This enjoyable and informative 33 minute retrospective documentary offers a neat and illuminating portrait on the making of the unjustly maligned "Halloween III: Season of the Witch." Writer/director Tommy Lee Wallace discusses how the '56 "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" was a huge influence on the film and notes that Nigel Kneale wrote the original script, but had his named removed after said script was rewritten (Wallace claims that 60% of Kneale's original script was retained in the revised screenplay). Executive producer Irwin Yablans admits that he thought ditching the Michael Myers storyline was a stupid idea. Stacey Nelkin reveals that she was hired on the spot after she read for the role of Ellie Grimbridge and had a no nipple clause in her contract. Tom Atkins talks about how much he loved playing Dr. Challis and points out that he got sick during the making of the picture. Everyone remembers Dan O'Herlithy as a total pro who understood the Celtic mythology of the premise. Moreover, Brad Schacter talks about his unforgettably disturbing death scene. In addition, we also hear about that insidiously catchy Silver Shamrock jingle (the jingle's melody was inspired by "London Bridges"), the movie's initial poor reception by critics and audiences alike when it was first released, and the film's subsequent reappraisal as a bona fide cult favorite. Recommended viewing for fans of the film.
3 Reviews
Stand Alone
mf281214 December 2018
Explaining a Cult Film
Michael_Elliott16 January 2015
Stand Alone: The Making of Halloween III (2012)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Another very good and highly entertaining documentary from Michael Felsher, this one dealing with the making of HALLOWEEN III, which at one time was probably the most hated horror film of the decade. Director Tommy Lee Wallace, cinematographer Dean Cundey, composer Alan Howarth and actors Tom Atkins and Stacey Nelkin are joined by a few others as they discuss the making of this film, which has turned into a semi cult classic over the years.
The documentary does a very good job at talking about the pre-production of the movie and what John Carpenter and Debra Hill originally wanted to do with it. There's discussion of the original screenplay and how Wallace ended up being the only writer credited. There's also talk about the casting of the movie, the creation of the three masks and of course the incredibly brutal backlash that the film got when it was first released. Fans of the series are certainly going to enjoy hearing all of these stories and especially getting to hear how Wallace felt when the film not only bombed at the box office but became so hated.
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Another very good and highly entertaining documentary from Michael Felsher, this one dealing with the making of HALLOWEEN III, which at one time was probably the most hated horror film of the decade. Director Tommy Lee Wallace, cinematographer Dean Cundey, composer Alan Howarth and actors Tom Atkins and Stacey Nelkin are joined by a few others as they discuss the making of this film, which has turned into a semi cult classic over the years.
The documentary does a very good job at talking about the pre-production of the movie and what John Carpenter and Debra Hill originally wanted to do with it. There's discussion of the original screenplay and how Wallace ended up being the only writer credited. There's also talk about the casting of the movie, the creation of the three masks and of course the incredibly brutal backlash that the film got when it was first released. Fans of the series are certainly going to enjoy hearing all of these stories and especially getting to hear how Wallace felt when the film not only bombed at the box office but became so hated.
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