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Background On the Film

"Halloween III: Season of the Witch" is a 1982 Science Fiction Horror film written and directed by Tommy Lee Wallace (who served as a production designer and editor on the original "Halloween"). The film's concept originated from the idea (which John Carpenter and Debra Hill came up with) now that Michael Myers was dead at the end of Halloween II, the franchise could transition into an anthology series with each film taking place in a new setting and universe but still centered on Halloween. Essentially the Halloween franchise could've turned into a large scale “Tales From the Crypt “or “The Twilight Zone.” Wallace jumped at the idea because it was an opportunity to do something different and fresh instead of continuing on with the same

Michael Myers narrative. Wallace had stated many times that he hated the idea of directing sequels (which he passed on directing Halloween II) and saw them as a "disease" in Hollywood; so this was a new way to approach an existing property. Carpenter and Hill came up with a concept for the story and asked British writer Nigel Kneale (whom Carpenter admired for the "Quartermass" series) to write a screenplay but Dino De Laurentiis (who held the film's distribution rights) was not pleased with it and ordered for it to have more violence and gore put in. Kneale was insulted by the alterations ordered and asked for his name to be taken off the script. John Carpenter was handed the script and made the changes asked, but asked Wallace to revise the script so he could have his name taken off of it too to avoid more trouble with studios. Wallace maintains that while he is the soul credited writer on the film; about 60% of the screenplay is Kneale's work while the rest is an amalgamation of his and Carpenter's own work.

Since this was Wallace's directorial debut he wanted to inject what he loved into the film. He was heavily influenced by the 1956 Science Fiction film "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and included many homages to it in Halloween III as well as trying to capture the same sense of dread and paranoia. The town where the Silver Shamrock factory is located was named Santa Mira after Body Snatchers and both films were shot in Sierra Madre, California. The film featured many John Carpenter/Debra Hill usual collaborators such as Dean Cundey as the Director of Photography, Carpenter himself and Alan Howarth scoring the film, Tom Atkins in the leading role who was in "The Fog" and "Escape From New York", Dick Warlock who played Michael Myers in "Halloween II", Nancy Kyes who was in both prior Halloween films as well as "The Fog" and "Assault On Precinct 13", and even Jamie Lee Curtis was involved in a small way voicing the loud speaker curfew announcements at the Silver Shamrock Factory.

Where I Stand

The film, despite scathing negative initial reviews and notorious reputations as the black sheep of the Halloween franchise due to the lack of Michael Myers as the central antagonist, has since been re-evaluated by a small faction of people (myself included) as a standalone cult film. Halloween III is an essential piece of viewing in October. It is the perfect Halloween season film

because of it's incredibly strong atmosphere (which its successor "Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers" did, I think, in spades with the opening credits and overall feel of the film). The film carries such a powerful and overwhelming sense of Halloween season/October that is infectious and charming. From the cinematography, to the production design, and to the Silver Shamrock television jingle; the film really boasts a strong hold on creating the universe in which it takes place. The film's story is interesting in that it explores the origins of Halloween and marries witchcraft and the computer age into one narrative, that at times is a little loose, but doesn't fall into a complete mess.
The first time I saw the film I was as a kid, probably in middle school or late elementary school, on AMC FearFest or whatever they called it back then. It was weird to me cause I was young and I wanted to see Michael Myers killing people in Haddonfield. My first exposure to the franchise was Halloween 4 and 5 back to back in either 3rd or 4th grade at a friend's house while we carved pumpkins; so I definitely knew he was supposed to be in the franchise and his exclusion didn't make any sense to me. For years I didn't like Halloween III and I carried the same opinion of it that many Horror fans did at the time, but then one day I decided to revisit it because the final sequence in the film stuck with me all those years as such an effective and memorable ending. I watched it and I quickly fell in love with it. Fast forward to my four years in film school to the present - it is now being praised as a misunderstood cult gem. In all honesty, he "Halloween title" is the biggest detractor of the film. It should've been titled simply "Season of the Witch" and it wouldn't have been so viciously derided for years. In my eyes, the film stands on its own as a

great b-horror film with tremendous atmosphere, an interesting story, and fantastic score thanks to Carpenter and Howarth. The film's cast also possesses strong performances - specially from Tom Atkins and Dan O'Herlihy. Halloween III should be revisited with an open mind because it is in actuality incredibly entertaining and fairly intelligent in its own right. I'm so glad that it is enjoying a second life and hasn't fallen into obscurity.
In light of recent attempts, I think instead of rebooting the Halloween franchise again; they should revisit the original idea that John Carpenter and Debra Hill had that each sequel would be a different Halloween centric story. It opens up the doors so so much and it could really give some new horror directors a chance to put their spin on what Halloween (as a holiday, mood, and topic) means to them.