', Chicago ''Sun-Times'', 31 October 1982, at [http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19821031/REVIEWS/41006007/1023 RogerEbert.com .
The cast of ''Halloween III: Season of the Witch'' consisted mostly of
Character Actors whose primary roles consisted of cameo appearances on various television series. The exceptions included Tom Atkins and veteran actor Dan O'Herlihy.
Casted as the drunken surgeon Daniel "Dan" Challis, Tom Atkins had appeared in several John Carpenter films prior to starring in ''Halloween III''. Atkins had played Nick Castle in ''
The Fog '' (1980) and Rehme in ''
Escape From New York '' (1981). Atkins also guest starred in television series such as ''
Harry O '', ''
The Rockford Files '', and ''
Lou Grant ''. After ''Halloween III'', Atkins continued to play supporting roles in dozens of films and television series.http://imdb.com/name/nm0040662/
Character actress Stacey Nelkin co-starred as Ellie Grimbridge, a young woman whose father is murdered by Silver Shamrock. She received the role after a make-up artist working on the film told her about the auditions. In an interview, Nelkin commented on her character: "Ellie was very spunky and strong-minded. Although I like to think of myself as having these traits, she was written that way in the script." Nelkin also considered at an "honor" to be playing '' and ''
The Waltons ''. After ''Halloween III'', Nelkin continued working as a character actress on television.http://imdb.com/name/nm0625030/
Veteran Irish character actor Dan O'Herlihy was cast as Conal Cochran, the owner of Silver Shamrock and the witch from the film's title (a 3000-year-old demon in Kneale's original script).Carlomagno, "Halloween III: Season of the Witch," p. 8. O'Herlihy had played close to 150 roles before co-starring in ''Halloween III'' and had been nominated for an '' magazine that he was not particularly impressed with ''Halloween III''. When asked what he thought of working in the horror film, O'Herlihy responded, "Whenever I use a
Cork accent, I'm having a good time, and I used a Cork accent in
III'' . I thoroughly enjoyed the role, but I didn't think it was much of a picture, no."Dan O'Herlihy interview, "The Man Alone," ''Starlog'', #278, April 2001, in Tom Weaver, ''Science Fiction Confidential: Interviews with 23 Monster Stars and Filmmakers'' (Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, 2002), p. 232, ISBN 0786411759.
The
Supporting Cast of ''Halloween III'' included a host of character actors, two of which were not strangers to the ''Halloween'' series.
Nancy Kyes played Challis's ex-wife Linda, but had appeared in the original ''Halloween'' as
Laurie Strode 's
Promiscuous friend Annie Brackett.
Stunt Performer Dick Warlock makes a cameo appearance as the android assassin who kills Ellie Grimbridge's father in Challis's hospital. Warlock had earlier co-starred as Michael Myers in ''Halloween II''. Other minor roles were played by virtually unknown actors and actresses: Al Berry, Ralph Strait, Michael Currie, Jadeen Barbor, Bradley Schacter, Garn Stephens, Wendy Wessberg, Essex Smith, Michelle Walker, Joshua John Miller, and Jon Terry.http://imdb.com/title/tt0085636/fullcredits
''Halloween III'' was the first film directed by Tommy Lee Wallace, although he was not a newcomer to the ''Halloween'' series. Wallace had served as
Art Director and production designer for John Carpenter's original ''Halloween'' and he had declined to direct ''Halloween II'' in 1981. After ''Halloween III'', Wallace directed other horror films such as ''
Fright Night II '' (1988), ''
It '' (1990) the television adaptation of the
Stephen King Novel , and ''Vampires: Los Muertos'' (2002).
together.]]Despite the disagreements between Wallace and original script writer Nigel Kneale, the actors reported that Wallace was a congenial director to work with. Stacey Nelkin told one interviewer, "The shoot as a whole was fun, smooth and a great group of people to work with. Tommy Lee Wallace was incredibly helpful and open to discussion on dialogue or character issues."Nelkin interview.
Even though ''Halloween III'' departed from the plot of the first two films, Wallace attempted to connect all three films together through certain stylistic themes. The film's opening title reveals a
Digitally Animated jack-o'-lantern, an obvious reference to the jack-o'-lanterns that appeared in the opening titles of ''Halloween'' and ''Halloween II''. Wallace's jack-o'-lantern is also the catalyst in the Silver Shamrock commercials that activates the masks. In another scene, Dr. Challis tosses a mask over a security camera, making the image on the monitor seem to be peering through the eye holes. This is a also reference to the original ''Halloween'' in which Michael Myers murders his sister.Collum, ''Attack of the Killer B's'', p. 133. Additionally, scenes from ''Halloween'' appear on televisions throughout the film.
Wallace's use of gore in ''Halloween III'' served a different purpose than in ''Halloween II''. According to Tom Atkins, "The effects in this aren't bloody. They're more bizarre than gross."Tom Atkins interview, quoted at
HalloweenMovies.com Special effects and makeup artist Tom Burman concurred, stating in an interview, "This movie is really not out to disgust people. It's a fun movie with a lot of thrills in it; not a lot of random gratuitous gore."Tom Burman interview, Ellen Carlomagno, "The Effects of ''Halloween III'': Tom Burman Tells All About His Special Makeup Work for the Latest From Carpenter-Hill," ''Fangoria'', #23, November 1982, p. 8, available
here . Many of the special effects were meant to emphasize the theme of the
Practical Joke that peppers the film. ''New York Times'' film critic
Vincent Canby notes, "The movie features a lot of carefully executed, comically horrible special effects ...." He was also one of the few critics of the time to praise Wallace's directing: "Mr. Wallace clearly has a fondness for the clichés he is parodying and he does it with style."Vincent Canby, "Film: 'Halloween III,' Plotting a Joke," New York ''Times'', 22 October 1982, p. C28.
Music remained an important element in establishing the atmosphere of ''Halloween III''. Just as in ''Halloween'' and ''Halloween II'', there was no
Symphonic score or accompanying songs. Much of the music was composed to solicit "false
Startles " from the audience.
(left) and Alan Howarth composed most of the soundtrack to ''Halloween III'' using d video tape and synchronized to a 24 track
Master Audio Recorder ; then while watching the film we compose the music to these visual images. The entire process goes quite rapidly and has "instant gratification," allowing us to evaluate the score in synch to the picture. This is quite an invaluable asset.''Alan Howarth, quoted at
TheOfficialJohnCarpenter.com
One of the more memorable aspects of ''Halloween III'''s soundtrack was the
Jingle from the Silver Shamrock Halloween mask commercial. Set to the tune of "
London Bridge Is Falling Down ," the commercial in the film counts down the number of days until Halloween beginning with day eight followed by an announcer's voice (Tommy Lee Wallace) encouraging children to purchase a Silver Shamrock mask to wear on Halloween night:
Eight more days 'til Halloween,
Eight more days 'til Halloween,
Film Information
| |
210em
|
| |
USA:R / Canada:13+ (Quebec) / Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia) / Iceland:16 / Austria:16 / Finland:K-18 / France:-12 / Netherlands:16 / Norway:15 / Norway:16 (original rating) / Spain:18 / Sweden:15 / West Germany:18 / UK:15 (theatrical release uncut) / UK:15 (video rating cut 1986) / UK:15 (video rating uncut 2002) / Australia:M / Singapore:NC-16
|
| |
violence / gore / sex / nudity / profanity
|
|
''Halloween III: Season of the Witch'' opened in 1,297 theaters in the United States on of the film (''The Night No One Comes Home'') referenced the original ''Halloween'''s tagline, ''The Night HE Came Home!''
Most of ''Halloween III'''s international premieres took place in
European theaters in the
United Kingdom ,
Norway ,
Spain ,
West Germany ,
Sweden , and
France . It also premeired in
Canada ,
Australia , and
Singapore . Its performance abroad was weaker than in the United States.
In 1983, Edd Riveria, designer of the film's theatrical poster, received a face descending on three
Trick-or-treat ers. His artwork was also featured on the cover of ''Fangoria'' in October 1982. Oddly enough, no creature even remotely resembling the face on the theatrical poster appears in the film.
As part of a s for the masks in the film to mass produce masks for sale. He speculated, "Because the masks are so significant to the movie, they could become a cult item, with fans wanting to wear them when they go to see the movie." Post also gave mask-making demonstrations at
Universal Studio tour in
Hollywood . The masks retailed for $25 when they finally appeared in stores.Harmetz, "'Halloween III' Masks."
Another part of the merchandising campaign included adapting the script of ''Halloween III'' as a
Mass Market Paperback Novelization in 1982 by science-fiction writer
Dennis Etchison writing under the
Pseudonym Jack Martin. The book was a best seller and later reissued in 1984.Jack Martin, ''Halloween III: Season of the Witch'', (New York: Jove Books, 1982), ISBN 0515068853; 1984 reissue, ISBN 0515085944.
''Halloween III'' was later released on
VHS and
Laserdisc in 1983 by
MCA/Universal Home Video and by Goodtimes Home Video in 1996. A
DVD version was produced by Goodtimes in 1998.
''.]]Critical response to ''Halloween III: Season of the Witch'' proved to be mixed. ''New York Times'' reviewer Vincent Canby struggled to apply a definite label on the film's content. He remarks, "'Halloween III' manages the not easy feat of being anti-children, ending as one reason why the film dissatisfied reviewers and the audience alike. ''Halloween III'' is the only film in the ''Halloween'' series in which the villain is not defeated and his plan foiled.Collum, ''Assault of the Killer B's'', p. 133.
Academics, however, found subtle critiques of late twentieth-century American society in the film. Historian Nicholas Rogers points to an anti-." Upset over the
Commercialization of the Halloween holiday, Cochran uses "the very medium he abhors as a weapon against itself." Harris also references other big business critiques in the film, including the unemployment of local workers and the declining quality of mass produced products.Martin Harris, "You Can't Kill the Boogeyman: ''Halloween III'' and the Modern Horror Franchise," ''Journal of Popular Film and Television'' 32.3 (Fall 2004): pp. 104-105.
All URLs last accessed
27 April 2006 unless otherwise stated.
