Connect with us

Editorials

35 Years of Silver Shamrock: 5 Reasons You Should Stop Giving ‘Halloween III’ All the Grief

Published

on

It was 35 years ago today (October 22, 1982) that Halloween III: Season of the Witch was released, a film that most fans and critics alike initially dismissed as an atrocity, but one that is finally getting the amount of love and admiration it rightfully deserves. It’s taken quite some time and endless arguments with fellow friends and family members on my end, but goddammit if it ain’t a beautiful thing when they finally see the bigger picture here… Halloween III: Season of the Witch isn’t just a Halloween film with the absence of Michael Myers, but actually a great stand-alone movie completely removed from the horror of Haddonfield.


During my adolescent years and well into my twenties I encountered a seething hatred for the unconventional third film in the Halloween franchise anytime it was brought up in conversation. It wasn’t until my early twenties that I really studied the film for which I now adore. There are still many people who are stubbornly unwilling to even give this movie a chance, always exclaiming, “It has nothing to do with Michael Myers.” I’ve heard it so many times that it’s prompted me to give you five damn good reasons to stop giving it so much grief.

For those that may not be hip to it, John Carpenter intended for the Halloween sequels to continue as an anthology series. After enduring bullet wounds, blown-out eyeballs, and then being fully engulfed in flames like a Halloween yule log, Michael was dead at the end of Halloween II. It was a fitting finale to the Haddonfield Halloweenie and was fully expected to stay that way. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the later sequels just as much as the next Halloween aficionado, but I always wonder what could have been had the franchise stayed the alternate course throughout the years.

Anyway, here are five reasons why Halloween III totally rules.


5. The Murderous Magic Pumpkin

The Silver Shamrock commercial will have you dancing an Irish Halloween jig of glee. It has become a Halloween anthem for the month of October as we count down the days until the big giveaway of tricks or treats. However, the possibly seizure-inducing strobe light pumpkin is not just a jingle that will run around like a cracked-out hamster on a wheel for 72 hours, but a forewarning of the doom, and the messenger of death that lies ahead on Halloween night for literally millions watching it. The Magic Pumpkin is a murderous bastard, guys. Not just an annoying flashing jack-o-lantern, but an underrated horror icon.


4. That Beautiful John Carpenter/Alan Howarth Score

I realize this is a bold statement, but the score to Halloween III is one of the greatest horror movie soundtracks ever produced. It’s brilliantly synthesized tone of impending terror and haunting sounds set a perfect background for a 1980’s Halloween film. (The duo of John Carpenter and Alan Howarth also paired for both Halloween II and Big Trouble in Little China‘s score.) If you can’t get on board with the movie itself, the soundtrack on its own is a masterful piece of composed horror art that will put any Halloween Scrooge in the mood for some trick or treating.


3. That Brutal Death Scene… With a Kid!

Very few horror movies have the balls to kill off a child. The kill is so unique and brutally done, and also sets the stage for the grand finale: Halloween III’s main target is the children and this is the fate for ALL OF THEM. That’s pretty gnarly.


2. Tom Atkins: The Man, the Myth, the Mustache

I don’t really think I need to persuade the lot of you that Tom Atkins is a goddamn national treasure to the horror community. With other films like Creepshow, Night of the Creeps, and The Fog, I really feel like he shines his brightest in Season of the Witch. In the film, he plays a booze-lovin’ doctor that takes on Cochran and his army of android henchmen with his bare manly hands. I know that sounds cheesy as hell, but hey, if anyone can save the world from a Pagan madman, it’s gotta be Sir Tom of Atkins, am I right? So, grab a Miller High Life and watch Tom Atkins save the world, won’t ‘cha?


Conal Cochran: The Most Underrated Horror Villain of All Time

I don’t use the word “underrated” lightly, however, I feel it’s quite appropriate here. Conal Cochran (Dan O’Herlihy), the proprietor of Silver Shamrock Novelties and sworn allegiance to the dark arts of Witchcraft make him for a dangerous enemy to have indeed; especially if you’re a kid. Cochran, presumably has way more kills under his belt than not only his film predecessor Myers, but the holy trinity of slashers themselves – Freddy, Jason, and Michael. And think about this: The ending is open-ended and leaves us to speculate whether the final commercial ran its full course. If it did, then Cochran would have succeeded in committing mass genocide of children across the United States.

What a dick, eh?

Cochran, who uses his success of his company to coordinate the largest Samhain sacrifice to appease the Celtic Gods on the glorious night of Halloween, is as evil and terrifying as they come. As if his ominous staredowns weren’t creepy enough, his monologue alone is chilling to the bone (the thrill and absolute madness in his voice sells it completely). Cochran is hardcore. I’ll give you all the credit you twisted bastard…


I hope these ramblings have persuaded you to take another look at Halloween III on its 35th anniversary.

Oh, and that whole “Michael Myers isn’t in it” thing? He’s totally in it…. same mannerisms and all, just without the mask, and in the form of an android.

Dick Warlock just wants to hand out throat hugs?

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

Published

on

leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

LEPRECHAUN

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

LEPRECHAUN RETURNS sequel

Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

Continue Reading