‘Halloween III: Season of the Witch’: 10 Things You May Not Know

Those who refuse to even watch this film because of the absence of Michael Myers may not realize the Shape actually is in the film. Of course, this is the same fictional movie character from the first two Halloween films that we know in reality, so Michael isn’t a real person in this canon. In the bar scene, there’s a television set playing a trailer for the original Halloween, and you can even catch a peek of Myers himself.

Other than the aforementioned cameo, Michael Myers has no involvement whatsoever with Halloween III. If you’re unhappy about this, you’ll need to take it up with John Carpenter. His original vision for the franchise was to present an unrelated story with each next installment, all centering around the Halloween holiday. When Carpenter and collaborator Debra Hill were approached about making the third Halloween movie, they agreed to do so with one condition: the film could not be a sequel to Halloween II. After an original treatment was proposed, the duo came on board as producers.

The third Halloween film is the first in the series to have a subtitle. If you’re wondering where “Season of the Witch” comes from, it originates from a George A. Romero film from 1973 with that title. The story is drastically different, however, following a suburban housewife who gets involved with witchcraft. A third movie would be released with that title in 2011, starring Nicolas Cage as a knight, and it’s needless to say this film is completely unrelated as well.

When Halloween III was released, it didn’t exactly go over well with critics and audiences alike. It was the lowest-performing film in the series at the time, and the sequel was heavily criticized for taking the series in an all new direction. Although the film would become a cult classic and gain more appreciation over the decades, it was seen by everyone as a failure back in 1982. Still, when Dennis Etchison (using the pen name Jack Baker) wrote the novelization and released it that same year, the book proved to be a hit. After becoming a best-seller, the novel was reissued once again in 1984.

When the decision was made to write an all new story based on the Halloween season, British sci-fi writer Nigel Kneale was hired to pen the script. Described as being much more tongue-in-cheek than horror, the studio insisted on rewrites to make the film darker in tone. Director Tommy Lee Wallace then revised the script, adding some of the more horrific scenes. Wallace estimates about 60% of what’s seen in the finished product comes from Kneale’s original screenplay. Unhappy with the added violence, Kneale requested his name be taken out of the film’s credits.

We’ve mentioned seeing Michael Myers on a television set at one point in the film, but the cameos in this sequel go a few steps beyond that. Laurie Strode herself, Jamie Lee Curtis, provides two voice cameos as the woman announcing the curfew on the loudspeaker and a telephone operator. Nancy Kyes, who plays Annie Brackett in the first two films, appears as Linda Challis, Dan’s ex-wife. Halloween II‘s Michael Myers, Dick Warlock, plays a killer in this movie as well, portraying the “android assassin.”

We just mentioned the cameo of Nancy Kyes, who plays Dr. Challis’ ex-wife in the film. In addition to her Halloween past, Kyes was married to director Tommy Lee Wallace at the time as well, and was even pregnant with their child during production. Additionally, Atkins’ wife at the time, Garn Stephens, has a role in the film, playing Marge Guttman – the woman killed in a motel room by a Silver Shamrock badge.

Before Tommy Lee Wallace came on board, Halloween III was set to be directed by Joe Dante. After meeting with John Carpenter, the Gremlins director had agreed to helm the film, although it still wasn’t a sure thing if the sequel would actually get made. Soon after, however, Stephen Spielberg and John Landis offered Dante the chance to direct Twilight Zone: The Movie. Because of the uncertainty over Halloween III going into production, Dante left the project to accept Landis and Spielberg’s offer, leading to Wallace taking the reins.

If you’ve seen Halloween III, you can already hear this song playing in your head. To promote their masks, the Silver Shamrock corporation released television and radio ads featuring a jingle which counts down the days to Halloween. You might have recognized the tune from the song as being the same from “London Bridge is Falling Down.” This was done intentionally, as that song is in the public domain, meaning they’d be free to use it without paying anyone royalties. Director Tommy Lee Wallace sings the song himself, also providing the voice of the man speaking in the commercials.

Even during the course of production, nobody really knew for sure how exactly the film was going to end. Star Tom Atkins said in a newspaper interview prior to the film’s release that multiple endings were shot, and he didn’t know which one would be used. There’s a rumor that the original ending credits would have played the sounds of screaming children dying rather than music. Ultimately, Wallace chose to cut to black before revealing whether Dr. Challis was able to get the deadly TV commercial to stop playing, leaving the ending hauntingly ambiguous.

However, Atkins himself emphatically says Challis was able to save all of the children on that fateful night. “You bet your sweet ass I did!” Atkins personally told us at HorrorHound Weekend in 2017, when asked if he was able to stop the commercial. “I know it was a little vague there in the end, but I know what happened,” the actor explained, insisting Challis foiled Silver Shamrock’s plans at the last possible moment. Atkins may not have written the script, but his word is good enough for us.

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