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Halloween III: Season of the Witch

  • 1982
  • R
  • 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
5.2/10
64K
YOUR RATING
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
Artificial IntelligenceCyber ThrillerSupernatural HorrorSuspense MysteryHorrorMysterySci-FiThriller

Kids all over America want Silver Shamrock masks for Halloween. Doctor Daniel Challis seeks to uncover a plot by Silver Shamrock owner Conal Cochran.Kids all over America want Silver Shamrock masks for Halloween. Doctor Daniel Challis seeks to uncover a plot by Silver Shamrock owner Conal Cochran.Kids all over America want Silver Shamrock masks for Halloween. Doctor Daniel Challis seeks to uncover a plot by Silver Shamrock owner Conal Cochran.

  • Director
    • Tommy Lee Wallace
  • Writers
    • Tommy Lee Wallace
    • John Carpenter
    • Nigel Kneale
  • Stars
    • Tom Atkins
    • Stacey Nelkin
    • Dan O'Herlihy
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.2/10
    64K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Tommy Lee Wallace
    • Writers
      • Tommy Lee Wallace
      • John Carpenter
      • Nigel Kneale
    • Stars
      • Tom Atkins
      • Stacey Nelkin
      • Dan O'Herlihy
    • 853User reviews
    • 246Critic reviews
    • 50Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 1 nomination total

    Videos4

    Halloween III: Season of the Witch: [Collectors Edition Blu-Ray]
    Trailer 2:03
    Halloween III: Season of the Witch: [Collectors Edition Blu-Ray]
    Halloween III: Season of the Witch
    Trailer 0:41
    Halloween III: Season of the Witch
    Halloween III: Season of the Witch
    Trailer 0:41
    Halloween III: Season of the Witch
    Will 'Halloween Ends' End Halloween? Reboots, Sequels, & Easter Eggs Revealed
    Clip 2:59
    Will 'Halloween Ends' End Halloween? Reboots, Sequels, & Easter Eggs Revealed
    How David Gordon Green Made the 'Halloween' He Wanted to See
    Interview 2:04
    How David Gordon Green Made the 'Halloween' He Wanted to See

    Photos221

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    Top cast30

    Edit
    Tom Atkins
    Tom Atkins
    • Daniel Challis
    Stacey Nelkin
    Stacey Nelkin
    • Ellie Grimbridge
    Dan O'Herlihy
    Dan O'Herlihy
    • Conal Cochran
    Michael Currie
    Michael Currie
    • Rafferty
    Ralph Strait
    • Buddy Kupfer
    Jadeen Barbor
    • Betty Kupfer
    Brad Schacter
    Brad Schacter
    • Little Buddy
    • (as Bradley Schachter)
    Garn Stephens
    Garn Stephens
    • Marge
    Nancy Kyes
    Nancy Kyes
    • Linda Challis
    Jonathan Terry
    • Starker
    • (as Jon Terry)
    Al Berry
    Al Berry
    • Harry Grimbridge
    Wendy Wessberg
    • Teddy
    Essex Smith
    • Walter Jones
    Maidie Norman
    Maidie Norman
    • Nurse Agnes
    John MacBride
    • Sheriff
    Loyd Catlett
    Loyd Catlett
    • Charlie
    Paddi Edwards
    Paddi Edwards
    • Secretary
    Norman Merrill
    • Red
    • Director
      • Tommy Lee Wallace
    • Writers
      • Tommy Lee Wallace
      • John Carpenter
      • Nigel Kneale
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews853

    5.264.4K
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    10

    Featured reviews

    7packfanman

    No Michael - Whew!

    For those of you who turn to 'Halloween' movies to get your Michael Myers on, you probably already know to avoid this movie like the plague. But, here is the truth. John Carpenter never wanted Michael Myers to become a series - he hated writing the second 'Halloween' - thought it was a totally useless concept that Michael turns out to be Laurie's uncle. That's why he blew him up at the end - so he didn't have to do the storyline anymore. Instead, he wanted to use the 'Halloween' title to come out with Halloween-themed movies - a new movie with a new them every year. I guess enough people didn't read that or understand what he wanted to do with it. Too bad. You're missing a decent show.
    7jp76-1

    Pumpkin-based terror

    Saw this film again recently after watching it as a kid in the 80s. Nobody else seems to like this film but personally i thought it was great. Maybe its because I'm a sucker for nostalgia and 80's B Movie 'shockers' and sci-fi generally, but also because I love Carpenter's work, especially from this period (and even though he didn't direct this he did produce it and it has many of his hallmarks) - The score is excellent and the whole film has the mood of a period of film-making that is forever imprinted upon my psyche. The story is typically ludicrous and fanciful to the extreme, (the theft of parts of Stonehenge and transportation to Western US for example, and the formation of snakes and insects out of thin air, but then we are talking witchcraft here so fair enough...)

    A very bizarrely positioned film in a series that was both preceded and succeeded by psycho-killer Micheal Myers' character, this is in my opinion a little b-movie gem.
    5TOMASBBloodhound

    "A good magician never explains."

    Let me begin by saying that I hated this film as a kid. After viewing it the other day on a whim however, I was surprised at how much better I liked it now. The story centers around an evil mask-maker planning to use ancient technology to murder millions of children on Halloween night by selling them masks with a nasty little secret inside. I found the story very interesting, though plenty of plot holes ultimately keep this film from being all it could have been.

    The biggest obstacle in this film's way is the fact that it has nothing at all to do with the other "Halloween" films made either before or after it. That's certainly no reason not to give it a chance, though. Perhaps it should have been called only "Season of the Witch" or something so as not to anger the purists out there who demand the presence of Michael Myers in anything with the word "Halloween" in the title. That said, let's take a look at the good and not-so-good elements of this film, shall we?

    Like the previous entries in the series, this film has some creepy and effective music. It is also buffered by some evil synthesizer sounds at every turn. The little jingle set to "London Bridge" is annoying, and I'm sure it was supposed to be.

    There are some interesting deaths, to say the least. Early on, we see a robotic henchman pull apart a victim's skull, then blow himself up in a car. One hapless woman gets an energy beam projected through her face, leaving her mouth much larger than normal. (a bug then crawls out of her head, foreshadowing later events) Another man gets his head ripped completely off for threatening to torch the bad guy's factory. Later on, a family is murdered in a test demonstration of what happens when someone wearing one of these masks watches a certain commercial on TV. Bugs and poisonous snakes form inside the mask and attack anyone in the room. It seems the masks have some tiny pieces from one of the blocks from Stonehenge implanted in the factory seal. Something about the commercial triggers the effect within the mask. And just how does this happen, you ask? "A good magician never explains," the mask-maker points out in one scene. Sigh.

    Some gigantic holes are present as the story unfolds. Tom Atkins, who plays our hero, has a useless love affair with the daughter of an early victim. If these two are so intent on solving a deadly mystery about the death of her father, and bad guys are all around, would they really stop to have sex? He is also much older than this woman. I guess since Atkins plays a doctor, the young woman finds that sexy. Maybe I'd better go to medical school if I want to score with hot young women when I'm his age.

    Another problem concerns the time that these masks are supposed to go off. We are told by the mask maker that when the commercial airs at 9:00 pm on Halloween night, all the masks will react and kill the children. However, if it's 9:00 in California (where this takes place) it would be 11:00 where I live or midnight on the east coast. Children would mostly be in bed by then! Few parents would allow their kids up that late to watch any "big give-a-way". The plan is to wipe out kids all over the country, but it looks like only kids on the west coast would be up when the commercial airs. If there was an explanation about how this problem would be overcome, I missed it. I guess once again, "A good magician never explains."

    And just how in the hell did this guy steal a piece of Stonehenge, anyway? He admits it was difficult, but again offers no explanation of how it was done!

    And how many freaking times did the female robot attack Atkins at the end? I lost count.

    Well, it's not a total loss. It was a neat idea for a film, but they shouldn't have glossed over so many things.

    I'll give it 5 of 10 stars.

    Happy Happy Halloween Halloween Halloween Happy Happy Halloween Silver Shamrock!

    STOP IT!!!! STOP IT!!!! STOP IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    So sayeth the Hound.
    8Hey_Sweden

    Happy, happy Halloween, Silver Shamrock!

    It's such a shame that this entry in the "Halloween" franchise isn't more appreciated. It DOES have its admirers (such as this viewer), but it just wasn't satisfying to an audience that only wanted Michael Myers. Certainly a franchise that revolved around different macabre stories told at Halloween time would have been more interesting than yet another "psycho on a murder spree" plot. Conceived by producer Debra Hill as a tale of witchcraft in the computer age, the idea was taken to noted writer Nigel Kneale, although his script would be re-written by producer John Carpenter and re-written again by debuting director / longtime Carpenter associate Tommy Lee Wallace.

    Legendary stud Mr. Tom Atkins stars as the commendably flawed protagonist Dr. Daniel Challis (he's insatiable and has a weakness for drink), who's thrown for a loop when a panicked man is brought to his hospital and murdered later that night by a cold-eyed, well dressed assassin. Hooking up with the victims' daughter Ellie (cute as a button Stacey Nelkin), he decides to play detective and tracks the mans' actions to a Halloween mask factory in a small California town. Presiding over the business and town is cheerful Conal Cochran (Dan O'Herlihy, whom you'll recognize from "The Last Starfighter" and "RoboCop" 1 and 2), a maniacal villain putting into motion a horrible prank that he intends to play on the children of America. It's up to Daniel to save the day...if he can keep his hands off of Ellie for long enough.

    As noted, this in-name-only sequel (the only nod it makes to past movies is a TV commercial for the '78 Carpenter-helmed "Halloween") owes a fair bit to "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", right down to naming the town Santa Mira. It's solidly entertaining and consistently amusing stuff, with Wallace (assisted by ace D.P. Dean Cundey) creating fine atmosphere, especially when it comes to the corporate-controlled town, where Cochrans' "eyes and ears" are everywhere. The film hits the ground running, and there's no let up right until the ending. Tom Burmans' makeup is excellent; there's good gross-out stuff here. Atkins is an appealing unlikely hero and Nelkin is pleasing to look at as the daughter who gets over the death of her father in record time. Supporting and bit parts are played by the likes of Michael Currie ("Dead & Buried"), Ralph Strait ("The Beastmaster"), Garn Stephens (the real-life Mrs. Tom Atkins at the time), Nancy Kyes (Annie in the first "Halloween"), Jonathan Terry ("The Return of the Living Dead"), Maidie Norman ("What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?"), stunt coordinator Dick Warlock, and Joshua John Miller ("Near Dark"). Carpenters' score is one of his best. And to top it all off, there's that insidiously catchy jingle (sung to the tune of "London Bridge is Falling Down") that pops up over and over.

    If only it didn't have the name "Halloween" attached, some viewers might be more inclined to give it a break.

    Eight out of 10.
    6HOPSQUIAT

    On its Own, Its Pretty Solid

    The movie gets a bad rep for being a Halloween sequel. However, on its own as a b movie, I think its enjoyable. It is a little cheesy and doesn't really hold up well, but I think its a fun time. Some scenes are unintentionally funny, and the story is extremely dark, but its a fun Friday night movie. The soundtrack is awesome though. I think that's the best part of the movie. Chariot Of Pumpkins is a great track.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The movie's novelization was published in 1982 by science-fiction writer Dennis Etchison under the pseudonym Jack Martin. Despite the movie's critical failure, the book became a best-seller and was even reissued two years after the movie's release, in 1984.
    • Goofs
      The technicians at the Shamrock factory are still making the deadly computer chips and masks and working on the Blue stone an hour before the Big Giveaway at 9. These chips and the thousands of others in boxes around the factory will never be used as Cohran's goal will have been achieved after 9 pm.
    • Quotes

      Conal Cochran: Enjoy the horror-thon, Doctor, and don't forget to watch the big giveaway afterwards.

      Daniel Challis: Why, Cochran, why?

      Conal Cochran: Do I need a reason? Mr. Kupfer was right, you know. I do love a good joke, and this is the best ever: a joke on the children. But there's a better reason. You don't really know much about Halloween. You thought no further than the strange custom of having your children wear masks and go out begging for candy.

      [pauses]

      Conal Cochran: It was the start of the year in our old Celtic lands, and we'd be waiting in our houses of wattles and clay. The barriers would be down, you see, between the real and the unreal, and the dead might be looking in to sit by our fires of turf.

      [pauses]

      Conal Cochran: Halloween... the festival of Samhain! The last great one took place three thousand years ago, when the hills ran red with the blood of animals and children.

      Daniel Challis: Sacrifices.

      Conal Cochran: It was part of our world... our craft.

      Daniel Challis: Witchcraft.

      Conal Cochran: To us, it was a way of controlling our environment. It's not so different now... it's time again. In the end, we don't decide these things, you know; the planets do. They're in alignment, and it's time again. The world's going to change tonight, Doctor, I'm glad you'll be able to watch it. And... Happy Halloween.

    • Alternate versions
      The UK MIA DVD is completely uncut. The UK version was uncut during its theatrical exhibition. The video release in 1986 was cut by 2 minutes 6 secs before the video was submitted for a certificate and has all the violent scenes cut out. For instance: When Harry Grimbridge is killed, the gruesome killing of him is cut out. We see the fingers poised and the feet and Halloween mask moving, and then immediately it shows the assassin wiping his blood covered gloves on the curtain. When Starker gets decapitated, this scene including the fountain of blood is cut out. When Marge Guttman's face explodes, the gruesome insect scene is cut and it just shows her quivering hands move slowly down her face then it fades out. The drill murder of lab assistant Teddy ends as the drill starts turning and no footage is shown of her kicking legs. The 2000 MIA DVD featured the full uncut version though the 2002 widescreen release from Sanctuary featured a re-edited print which was missing footage of the two face mutilations.
    • Connections
      Featured in Coming Soon (1982)
    • Soundtracks
      Do the Boogaloo
      Written by Gerhard Narholz and Jean-Claude Madonne (as Jean Claude Madone)

      Performed by Quango and Sparky

      c/o Sonoton Music Inc

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    FAQ24

    • How long is Halloween III: Season of the Witch?Powered by Alexa
    • If Halloween 3 originally was intended to start off a completely different anthology series of movies why is it called Halloween 3 season of the witch instead of just season of the witch?
    • What is 'Halloween III: Season of the Witch' about?
    • Is 'Halloween 3' based on a book?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 22, 1982 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • HalloweenMovies.com
      • Official Site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Halloween III: El imperio de las brujas
    • Filming locations
      • Humboldt Creamery - 281 Loleta Drive, Loleta, California, USA(Silver Shamrock Novelties Factory)
    • Production companies
      • Dino De Laurentiis Company
      • Universal Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $2,500,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $14,400,000
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $6,333,259
      • Oct 24, 1982
    • Gross worldwide
      • $14,400,000
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 38 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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