Halloween Picks: Season of the Witch

8 More Days Till Halloween, Halloween Halloween. 8 More Days to Halloween…Silver Shamrock.

Imagine this word to the tune of London Bridge is falling down and you have the theme to Halloween III Season of the Witch.

I know what many of you are thinking is that this is the Halloween sequel that does not feature Michael Myers as the antagonist. Yes it is.

Technically Michael Myers does in fact appear in the film on television screens advertising as “the immortal classic”.

The truth is that John Carpenter and Debra Hill were looking to make the franchise where every year a film was made that had Halloween as the central theme but always a different story.

Originally written by Nigel Kneale and revised by John Carpenter the script was also rewritten by Tommy Lee Wallace who would direct the film with Invasion of the Body Snatchers as his influence.

Halloween 3 features Tom Atkins as Dr. Daniel Challis opposite Stacey Nelkin.

Atkins is not the person that you would expect to play the leading man in a film. Now no offence to Atkins because I am a fan, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr Atkins on multiple occasions and it was always a pleasure. He is definitely a Man’s Man.

 Typically the leading man in a film like this is far younger but in this film it really works and Atkins has the chops to lead the film.

The Plot goes like this. Eight days till Halloween the company Silver Shamrock that sells a popular trio of masks in the form of a Skull, a Jack O Lantern or a Witch.

 The viewer is shown  shop owner Harry Grimbridge running for his life from business suit wearing assassins and making his escape to a local gas station where he is taken to the local hospital raving that they were all going to be killed while clutching a Shamrock mask.

Dr. Challis is a Alcoholic doctor who is called in to treat Grimbridge and while resting one of the assassins locate and kill Grimbridge by ripping out his skull before commiting suicide by burning  himself in his car.

Soon Challas meets Harry’s daughter Elle and while learning more facts about Harry they learn that The last place that Harry had been seen was the Silver Shamrock factory in Santa Mira CA.

Deciding to go further in their investigation Challas and Elle go to the town and eventually begin an affair. ( I will rant on that later).

Soon they meet Silver Shamrock’s owner Conal Cochran and are treated to a tour where they eventually run afoul of Cochran and his goons.

Soon you find out that Cochran is plotting to use rocks taken from Stonehenge which upon activation from a commercial will cause not only the death of the children but the parents as well.

Challis finds that he must escape from this warlock’s minions, save Ellie and stop his sinister plot.

Now I am sure that many of you may have not seen this flick therefor I am not going to spoil it her for you by giving away many of the “Trade Secrets” But I will give you a review.

Now I have admitted a year before the film began getting the respect that it is due that I was a fan. I will also admit that Tom Atkins is the man.

I was first introduced to this film by mistake. When I was a kid my cousin is the one that informed me that Halloween 3 sucked and Michael Myers was not in the film. A couple of years later the film came on television and though I missed the opening credits I did come into the film early and was quickly enthralled in the film. Soon after the showing I checked the TV listings and I was informed that this film was none other than the infamous Halloween 3.

I knew that many were angry about the fact that Michael Myers isn’t in this film and quite frankly I don’t give a damn it was still a good flick that kept me entertained and well did I mention that Tom Atkins is the man.

I first met Mr Atkins in 2007 at the Texas Frightmare Weekend where I was in the VIP party and I was wearing a nice suit and he then remarked on the suit and how it reminded him of Night of the Creeps. I pretty much ended up hanging out with him the whole weekend.

There are some of the best elements in the film such as the seduction scene between Dr Challis and Ellie. “Where do you Want to Sleep Dr Challis” “That’s a Stupid question Ms, Grimbridge”

Who is seducing who in this scene?

Cochran I feel is one of my personal favorite villains in films with his nice side that always gives way to his evil scowl and his plot is by far the most evil in films to date, The murder of millions of children.

There is even the 007esc scene where he reveals his entire plan and motives to the incapacitated hero before leaving him unattended in a room.

I even like the scene where he is defeated and claps at Challis.  

I was fortunate to attend The Alamo Drafthouse’s Dismember the Alamo event where Halloween 3 was one of the films that screened and I was able to see the film with an audience who applauded when it was revealed. I have to mention the part where James Wallace and his friend danced onto the stage to the Halloween Jingle. 

This brings me to the commercial theme of Halloween 3. The theme is in fact London Bridge is falling Down with the words changed and a opening synthesizing and Tommy Lee Wallace providing the narration for the commercial. While annoying at times fans of the film have admitted that it is in fact their theme song for the film.

The film was released on BluRay by Shout factory featuring behind the scenes documentaries and audio commentaries by director Tommy Lee Wallace and Sean Clark and a separate commentary by Tom Atkins with Michael Felcher which alone is worth the purchase of the Blu Ray set and I is also avalible on the Halloween complete collection box set released in 2014. 

8 Dead Bodies

14 Dead Robots

0 Breasts

Killer Masks

Snakes

Roaches

1 “Misfire”