A Common Complaint Against Halloween III Is Technically Wrong

After the events of 1981's "Halloween II" saw Michael Myers being burnt to a crisp, producers John Carpenter and Debra Hill wanted to take the series in a bold new direction. Subsequent films under the "Halloween" moniker would be their own horror anthologies, with each installment revolving around the spirit of the season. "Halloween III: Season of the Witch" was ready to go the following year, but, unfortunately, it would be the first and last time this franchise tried something like this. It's a shame because the Tommy Lee Wallace-directed entry is among the best of all 13 "Halloween" movies, and even more singular as its own thing.

"Season of the Witch" travels outside the suburban purview of Haddonfield, Illinois, to Santa Mira, California, where the inquisitive Dr. Dan Challis (Tom Atkins) uncovers a sinister conspiracy within the confines of the Silver Shamrock factory that involves Halloween masks, a catchy television jingle, and Stonehenge. At the head of this terrible plot is Conal Cochran (a deliciously evil Dan O'Herlihy), who revels in bringing Samhain to its wicked roots. There are so many reasons to love it, but audiences didn't see it that way. In fact, some folks believed having "Halloween III" as the header gave them the impression that Michael would have a part to play, and unfairly turned their disappointment toward the film they got when he didn't show up. But even that's technically incorrect.

About 20 minutes into "Season of the Witch," Dr. Challis goes to have a drink at a bar. He's annoyed by the cartoon playing on television and kindly asks the bartender to change the station. Upon doing so, he sees the final few seconds of a promo for Carpenter's "Halloween" where Michael can be seen as clear as day descending the staircase.

This is the part of the article where you may feel compelled to throw rotten pumpkins at this poor writer for making you think you missed Michael in the background somewhere. But that would just result in your screen getting dirty, and we don't want that. Am I being a little cheeky with my assertion? Possibly, yet it goes to show how ridiculous the complaint about Michael's absence really is.

The assertions that calling it "Halloween III" was a bad idea is ludicrous in hindsight, considering none of the marketing materials were untruthful about the kind of movie "Season of the Witch" was going to be from the get-go. It's a classic case of being so focused on the movie people imagined in their heads versus the one they got. It's funny how this came back around in this same series 40 years later with the legitimately great "Halloween Ends."

What audiences were left with was an eerie chiller whose value had always been there. The threequel has metamorphosed from cult classic within horror circles to an undisputed Halloween staple, with /Film's Chris Evangelista making a strong argument for it being the series' best sequel period. I have an affinity for many of the sequels that brought everything back around to one of the all-timer slasher villains, but, sadly, we missed out on a really cool idea.

Considering the "Halloween" television broadcast is sponsored by Silver Shamrock, Michael is, in a weird way, partially a cog in their evil plan. There's even a great moment when "Laurie's Theme" seamlessly bleeds over into Cochran's Halloween tidings.

"Halloween III: Season of the Witch" is currently streaming on Peacock.