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THE MOVIE
Reviewed by David Elliott, 10 August, 2001
The much maligned Halloween III : Season Of The Witch is certainly an anomaly in the history of horror films, garnering an enormous groundswell of disdain and anger upon its original cinematic release, and with time not being any kinder to its reputation as a cheap cash-in on the success of the original Halloween – which is, unarguably, a genre classic. Although it is technically a part of the Halloween cycle of films, here we have no Michael Myers, no Loomis, no Laurie Strode, and – indeed – no serial killer. John Carpenter, the director of the orignal Halloween was planning on making the Halloween franchise a series of yearly Tales From The Crypt-style horror films, each with a completely independent plot. This concept seemed to escape many genre fans, who clamoured for Michael Myers, eventually having their wishes granted with the disappointing, formulaic Halloween IV. I am here to make a confession. I will sacrifice all credibility in this, my first review, because the truth has to be revealed.
I loved this movie.
There, I said it. I loved Halloween III.
Now that I’ve got that off my chest, let me explain why. The film is centered around a diabolical halloween mask manufacturer, who has stolen stonehendge (Yes, you read that right) and is using it to imbue his masks with destructive, evil forces. On halloween night, the mask’s power will be triggered by a television commercial, causing the wearer’s head to turn into a mess of snakes, spiders, and icky things. He explains that it is a “joke on the children”, giving us one of the nastiest, most cold-blooded setups I’ve seen in a long time. The plot is absolutely absurd, but – if you think about when the film was made, it begins to make sense – this is a crazy, popcorn’n’soda flick – custom made for making out to in American drive-ins in the 1980’s. Further still, forget about the fact that it is intended to be a “Halloween” film, and we are left with a silly shocker – completely in the tradition of such 1980’s horror gems as Silent Night, Deadly Night, or Pieces – ridiculous, campy fun, which is absolutely not to be taken seriously. In this respect, Halloween III shines – it is a relic from a bygone era, and in this age of lifeless, carbon-copied Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer-style horror, something that we will sadly not see the like of again.
But, if you’re a Myers groupie, or are simply willing to allow yourself to enjoy this piece of tasty brain candy, give it a miss – you probably wouldn’t get it anyway.
THE TRANSFER
Video:
Halloween III is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Mpeg compression artifacts are at a minimum, although the picture quality is obviously not at the same standard as that of a recently shot film. The IMDB claims that the film was released with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, meaning that we are missing picture information – yet the film has never been released in 2.35:1 in any format, so there is no superior R1 release. The source material is relatively clean for a film of Halloween III’s age, with dirt and scratches at a minimum.
Audio:
This is a mono soundtrack, and – frankly – it is rather disappointing. It is a Dolby Digital 2.0 surround remix, yet the age of the source material reveals itself. There are audible pops and clicks throughout, and a hiss throughout the film. We are given only an english soundtrack, which is relatively clear throughout – although does get distorted at certain points.
THE EXTRAS
Trailer: An amusing full frame trailer is included, which is in relatively good shape – and is worth seeing, despite its brevity.
Unfortunately, Force Video/Infogrames have skimped on the extras for this release, at least when compared with their excellent R4 release of the original Halloween. Allegedly, there are additional scenes which exist for this film, which haven’t seen the light of day in any format, which is disappointing. The IMDB also claims, although this is unconfirmed, that this release of Halloween III is in fact cut – and, if this is true, I suspect that the source material would have been the edited British version, which omitted footage from various scenes, including the boy’s head being turned into snakes, and the woman being killed in the hotel. The Thorn EMI videotape release of Halloween III, which I would presume was put out in the mid-1980’s, is apparently uncut.
SUMMARY
A passable, if not outstanding release of a film which is, most definitely, an acquired taste. If it is confirmed that this release of the film is in fact censored, I would suggest that Force Video/Infogrames pull their socks up, and start checking the validity of the master prints they are using – films that were edited in 1982 should not be forced onto unsuspecting consumers. |
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