Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

The one Halloween film without Michael Myers: killer masks from Silver Shamrock.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch is a 1982 science fiction horror film written and directed by Tommy Lee Wallace, his feature directing debut. It is the third Halloween film and the only one that does not feature Michael Myers; John Carpenter and Debra Hill returned as producers.

Quick Facts

Director

Tommy Lee Wallace

Producer

Debra Hill; John Carpenter

Starring

Tom Atkins
Stacey Nelkin
Dan O'Herlihy

Music

John Carpenter; Alan Howarth

Cinematography

Dean Cundey

Editing

Millie Moore

Studio

Dino De Laurentiis Corporation; Debra Hill Productions

Distributor

Universal Pictures

Reader's Guide

Dr. Daniel Challis and Ellie Grimbridge investigate her father's death and travel to Santa Mira, California, home of the Silver Shamrock Novelties mask factory. Its owner Conal Cochran has put a fragment of stolen Stonehenge into a microchip on every mask; when the "Big Giveaway" commercial airs, the chips will kill the children wearing them, reviving ancient Celtic sacrifices at Samhain.

Carpenter and Hill had hoped the series could become an anthology of Halloween-night stories. The film made a profit, grossing $14.4 million on a $4.6 million budget, but critics were mostly negative; it has since gained a strong cult following. Michael Myers returned six years later in Halloween 4.