History Film / HalloweenIIISeasonOfTheWitch

* BrownNote: The last commercial.

This premise came about when Carpenter, director of [[Film/Halloween1978 the original 1978 film]], decided to make a film in line with his original vision for the series -- a yearly {{anthology}} of unrelated films centered around various aspects of [[UsefulNotes/AllHallowsEve Halloween]]. ''Halloween III'' attempted to accomplish the task, but ended up meeting with [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks a massive backlash]] from both critics and a fanbase hungry for more Michael Myers following the success of ''Film/{{Halloween II|1981}}''.

* AmbiguousEnding: [[spoiler:It's unknown if Dr. Challis succeeds in persuading the TV stations to cease broadcasting Cochran's mask-activating transmission although the desperation in Challis's voice suggest that things have taken a turn for the worse. [[RayOfHopeEnding On a more optimistic note]], the masks may have lost all their power anyway since [[NoOntologicalInertia Cochrane is dead and his factory is destroyed]].]]

* CutPhoneLines: Conal does this to long distance service so nobody can call out of town.

* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler: When Challis destroys the Silver Shamrock factory, Cochran simply smiles and claps before being consumed by the explosion. However it's not certain if he's really dead given his supernatural nature.]]

* FieryCoverup: Cochran's agent, [[spoiler:an android]], kills Harry Grimbridge and then strolls into the parking lot, douses himself in gasoline in his car, and explodes. That brings in a lot of police attention beyond the single murder and sets Harry's daughter Ellie and Dr. Challis on the case to follow up on the Silver Shamrock mask Harry was clutching when he came into the hospital.

* ObliviouslyEvil: Conal Cochran not only doesn't regret that his plan is going to potentially kill millions of children, he considers it to be a fun joke.

* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Averted and inverted. Cochran - played by an Irish actor - doesn't have a strong Irish accent for most of the movie, but his pronunciation of ''Samhain'' in Irish Gaelic is exactly correct, and while explaining his evil plan his accent not only grows thicker, but less refined to sound more like country folk would.

* TimeAbyss: Cochran somewhat implies his pagan religion to be this, saying that the last time a sacrifice happened due to the same [[WhenThePlanetsAlign planetary alignment]] was 3000 years ago; if that ancient event wasn't the first occurence, that would make the rite at ''least'' 6000 years old, predating recorded history.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Was Ellie [[spoiler:always a robot, or captured and replaced by one in Cochran's factory? If the latter, what happened to the ''real'' Ellie -- did Cochran kill her, was she killed when the factory burned down, or did she escape? Evidence makes it seems more likely that it was the latter; the real robots weren't very talkative, but Ellie early on was quite animated, and was bound to go to the factory. It's probable that Ellie was real until she saw her father's car, and was seen being forced into the factory by other robots shortly thereafter. Notice how Ellie never spoke from the moment that she was "rescued"? The ''ad hoc'' robot Ellie was Cochran's last little joke - and assurance that Challis would die no matter what happened in the factory. Ellie was most likely...disposed of.]]

''Halloween III: Season of the Witch'' is a 1982 SciFiHorror film and the third installment in the ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'' franchise, written and directed by Tommy Lee Wallace with franchise co-creators Creator/JohnCarpenter and Debra Hill returning as producers. It opened to immense and immediate infamy due to not featuring central antagonist Michael Myers in the film, and is still the only ''Halloween'' installment to do so.

* AlliterativeName: Conal Cochran.
* AmbiguousEnding: We don't know if the hero succeeds or not to stop Cochrane's plan. He may have persuaded the TV stations to cease the mask-activating transmission, he may fail or the masks may have lost all their power anyway now that Cochrane is dead and his factory destroyed. If we take Halloween 3 to be part of the "Curse of Thorn" timeline none of the later sequels refer to this presumably nationwide event which exposed the reality of the supernatural.

''Halloween III: Season of the Witch'' is a 1982 SciFiHorror film and the third installment in the ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'' franchise. It opened to immense and immediate infamy due to not featuring central antagonist Michael Myers in the film, and is still the only ''Halloween'' installment to do so.

This premise came about when producer Creator/JohnCarpenter, co-creator of the franchise and director of [[Film/Halloween1978 the original 1978 film]], decided to make a film in line with his original vision for the series -- a yearly {{anthology}} of unrelated films centered around various aspects of [[UsefulNotes/AllHallowsEve Halloween]]. ''Halloween III'' attempted to accomplish the task, but ended up meeting with [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks a massive backlash]] from a fanbase hungry for more Michael Myers following the success of ''Film/{{Halloween II|1981}}''.

While ''Halloween III'' has become a CultClassic [[VindicatedByHistory in the years since its release]], it performed poorly at the box office, and fans and critics [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks were very harsh on the film for not involving Michael Myers]]. As a result, Carpenter walked away from the franchise, which would be given a reboot with ''Film/Halloween4TheReturnOfMichaelMyers'' continuing the story from the original two films, essentially meaning that the idea of ''Halloween'' being a VillainBasedFranchise prevailed.

[[caption-width-right:300: ''"It's almost time, kids. The clock is ticking. Be in front of your TV sets for the Horror-Thon...and do remember the big giveaway at 9. Don't miss it, and don't forget to wear your masks. The clock is ticking. It's almost time..."'']]

''Halloween III: Season of the Witch'' is a 1982 SciFiHorror film and the third installment in the ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'' franchise. It opened to immense and immediate infamy due to excluding central antagonist Michael Myers from the film, and is still the only ''Halloween'' installment to do so.

''Halloween III: Season of the Witch'' -- the red-headed stepchild of the ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'' franchise -- came about when producer Creator/JohnCarpenter decided to transform the series into a yearly {{anthology}} of films centered around various aspects of [[UsefulNotes/AllHallowsEve Halloween]]. This installment, released in 1982, attempted to accomplish the task, but ended up meeting with [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks a massive backlash]] from a fanbase hungry for more Michael Myers following the success of ''Film/{{Halloween II|1981}}''.

A week before Halloween, Dr. Dan Challis (Creator/TomAtkins) gets called in to treat Harry Grimbridge, a horribly beaten toy salesman with a Halloween mask in a death grip who mumbles ominous warnings in Challis's presence. It gets stranger from there -- one of the salesman's assailants breaks in, murders Harry, then burns himself alive. Challis teams up with the man's daughter, Ellie (Creator/StaceyNelkin), to unravel the mystery, and the trail leads them to the town of Santa Mira, which serves as the home of the Silver Shamrock Novelty Company. Ellie's father had recently visited the company to pick up a shipment of their popular Halloween masks -- masks like the one Harry had in his hands the night he died. While investigating the town, Dan and Ellie discover that Silver Shamrock's CEO, Conal Cochran (Creator/DanOHerlihy), has nefarious plans in the works...and that Harry's death served as a warning of things to come this Halloween season.

While ''Halloween III'' has become something of a cult classic in the years since its release, it performed poorly at the box office, and fans and critics [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks were very harsh on the film for not involving Michael Myers]]. As a result, John Carpenter walked away from the franchise, which would be given a reboot with ''Film/Halloween4TheReturnOfMichaelMyers'' continuing the story from the original two films.

* AmbiguousEnding: We don't know if the hero succeeds or not to stop Cochrane's plan. He may have persuaded the TV stations to cease the mask-activating transmission, he may fail or the masks may have lost all their power anyway now that Cochrane is dead and his factory destroyed. If we take Halloween 3 to be part of the "Curse of Thorn" timeline none of the later sequels refer to this presumably nationwide event which exposed the reality of the supernstural.

* BookEnds: Film opens and ends the same way, with a man with a warning arriving at a gas station (the same gas station, as matter of fact).

** A commercial for ''Halloween'' is playing on the TV in the bar, and a portion of the film is shown during the Horror-thon (an odd choice considering Conal's target audience). It's announced dramatically in the commercial as "the ''immortal'' classic!"
** Santa Mira is the name of the town in ''Film/InvasionOfTheBodySnatchers1978''. Fitting, no?

* TheSociopath: Cochran, to the point where he's arguably as horrifying as Michael Myers himself.

* RiddleForTheAges: Is Ellie a robot all along, or does she get replaced with one later? If the latter, then what happens to the real Ellie? See WhatHappenedToTheMouse.

* BondVillainStupidity: When Dan gets caught in the factory, Conal lets him live long enough to explain his entire evil plot and then places Dan in a DeathTrap. This makes no sense since Dan is of no importance and serves no purpose to Conal. Logically, he should have been killed instantly like every other victim in the movie.

* EvilInc: Silver Shamrock, of course.

* LaserGuidedKarma: Quite literally. Starker, the town drunk, gets murdered by Cochran's goons after ranting that he's going to burn the factory down. Later on, [[spoiler:Challis destroys the henchmen with their laser chips, before the piece of Stonehenge that Cochran pilfered roars to life and obliterates him. And ''then'' the factory burns down.]] Seems Starker got his own "good joke."

* RoboticReveal: When Dan punches one of Cochran's minions in the gut, he manages to pull out wires covered in some slimy substance. And of course, [[spoiler:Ellie is revealed to be one too.]]

* WouldHurtAChild: The entire evil plot aims to kill millions of perfectly innocent children across the United States, in just about as grotesque a way imaginable, using the very masks their parents have bought for them to enjoy. Talk about a lifetime of seriously messed-up, misplaced guilt and truly horrific nightmares, assuming they even survive the torrent of venomous snakes and bugs that emerge from their children's decaying heads.

* ApocalypseHow: One of the more horrifying examples: [[spoiler:it's one specifically directed at children.]]

* OddballInTheSeries: This is the only movie that isn't involved with Michael Myers, for the purpose of creating an anthology series. When that didn't work out, the series went back to Michael's story. However Halloween 6; The Curse of Michael Myers does create a tentative link with this film.

* WouldHurtAChild: The entire evil plot aims to kill millions of perfectly innocent children across the United States, in just about as grotesque a way imaginable, using the very masks their parents have bought for them to enjoy. Talk about a lifetime of seriously messed-up, misplaced guilt and truly horrific nightmares, assuming they even survive the torrent of venomous snakes that emerge from their children's decaying heads.

* AdultFear: The entire evil plot aims to kill millions of perfectly innocent children across the United States, in just about as grotesque a way imaginable, using the very masks their parents have bought for them to enjoy. Talk about a lifetime of seriously messed-up, misplaced guilt and truly horrific nightmares, assuming they even survive the torrent of venomous snakes that emerge from their children's decaying heads.

* Myth/CelticMythology: [[spoiler:Conal Cochran really doesn't hate children, but the planets are aligned, and it's time for another mass sacrifice of the innocent on Samhain.]]

* OddballInTheSeries: This is the only movie that isn't involved with Michael Myers, for the purpose of creating an anthology series. When that didn't work out, the series went back to Michael's story.

* {{Jingle}}: "_ more days 'til Halloween!" / "Happy happy Halloween! Silver Shamrock!"

-->'''Commercial jingle''': ''x'' more days 'til Halloween!

* AdultFear: The entire evil plot aims to kill millions of perfectly innocent children across the United States, in just about as grotesque a way imaginable, using the very masks their parents have bought for them to enjoy. Talk about a lifetime of seriously messed-up, misplaced guilt and truly horrific nightmares, assuming they even survive the torrent of venomous snakes and insects that emerge from their children's decaying heads.

* CallBack: Commercials for a TV airing of the original ''Halloween'' can be seen on various television sets throughout the film.

* {{Jingle}}: "Happy happy Halloween! Silver Shamrock!"

* LaserGuidedKarma: Quite literally. Starker the town drunk gets murdered by Cochran's goons after ranting that he's going to burn the factory down. Later on, [[spoiler:Challis destroys the henchmen with their laser chips, before the stonehenge Cochran pilfered roars to life and obliterates him. And ''then'' the factory burns down.]] Seems Starker got his own "good joke."

* {{Magitek}}: [[spoiler:Cochran puts tiny pieces of Stonehenge into corporate seals in his masks. When triggered by a flashing picture, they execute an extremely destructive spell, messily decaying the head in the mask and releasing deadly insects and serpents to cause collateral damage. The robots are also a likely example of it.]]
* MayContainEvil: The true purpose of the Silver Shamrock masks is to [[spoiler:melt their wearers' heads and release tons of venomous creatures to kill everyone in the vicinity as a human sacrifice.]]
* MayDecemberRomance: Challis is well into his forties, and Ellie is in her early twenties (although she claims to be older than she looks). To be fair, the romance really just happened spontaneously. Challis initially is reluctant to pursue her given the situation, her loss, and the fact he's still married (even if unhappily).

* MurderSuicide: Harry's assassin blows himself up in the parking lot after the kill. [[spoiler: He was a Silver Shamrock android]].

* NiceGuy: The Kupfer family is pretty obnoxious but Buddy still comes off as friendly and well-meaning. He calls Ben and Ellie his 'friends' and asks Cochran if they can join them on the factory tour only a few minutes after meeting them.

* {{Novelization}}: The script was adapted as a paperback novelization in 1982 by horror writer Dennis Etchison writing under the pseudonym Jack Martin. The book was a best seller and was reissued in 1984. Etchison wrote the novelization to ''Film/HalloweenII1981'' only a year before. Although Cochran dies in the film, the novelization implies that he may have survived, with the magic of Stonehenge transporting him to another location rather than killing him.

* OddballInTheSeries: This is the only movie that isn't involved with Michael Myers to create an anthology series. When that didn't work out, the series went back to Michael's story.

* PumpkinPerson: One of the Silver Shamrock masks is a pumpkin.

* RevealingCoverup: Cochran sends an agent to murder the coroner's assistant who's looking into Harry's killer.

** ''Halloween'' is playing on the TV in the bar, and again during the Horror-thon (an odd choice considering Conal's target audience). It's announced dramatically as "the ''immortal'' classic!"

* ThemeMusicAbandonment: The classic theme is not heard, because this was an attempt to take the series in a different direction
** Kind of. Bits of the original score surface when Challis was tied to the chair and the original ''Film/{{Halloween|1978}}'' is playing in the background, providing creepy music for the scene.

* TimeBomb: Frequently reminded through the TV/radio jingle :
-->'''Commercial jingle''': X more days to Halloween!
* TitleDrop: "Yes kids, you too can win one of the big Halloween 3, that's right, 3 horrific masks.."
* TitledAfterTheSong: The subtitle is also the name of a Music/{{Donovan}} song.
* UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler:The people who sold the masks for Silver Shamrock like Ellie's dad and Buddy Kupfer had no way of knowing they were being used to set up a mass slaughter of children. Ellie's dad found out and it got him killed. Buddy probably figured it out when he saw what the mask did to his own son, but by then he was good as dead too.]]

* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: InUniverse example. Despite Cochran intending for his horror marathon to be watched by children, the original ''Film/{{Halloween|1978}}'' is stated to be in their lineup. Even if it is [[{{Bowdlerise}} edited for television tv tropes]], how many parents would allow their kids to watch an R-rated movie?