The Halloween series of films feature one of the most terrifying villains to have ever graced the screen: one Michael Myers. So whoever thought that the third film in the franchise should completely eradicate him from the plot should have had their head examined! Released on DVD this week by Scanbox Entertainment, our review of Halloween III: Season of the Witch follows... An apparent murder-suicide in a hospital emergency room leads to an investigation by the on-call doctor, which reveals a plot by an insane toymaker to kill as many people as possible during Halloween through an ancient Celtic ritual involving a stolen boulder from Stonehenge and Halloween masks... Whatever possessed John Carpenter and Debra Hill - the creators of the original Halloween features - to produce this haphazard third entry is beyond imagination. The fact that the film focuses on an evil head of a mask making corporation and not on the psychopathic Michael Myers is the most immediate problem. Secondly, by today's standards, it's a mishmash of clichés and unintentional comedy. For example, as the old man who has stumbled upon the mask plot tries to escape he manages to slip the man who's chasing him by wedging him between two cars. The sequence is supposed to be tense and suspenseful, but is actually ludicrous and laugh out loud funny. This is representative of the entire narrative, which distinctly lacks any horror, tension or atmosphere. The narrative is intended to be mysterious, particularly with Dan and Ellie's investigation into the Shamrock Corporation and the death of her father. However, there isn't enough character or plot development to really encourage viewers to invest their interests into it. Instead, Halloween III is an incredibly dull film that plays on every horror convention without being remotely eerie or scary. There are a few moments where the narrative suggests that there is a knowing tongue in cheek tone, best exemplified in the scene where Dan sees a television advert for the 'classic' original film! Writer/director Tommy Lee Wallace lacks the skills that Carpenter has in both areas, with the dialogue atrociously simple and the direction insipid the film is a complete waste of time. The performances are similarly dire, with central roles for Tom Atkins and Stacey Nelkin. Atkins as Dr Dan Challis is bearable, but doesn't convince as a doctor or a protagonist! His performance is proficient and he makes the most of the poor material, but he fails to make much of an impression. Nelkin is similarly average in her performance, lacking any convincing emotion it's a rather theatrical and over the top portrayal. Ellie has lost her father and is keen to discover the truth surrounding his death, but Nelkin fails to display any real gumption and the character becomes slightly naive and pathetic. The only performance that is partially decent is that of Dan O'Hirlihy as Conal Cochran, the evil mask maker. The actor steals every scene he's in, with his maniacal sense of underlying evil. On the surface he's all smiles and good naturedness, but sly glances reveal his true character! All the performances are rather theatrical, which heightens the tongue in cheek nature of the narrative and make this rather poor film that little bit easier to stomach for contemporary audiences. Seek this out if you're up for a laugh at Halloween, not if you're looking for a scare!
QUALITY
Like this week's release of Halloween II, the film again looks like it's been recorded on to a VHS from the television. The image is grainy and distorted in places, with an overall blurry quality. Colours blend into each other to make definition poor, meaning that images blur together and are hard to distinguish (particularly in darker sequences). The colour palette is dull and uninspired and establish the film well and truly within the low budget 80s category of horror. The audio fares slightly better than the visuals. However, dialogue is often quiet and a little muffled meaning that viewers have to strain themselves to hear clearly. This is in great contrast to the musical soundtrack, which is overly loud and often unbearable to listen to. John Carpenter's classic score - that has become not only synonymous with the Halloween franchise but also the horror genre itself - is nowhere to be found unfortunately. Instead, a series of irritating electronic original compositions attempt to accentuate the on screen action. Coupled with the frequently repeated '8 More Days til Halloween' (sung to the tune of 'London Bridge is Falling Down') theme tune of the Shamrock Corporation's television commercial, the musical aspects of the film are about as poor as the films narrative and as disappointing as the visuals.
EXTRAS
Viewers can expect to find no additional material on the release unfortunately. Halloween III: Season of the Witch is available on DVD now.