Halloween III: Season of the Witch

My original rating of 1 star was based solely on the memory of watching this once, in the late 80's. It was an unfair opinion, based solely on my juvenile disappointment in the movie not having Michael Myers. I'm no longer that kid. It's been 30+ years. So I gave it another go. And you know what? It's not awful. But it's a mediocre mess. Negatives first: this movie's plot is ridiculous in ways I can't even describe. This man starts a novelty toy company, puts a small Californian town on Big Brother-esque lockdown, and 40 years later, decides to harness black magic to kill kids and return Halloween to its roots. Um, what? How does Stonehenge play into it? "It has powers". How did you get a part of Stonehenge from Ireland to California? "It wasn't easy". This movie almost literally hand-waives questions you may have, when it doesn't just ignore them outright. And don't even wonder about how this master plan to end Halloween's commercialization by murdering millions of children will bring the holiday back to its roots. And is this plan international? The ending would seem to indicate no, it's very American-focused ... so what about Canada? Europe? The acting here ... it's certainly some choices. The SFX veer from fascinating to distractingly bad. Sometimes, the script belabors the point of a scene and ruins the mood (I won't spoil with whom, but the battlle with the final obstacle goes on ... and on ... and on ...). And then there's, as James. A Janisse from Dead Meat put it, the "May/December of the following year" romance between the two leads. But it isn't just the age gap of the actors (24 years, but based on looks, could be 30+), it's how quick and uncomfortably it all happens. They know each other for all of a few hours, we're given zero signs of any chemistry, she's just gotten over the loss of her father, and suddenly, they go from strangers to sex JUST. LIKE. THAT, right outta left field. It's weird and gross and unrealistic, and serves no purpose. None at all. Now for the positives, and they can all be stated pretty simply. This movie, in every way, is not afraid to go for broke. Good or bad, every acting choice is done at 110%. The kills are memorable and OTT violent for the kind of movie this is (a decapitation by way of tearing someone's head off with one's bare hands, for instance). And for all the plot holes, this plot is unique. You won't see another movie like this, for damned sure. So ... yeah, don't let the name or its lack of continuity with the rest of the Halloween timelines scare you. Give it a try. You'll either appreciate its high camp and balls-to-the-wall mentality, or it'll turn you off. But either way, you won't be bored.