October 30, 2024

Happy Halloween Eve! I hope the holiday brings some fun frights to everyone.

I really wanted to cover a horror movie the week, but I was struggling to decide on just one. There are so many spooky flicks that really capture the spirit of the season for me, as I’m sure is the case for most horror fans.

However, John Carpenter’s 1978 classic, Halloween, stands out above the rest. Besides the fact that it’s set on Halloween and obviously has Halloween in the title, it bleeds a love for the season and the holiday. Kids are trick-or-treating, people are watching scary movies, teenagers are up to teenager things, and pumpkins are EVERYWHERE.

But, as much as I adore this movie and believe it captures the Halloween aesthetic well, it’s ironically not the Halloween movie that captures the aesthetic the best in my opinion. For that specific honor, we have to visit the black sheep of the franchise: Halloween III: Season of the Witch.

Halloween III Is… Interesting

For those of you who haven’t had the chance to see this film, Halloween III follows a man as he uncovers a conspiracy regarding a dark secret surrounding children’s Halloween masks. Unlike every other movie in the Halloween franchise, Halloween III does not feature Michael Myers as a villain at all. In fact, in this universe, the movie Halloween is just that: a movie.

This was a bold choice, especially considering that this is the only movie from this franchise that brings the focus away from the signature slasher. It still feels very much like it belongs in this franchise, which is certainly because Dean Cundy returned from the first two films to man the cinematography and John Carpenter himself returned to work on the score. However, it’s really its own thing in many ways.

It’s not necessarily the best movie in terms of quality… it’s far from it, actually. However, the interesting story and unique identity makes it an interesting watch.

Halloween III’s Identity

So, why does this movie fit the “Halloween movie vibe” better than the first? I think this boils down to one main point: Halloween is intrinsic to this movie’s plot.

The entire movie is centered around Halloween masks and commercials surrounding a Halloween horror movie marathon. Characters wear fun, novelty Halloween masks throughout and it really looks like Fall (Halloween wasn’t actually filmed in the Fall, so this movie looks a little more like Autumn than the first). Halloween itself is even shown in part during it!

On top of this, the fantastic, ambiguous ending (which I won’t spoil here) takes place on Halloween night, and trick or treaters play a major part in the horror of this scene.

A Perfect Halloween Watch

I definitely recommend Season of the Witch as a Halloween horror movie watch. It’s not the best Halloween movie, but it is a great Halloween movie – it’s spooky, it’s fun, and the holiday is baked into its plot and identity. If you haven’t watched it yet, you should check it out!

But I will warn you… the Silver Shamrock jingle will get stuck in your head.

I hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween!