SMALLS' FRIGHT FEST: HALLOWEEN 3

ONE MORE DAY TO HALLOWEEN, HALLOWEEN, HALLOWEEN, ONE MORE DAY TO HALLOWEEN SILVER SHAMROCK

 Welcome back to my fright fest. Today, I look at a film that has gained it's own cult following over the years, Halloween 3: Season of the Witch.

In Halloween 3, we follow Dr. Daniel Challis (Tom Atkins) who decides to do some investigating after one of his patients, who was mumbling prophetic warnings, is murdered. Along with the patient's daughter, Ellie (Stacey Nelkin), Dan does some digging, uncovering a conspiracy which seems to involve the Silver Shamrock Company, whose masks have been selling like crazy.

While Stacey Nelkin does an adequate job as Ellie, and Dan O'Herlihy does a suitable creepy performance as Conal Cockran, the mysterious head of the Silver Shamrock Company, this is really the Tom Atkins show. Atkins makes for a fantastic hero, which just about everyone who has seen any of his movies should know. He is charismatic, funny, but also manages to pull off the whole frantic thing pretty well too. Atkins has been a staple of many horror films over the years including the recent remake of My Bloody Valentine (of which he was one of the most memorable parts of), and his presence here only elevates the film even more. He is, as always, an immense joy to watch.

Halloween 3's first act is fairly weak, it's only when we get to explore Silver Shamrock that things start to get pretty tense, suspenseful, and creepy. The film can be very silly at times (especially whenever the suited men show up and try and act menacing....oh help, I'm, being attacked by a bunch of lawyers). A lot of what the film thinks is scary and creepy, just plain isn't. That said, the big reveal of the truth of Silver Shamrock always leaves me shaken and disgusted. While there are a lot of failed attempts at being scary and creepy, there are still some creepy things in the film that should send a good chill down your spine.

Upon release, Halloween 3 was deemed a flop. Most audiences were expecting the further adventures of Michael Meyers, and were upset when they got something completely and totally different. Now, different isn't always bad, and over the years the film has gained quite a cult following. Halloween 3 is certainly not as strong as Halloween's 1 and 2, but it still makes for a good Halloween night viewing.

 3.5 STARS