Why 'Halloween III: Season Of The Witch' Is The Best In The Franchise

It was the Halloween film that broke the Michael Myers mold. Previously Carpenter gave us what is considered one of, if not the best, horror film of all-time. Halloween II came soon after and, although not directed by Carpenter, it was written by him and had some intensely scary scenes. But then came something no one expected: a third film.

Although the first two films are completely different in execution, they act as one whole film. Halloween III: Season of the Witch came along and completely put The Shape on pause and went with an entirely new, and terrifying, idea. Conal Cochran, a large-scale toymaker, who harnesses his alien-like (or witch-like) power that reacts to a specific message on television causing complete mayhem. From bugs to snakes to melting brains, pure evil is the only thing each haunted mask encompasses.

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Most would agree this entry is the worst, but it is not. It is the best in the franchise. And this slideshow will show that.

Disagree or have comments? Feel free to drop them in the comments section.

Halloween3 — (Photo: YouTube / Movieclips)

The Screenplay

I will go ahead and say this upfront. Halloween III is a completely campy film. We know it. The actors knew it. And the filmmakers knew it. But so what? It works beautifully. And strangely enough, there are large pockets of this film that are terrifying and that make the skin crawl.

The overall story of the third entry is a great one. It somehow puts the actual holiday of Halloween on even more display than the original. But the screenplay also encompasses a mystical arm that keeps us scratching our heads as to what is going on in each scene. The entire second half of the film (specifically the third act) has us guessing until we get a final, unconventional payoff.

The scene above is a perfect representation of the script’s unique and engaging storyline. We get the backstory of why all of this is happening. The reveal of the witch finally happens.

Michael Myers is the best horror movie villain to ever grace the screen, but the third entry lines up its own horrifying plot that makes us extra cautious around Halloween.

[H/T YouTube, SmallDragon7804]

Those Masks

As a huge fan of this holiday, these are some grade A Halloween masks. Whether you are a skeleton, jack-o-lantern, or witch, you will be inducing some scares with these. But the most frightening part about these masks is their role in the end of humanity in the movie.

For Cochran’s human sacrifice plan to work, he needs to sell masks to every kid everywhere. Each mask has a chip on it that is then activated by the commercial and all hell breaks loose.

So, yes, masks that are the pillar of the end of times? Terrifying.

[H/T YouTube, FearShopCom]

Conal Cochran

Dan O’Herlihy was born to play this role. He delivers every line in a sinister way that makes you want to skip town immediately.

What makes him truly scary, though, is he is even creepy during his regular scenes. Of course he is chilling during the final act, but as he creeps around town in the earlier scenes, his laugh and dialogue sticks with us.

Try going to bed now after hearing that line. Good luck.

[H/T YouTube, Pierce Karigan]

The Score

This could almost be the best part about this film. Carpenter and company (please note he did not direct this film) needed something that felt new, yet gave off a similar vibe to the original. Well, they nailed it.

Listen to the entire score and you will understand that it is addictive. It is an 80s, computer-age Halloween score that meshes the perfect amount of chills with homage.

[H/T YouTube, Alan Howarth]

It Broke The Halloween Mold

This movie had guts. Yes, it had literal guts featured in it, but the crew behind it had the bravery to break the mold and take the franchise in a new direction. That is tough. That is scary. That is my kind of movie.

To see that courage behind the camera result in one of the best cult classics of all time is amazing. This movie can always be re-watched each Halloween season (and other times) and it only gets better with age.

[H/T YouTube, Forever Horror]

Bonus: The Passion Of The Cast

The cast and crew involved in Halloween III: Season of the Witch are passionate beyond belief about this movie. Still to this day they appear at panels to talk about the film and all of the behind-the-scenes backstories.