Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
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A physician uncovers a sinister plot involving cursed Halloween masks and a conspiracy to use them for a mass sacrifice.
The story
On October 23, 1982, in Northern California, a man is found injured and later murdered, leading a local physician, Dr. Daniel Challis, and the victim's daughter, Ellie, to investigate the circumstances. Their investigation leads them to the Silver Shamrock Novelties factory in Santa Mira, California. The factory produces a specific line of Halloween masks. As they investigate the facility, they discover a mysterious and dangerous plot involving the masks' production and the owner's intentions, forcing them to confront the sinister reality of the company's operations before a deadly commercial is broadcast to the public.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a man is murdered while carrying a specific Halloween mask, Dr. Daniel Challis and the man's daughter, Ellie, travel to the Silver Shamrock Novelties factory in Santa Mira to investigate. They discover that the factory owner, Conal Cochran, has integrated pieces of Stonehenge into the masks' microchips. Cochran's plan is to use a televised commercial to activate the masks, which will release a swarm of insects and snakes to kill anyone nearby, ultimately intended to 'resurrect ancient rituals' by sacrificing children. During their investigation, Ellie is kidnapped and Daniel is captured by Cochran's android guards. Daniel eventually escapes, rescues Ellie, and manages to stop the commercial on some networks while trying to warn others. The film ends with a massive fire destroying the factory and a final, ambiguous scene where Daniel attempts to stop the broadcast on a third network while pleading for help.
- First release year
- 1982
- Runtime (minutes)
- 99
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Tommy Lee Wallace
- Writers
- Tommy Lee Wallace · writer
- Cast and characters
- Tom Atkins · Daniel "Dan" Challis; Stacey Nelkin · Ellie Grimbridge; Dan O'Herlihy · Conal Cochran
- Genres
- science fiction; horror
- Themes
- anti-corporate; media manipulation; commercialism; witchcraft; technology
- Tone and mood
- bizarre; tense
- Setting
- Santa Mira, California (a rural Irish American factory town) in October 1982.
- Premise and plot tags
- mystery; conspiracy; androids; cult
- Franchise connections
- Halloween
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received mostly negative reviews from critics and was poorly received by audiences initially, but it has since gained a strong cult following.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 50% · review count: 48
- Production trivia
- It is the only entry in the series that does not feature Michael Myers.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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