"Halloween III: Season of the Witch" Never Needed Michael Myers to be a Great Horror Movie

"Halloween III: Season of the Witch" was always a great horror movie. It needs to be said because, for the longest time, the film was unfairly considered the black sheep of the series by audiences for not featuring Michael Myers as the main antagonist. It's always been a ridiculous nitpick parroted as actual criticism and falls in line with a common inability among moviegoers to view a text for what it is rather than what they wanted it to be. You can even see this crop up in the same series later down the line with "Halloween Ends," which is a good movie, actually. Interesting things happen when a filmmaker attempts something that breaks from the status quo of what came before. This is how "Season of the Witch" came to be. Micheal Myers was always meant to be a one and done, but when John Carpenter's seminal horror classic proved to be immensely successful, "Halloween II" was a no-brainer. At the end of that film, however, both Mikey and his haunted psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Loomis (Donald Pleasance) were blown sky high. Although "Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers" would inevitably scale back the extent of the explosion, this ending gave Carpenter and his producing partner Debra Hill the leeway to start fresh and take the series in a new direction. "Halloween" was to become an anthology horror series, with each new film being its own story revolving around the holiday, and "Season of the Witch" proved that the concept could have worked if they had kept course. Tommy Lee Wallace's "Halloween III" differentiates itself not as a traditional slasher movie, but a sci-fi horror mystery that keeps you on your toes. It opens with a mysterious man named Harry Grimbridge (Al Berry) ending up in the hospital after he collapses with a Halloween mask in his hands. A strange assassin murders the man in his sleep, walks to his car and immolates himself. Dr. Daniel Challis (Tom Atkins), along with Harry's younger daughter Ellie (Stacey Nelkin), take matters into their own hands and investigate what led to the bizarre hit. It takes them to Santa Mira, Calif., otherwise known as the central hub of the Silver Shamrock Novelties Corporation. What appears to be a Halloween mask manufacturing plant holds a sinister secret that's about to be revealed on the scariest night of the year. It feels almost impossible to distill "Season of the Witch" into a single synopsis. It's a deeply weird movie that keeps you guessing the whole way through, and while it ultimately provides answers, keeping that air of mystery is all part of the charm. The film, at its heart, is an excellent anti-capitalist satire that turns corporate advertising directed toward children to the extreme. Silver Shamrock permeates "Season of the Witch" with an ultra-catchy television jingle that you will not get out of your head anytime soon. It's as much a symbol of the season as Carpenter's theme to the original "Halloween." The commercial always exists in the background, and while it first sounds innocent, it takes on a darker connotation when details surrounding Silver Shamrock's devious dealings come to light. There's a harrowing scene in which the Kupfer family is led to a closed room with nothing but a small living room setup and a television. Buddy Kapfer (Ralph Strait), one of the biggest mask salespeople in the country, initially believes he's there to take notes on potential commercials, but his son's reaction to the broadcast gives the movie a horrifying edge. It's an effectively upsetting scene that delivers on a true horror movie moment, while showing Wallace isn't afraid to put children in peril. While I do love Atkins as the promiscuous doctor with the itch of an investigative reporter, "Season of the Witch" belongs to its antagonist Conal Cochran (Dan O'Herlihy). He gives an eerie monologue just over halfway through about the traditions of Samhain. With a deep voice like his, it's nearly impossible not to hang on to his every word. The few townsfolk of Santa Mira acknowledge his existence at a distance through an obscure car window, waving to him as he passes. It would be like if Amazon CEO Jeffrey Bezos drove through a ghost town to ensure secrecy on whatever he's doing back at headquarters. O'Herlihy brings an infectious menace to the role. Something I found interesting upon this rewatch was all the ways "Season of the Witch" kept the spirit of the previous "Halloween" movies alive. The title sequence opens with the carving of a pumpkin, albeit a digital one. Additionally, the film is partially about a deadly mask that brings death wherever it goes. The three Silver Shamrock designs became so beloved that they can be seen throughout the most recent trilogy of films from David Gordon Green. The best example of all, however, comes at the end of Cochran's monologue where Carpenter's "Halloween" breaks free for an important moment. "Laurie's Theme" is a brilliant piece of scoring that somehow feels cozy, threatening and uneasy. It's one of my favorites, and among the definitive sounds of the Halloween season. As the '78 film is playing on television, the music transforms into a diegetic track that imbues it with a whole new context, while still retaining its ominous makeup. It's one of those clever tricks that add to the film's eeriness. Even with what I've written here, I feel I've barely scratched the surface of the bizarre idiosyncrasies of "Season of the Witch." Its only crime is being a bold sequel that dared to think outside the box of franchise parameters. I enjoy a good number of the traditional "Halloween" sequels, but I still can't help but lament the anthology series that could have been. "Halloween III" is a smarter and often meaner movie than it's given credit for, so on the off chance you've avoided it because it didn't connect to a Michael Myers killing spree, you're denying yourself a gonzo story that ties Halloween masks, evil corporations, Stonehenge, lasers, bugs, snakes and Atkins' mustache into something oddly poignant and creepy. "Halloween III: Season of the Witch" is currently streaming on Peacock.