A Second Look At "Season Of Witch" aka "Halloween III: Season Of the Witch".

Probably the most underrated sequel in all of horror.....

In one aspect, I get why this gets a bad rap. The film dawns the "Halloween" moniker which means one thing; Michael Myers. In this one, Michael Myers isn't anywhere to be found (unless you count his brief cameo on the TV at the bar). How in the hell are you going to make a "Halloween" movie and not have Michael Myers in it ? A perfectly clear example of false advertising.

Then again, Tom Atkins is in it. Granted, no Michael Myers but he is a bad mother fucker in his own right.

Instead of murdering teenagers, Halloween III is an invasion flick centered around an annoying jingle that's the rage with all the kids.

I know, not as cool as seeing teenagers getting slashed with a kitchen knife. But, it does get better......

In another aspect, I don't see why it gets a bad rap. It's a pretty solid film. Typical invasion fare in here. You can clearly see the homages for "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers" in this one. I dig this film quite a bit and you can too !

How ?

One major complaint I've heard and read: "Well, I would've like it better if it didn't say Halloween.". You just answered your own question. Just ignore the fact its suppose to be affiliated with the Halloween franchise. That's how I watched for the first time and continue to watch it. Trust me, after you get over that hurdle; you might actually like it just as much as I do.

Most (not all) sequels are bad. This one isn't. Give it a shot.

Discovered On VHS: Ghost World (2001)

Shit, was this really released 13 years ago........

I was 14 years old and my film obsession was in full swing. I had skewed away from the mainstream films at that point. Wasn't old enough to see the good stuff and the stuff I was allowed to see went from bad to worse. At this point, this was when I started getting into cult movies. Armed with my own 13' TV/VCR combo, I had bought Alex Cox's "Repo Man", Romero's "Dawn Of The Dead", and "National Lampoon's Vacation" on video that summer. Needless to say I didn't need to waste my time with my local theater had to offer.

One quick funny story about a movie experience I had in '01. My father took my brother and I to see Tim Burton's "Planet Of The Apes". On the way home, my father asked me what I thought. "The only thing I enjoyed about the movie was the Jay and Silent Bob trailer in the beginning" was my response. I can safely say that was the last time my Dad asked me my thoughts on anything.....

I vaguely remember "Ghost World". I remember watching the trailer and thinking "what the fuck ?". Back in those days, I don't think too many people researched a new movie before seeing it. In those days if the trailer looked awesome or interesting; that meant the entire movie followed suit. All I knew the movie was based off a weird, non super hero comic book and the main characters where 2 girls.  How good could this movie be ? Not that great considering there where no zombies, family vacations, or Emilio Estevez in this movie.

Fast forward 12 years later. I was rummaging through videos at a thrift store and I came across this:

The cover looks cool, I am finding Thora Birch strangely attractive, it's rated R, it's a screener copy, and it's only 99 cents: what do I have to lose ?

I bought a pile of videos that haul and I watched it this first. From start to finish, I was glued. The humor was dark, dry, and different. For a low budgeted studio film, it looked like a indie picture. The cast was diverse and great. All in all, it was a very unique film and I enjoyed it immensely. I fell in love with this film. Aside from the reasons above I can't tell you why I enjoy this film so much.

When I watch a movie from around my time, I tend to think about the year the movie was released. This was 2001, comedies where either from the gross out or PG-13 equation. "Ghost World" wasn't either, it was in a league of it's own. It definitely stood out from all the other comedies of the day.  Judging from the fads in '01, I can see why it wasn't it hit. No one had interest outside of seeing someone fucking a pie or a big screen adaptation of a 70's TV show.

Definitely one of the last batch of films to be christened with the "cult film" label. Not too long after this film, Hollywood only concentrated on pictures that would make money. You don't see too many cult films anymore. You see films that have that potential but to see an actual cult film is rare. I've only seen three in the theater in recent years: "Grindhouse", "Tenacious D: The Pick Of Destiny", and "The Lords Of Salem". Sad that "cult" is becoming a thing of the past. Then again, I enjoy the films that already are cult films.