DIRECTED BY: Tommy Lee Wallace
WRITTEN BY: Tommy Lee Wallace and Nigel Kneale (uncredited)
MUSIC BY: John Carpenter & Alan Howarth
DISTRIBUTOR: Universal Pictures
STARRING: Tom Atkins, Stacy Nelkin, Dan O'Herlihy as Conal Cochran
RUNNING TIME: 96 Minutes
Leaving behind the story of Michael Myers, this one takes place in a small California town and is about a scam to kill millions of children on Halloween. A doctor named Daniel Challis stumbles upon the plot, which is being carried out by a mask maker who is a practitioner of black magic. His masks have manufactures labels that are made of rocks from famous pagan shrine Stone Hinge. When a very special commercial airs, after a showing of Halloween, the masks will cause a rather gruesome death for all who are watching. Dr. Challis is able to stop 2 of the commericials,
After Halloween II became a hit Universal Pictures came to Carpenter and Hill with the intent of making another sequel. They had constructed the ending of part 2 to make a sequel impossible (so they thought). They came up with the idea of turning Halloween from a continuous story into a brand name, like The Twilight Zone or Tales From the Crypt. If this one were a success they could make new horror films set on Halloween with a new story and characters each time.
Carpenter & Hill's friend and frequent collaborator Tommy Lee Wallace, who had turned down the chance to direct part 2 was hired to write and direct this one. Nigel Kneale wrote the first draft of the script, but requested that his name be dropped from the film. Carpenter and Hill served as producers. They cast Tom Atkins (of The Fog & Escape From New York), Stacy Nelkin, & veteran actor Dan O'Herlihy (later of Robocop fame). Also joining the cast were Nancy Kyes (who under the name Nancy Loomis appeared in the first two as Annie Brackett) played Dr. Challis' ex-wife and Dick Warlock (stunt man and "The Shape" in part II) played a robotic assassin.
The movie was shot in Lolita, California for a budget of $2.5 million A milk factory was used as the mask factory. Legendary mask maker Don Post provided the masks for the film. Post also released a line of masks based on the ones in the film. The masks are no longer produced. The movie was released October 22, 1982 and made $13 million but royally pissed off many of the fans of the first two. The biggest problem was not just the new story, but the fact that the movie is just not that good, particularly when compared to the Michael Myers films. The Halloween series might have been able to transform into an anthology series if part III had been a better film.
NOTE: Several of Silver Shamrock's robots are destroyed but as they were never alive, it is not a death.