LoginJohn Carpenter's 1978 'Halloween' is wholly deserving of its status as a horror classic. To this day it's still one of the freakiest films personally seen and introduced the world to one of horror's most iconic villainous characters Michael Myers.
Which is why it is such a shame that not only are all of the sequels nowhere near as good but that the decline in quality is so drastic. Ok, the original 'Halloween' is very difficult to follow on from, but most of the sequels could at least looked like effort was made into them. 'Halloween III: Season of the Witch' had a generally negative critical reception and is still considered by many one of the worst of the series, but has garnered fans overtime. To me, 'Halloween III: Season of the Witch' is not that awful, but it is not a particularly good film either.
It is often criticised for straying too far from the formula and not feeling at all like a 'Halloween' film. Actually these complaints are understandable, but a lot of people have also argued that there is much more wrong than just being unrecognisable as a 'Halloween' film. Actually, didn't mind at all that it tried to be different rather than being a retread like 'Halloween II' was, sadly it just didn't work out. Judging it as a standalone, 'Halloween III' also manages still to be problematic.
'Halloween III' is not a complete mess. It is one of the better-looking and more polished sequels and has a suitably eerie look. The music has a spine-chilling atmosphere and has a real eeriness. The song is similarly very catchy.
A couple of the deaths are disturbing and Dan O'Herlihy tries his best.
Like the previous film, the drawbacks are numerous and significant. There is more creepiness than with 'Halloween II', even if just sporadically, but tonally it still doesn't feel right. The weirdness of the story is overkill and parts are unintentionally funny. The science fiction elements feature excessively and confuse the storytelling, as well as because it is more silly than eerie it dumbs it down.
Once again there is very little scary or suspenseful. A couple of the deaths are more disturbing but most are not that creative or unsettling. The story was a decent idea that could have been creepy but was instead silly and with even more stupidity and illogic than the previous sequel.
Many have said that no awards will be given for good dialogue and acting. That's putting it lightly. The script is clunky and cheesy ineptitude throughout and the acting, Dan O'Herlihy excepted, is pretty awful and fails to do anything with such dull and annoying characters. The gore is gratuitous, the ending is a big head-scratcher and the non-horror scenes are ineptly directed (in a film where direction reeked of inexperience), written and acted.
In summation, mediocre and not so happy. Not quite as bad as reputed though. 4/10 Bethany Cox
A not so happy Halloween season
Posted : 2 years, 2 months ago on 2 March 2022 06:47
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Halloween III: Season of the Witch review
Posted : 4 years, 8 months ago on 17 August 2019 12:55
A Horror classic!!! Tom Atkins is amazing! And a must view for the Last Drive In! #showHalloween3 #lastdrivein #shudder
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Halloween III: Season of the Witch review
Posted : 8 years, 10 months ago on 9 July 2015 01:41
Initial Thought: I originally had this on my watched list and had it rated at the lowest point. Now I have finally decided to go ahead and watch it. Then I will give an actual rating. I will just watch it as it's own movie and not think about it within the actual series. If I do that I won't be pissed off watching this.
Characters/Acting: Well Tom Atkins is almost the only thing going for this film. There is also a cameo of Jamie Lee Curtis that I wasn't originally aware of until now. Some characters making the dumbest decisions and reactions. I wish there was a little bit more for the characters as I didn't really find any of them interesting. The acting was okay I suppose.
Story: A large Halloween mask-making company has plans to kill millions of American children with something sinister hidden in Halloween masks. That's actually kind of an amusing little plot if it were done correctly. There are so many unimpressive and ineffective jump scares. The first death scene was just plain dumb to me. Well it's hard to see this as a standalone when a scene sort of references the original film. I guess the Silver Shamrock commercials were about the creepiest thing about this whole thing. The twist was kind of lame and expected. Wow an ambiguous ending! Too bad I don't care what happened.
Directing/Writing: You know a film is a disappointment when two of the writers including John Carpenter wish to go uncredited for it. Carpenter being a legend you would think he would have known better than to try to change the series. I can't say that I've heard of Nigel Kneale or seen anything from him. Tommy Lee Wallace is decent when it came to the movie It. Everything else he does is a bit of a drag.
Final Thought: I found this to be extremely difficult to sit through. I kept doing other things than actually sitting down and watching it straight through. The deaths are pretty boring with only a very small few that caught my attention. The loud rise of music and jump scares were pointless and just plain ridiculous. I did like the haunting music though whenever it was playing normally. It's not an enjoyable watch as part of the Halloween series or even as it's own standalone film. It might have been better as a short film. Anyways this can be skipped as it has no relation to the actual series.
Characters/Acting: Well Tom Atkins is almost the only thing going for this film. There is also a cameo of Jamie Lee Curtis that I wasn't originally aware of until now. Some characters making the dumbest decisions and reactions. I wish there was a little bit more for the characters as I didn't really find any of them interesting. The acting was okay I suppose.
Story: A large Halloween mask-making company has plans to kill millions of American children with something sinister hidden in Halloween masks. That's actually kind of an amusing little plot if it were done correctly. There are so many unimpressive and ineffective jump scares. The first death scene was just plain dumb to me. Well it's hard to see this as a standalone when a scene sort of references the original film. I guess the Silver Shamrock commercials were about the creepiest thing about this whole thing. The twist was kind of lame and expected. Wow an ambiguous ending! Too bad I don't care what happened.
Directing/Writing: You know a film is a disappointment when two of the writers including John Carpenter wish to go uncredited for it. Carpenter being a legend you would think he would have known better than to try to change the series. I can't say that I've heard of Nigel Kneale or seen anything from him. Tommy Lee Wallace is decent when it came to the movie It. Everything else he does is a bit of a drag.
Final Thought: I found this to be extremely difficult to sit through. I kept doing other things than actually sitting down and watching it straight through. The deaths are pretty boring with only a very small few that caught my attention. The loud rise of music and jump scares were pointless and just plain ridiculous. I did like the haunting music though whenever it was playing normally. It's not an enjoyable watch as part of the Halloween series or even as it's own standalone film. It might have been better as a short film. Anyways this can be skipped as it has no relation to the actual series.
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