Halloween III: Season of the Witch

Halloween III: Season of the Witch
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Tommy Lee Wallace
Written by	Tommy Lee Wallace
Produced by	Debra Hill John Carpenter
Starring	Tom Atkins Stacey Nelkin Dan O'Herlihy
Cinematography	Dean Cundey
Edited by	Millie Moore
Music by	John Carpenter Alan Howarth
Production companies	Dino De Laurentiis Corporation Debra Hill Productions
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	October 22, 1982 (1982-10-22)
Running time	99 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$4.6 million[2]
Box office	$14.4 million (US)

Halloween III: Season of the Witch is a 1982 American science fiction horror film and the third installment in the Halloween film series. It is the first film to be written and directed by Tommy Lee Wallace. John Carpenter and Debra Hill, the creators of Halloween and Halloween II, return as producers. Halloween III is the only entry in the series that does not feature the series antagonist, Michael Myers. After the film's disappointing reception and box office performance, Michael Myers was brought back six years later in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988).

The film departs from the slasher genre of the other installments, instead featuring a "witchcraft" theme with science fiction aspects. John Carpenter and Debra Hill believed that the Halloween series could have been an anthology series of films that centered around Halloween night, with each sequel containing its own characters, setting, and storyline. Director Wallace stated there were many ideas for Halloween-themed films, some of which could have potentially created any number of their own sequels, and that Season of the Witch was meant to be the first.^{[citation needed]}

As with the series' other films, suspense and tension are key themes, exploring violence against young children. On a budget of $4.6 million, Halloween III made a profit by grossing $14.4 million at the box office in the US,^[3] but it was also the poorest performing film in the Halloween series at the time.^[4] Most critics gave the film negative reviews, though reevaluation in later years has given Halloween III its own reputation as a stand-alone cult film.^[5][6]

It was the last Halloween film distributed by Universal Pictures until the 2018 film Halloween 36 years later.^[7]