A few years ago, Matt and I decided to watch the non-critically-acclaimed third installment in the Halloween series, Halloween III:Season of the Witch. I'll allow Matt to tell his side of the story as to why we watched this, but as I recall, we were both bored one night and were really curious to see how bad this movie was. We knew that it wasn't the least bit as good as the first one and this one didn't feature Michael Myers, the villain in the other seven (yes, seven) movies. Where it went from there was something that could only be described by using lots of colorful adjectives and insults.
At least the premise of Halloween III is different and unique compared to the never-ending Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street sequels. There is no Michael Myers, Haddonfield, Laurie Strode or Tommy Doyle found in this film. It's a clean slate with Dr. Dan Chalis coming across an evil toymaker who plans mass carnage on Halloween with masks bought from Silver Shamrock. Yes, that's the plot, but hey, it's at least a better diversion from the "dead guy keeps coming back from the dead to kill more" plot device.
As ludicrous as the plot sounds, watch out for the hammy acting. Tom Atkins does a decent job as a B-movie hero, but with the love interest, the villain and the innocent (which a few have to die in any splatter flick) making the material even cheesier, it really goes downhill. Stilted lines, forced reaction shots and cornball special effects are just some of the problems.
The true litmus test for this movie is to watch it dubbed in another language. Since you can't understand what they're saying, you're forced to endure the ham-fisted action scenes, the choppy editing and the super-silly score. Even in a different language Halloween III sucks the life out of you. By the cliffhanger ending, do you really care if broadcast signal goes out? No this isn't the kind of cliffhanger you have at the end of Lost. Think of it as the tap-out courtesy of the filmmakers with the viewer (if they're still watching it by then).
As much as I rail against Halloween III, please understand that I don't think of this as one of the worst movies I've ever seen. That crown belongs to this flick. With Halloween arriving soon, I may very well pull out my copy of the first Halloween movie and enjoy it as it is and not think about any of the eight (apparently Halloween 8 is in the works) sequels.
At least the premise of Halloween III is different and unique compared to the never-ending Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street sequels. There is no Michael Myers, Haddonfield, Laurie Strode or Tommy Doyle found in this film. It's a clean slate with Dr. Dan Chalis coming across an evil toymaker who plans mass carnage on Halloween with masks bought from Silver Shamrock. Yes, that's the plot, but hey, it's at least a better diversion from the "dead guy keeps coming back from the dead to kill more" plot device.
As ludicrous as the plot sounds, watch out for the hammy acting. Tom Atkins does a decent job as a B-movie hero, but with the love interest, the villain and the innocent (which a few have to die in any splatter flick) making the material even cheesier, it really goes downhill. Stilted lines, forced reaction shots and cornball special effects are just some of the problems.
The true litmus test for this movie is to watch it dubbed in another language. Since you can't understand what they're saying, you're forced to endure the ham-fisted action scenes, the choppy editing and the super-silly score. Even in a different language Halloween III sucks the life out of you. By the cliffhanger ending, do you really care if broadcast signal goes out? No this isn't the kind of cliffhanger you have at the end of Lost. Think of it as the tap-out courtesy of the filmmakers with the viewer (if they're still watching it by then).
As much as I rail against Halloween III, please understand that I don't think of this as one of the worst movies I've ever seen. That crown belongs to this flick. With Halloween arriving soon, I may very well pull out my copy of the first Halloween movie and enjoy it as it is and not think about any of the eight (apparently Halloween 8 is in the works) sequels.
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