Halloween III’s greatest strength is without a doubt the gritty brutality of its kills. People in this movie don’t just get murdered, they get fucked up. Also strong was the first third or so of the story, when it’s setting up this mysterious company with mysterious gloved agents who never say a word.

But it started to flag a little around the time they got to the company town. As Silver Shamrock’s evil plot unfolded, I found myself less and…

I had seen two John Carpenter movies prior to this one: The Thing and Ghosts of Mars, and my reactions to each could not have been more different. The former was an absolute joy and the latter alternately a joke and a chore. I knew Ghosts was considered a fluke in Carpenter’s career so I still had high hopes going into Halloween, especially since it was seemingly so highly regarded by the horror community.

And wow did it live up…