Day 333: Halloween 3: Season Of The Witch

Halloween 3: Season Of The Witch

I don't remember Halloween being so red

The Halloween movie franchise is Michael Myers. Just like Jason in Friday The 13^th and Freddy Kruger in A Nightmare On Elm Street, it's hard to conceive of a Halloween movie without the blank-faced killer. It actually happened, though, believe it or not. The Halloween movie series was planned to produce a different horror story every year under the Halloween name. Michael Myers was never really supposed to be the face of the franchise. The idea wasn't a terrible one in theory as it would keep the franchise from being boring and predictable. It only happened once though. Could the non-Michael Myers Halloween be that bad as to completely throw out the original plan and go back to the slasher well?

Halloween 3 is a science-fiction horror movie starring Tom Atkins (Maniac Cop, Night Of The Creeps) as Dr. Dan Challis. On October 23^rd, store owner Harry Grimbridge (Al Berry, Re-Animator, The Last Starfighter) is chased down and attacked by mysterious men in suits. He collapses at a gas station , is taken to a hospital, and placed in the care of Dr. Dan Challis. Dan notices that Harry is clutching a jack-o'-lantern mask from the Silver Shamrock toy company. Commercials for the masks have been playing nonstop, advertising some sort of raffle on Halloween night for anyone who purchases a mask. Even Dan's children have the masks. Another man in a suit finds Grimbridge in the hospital and kills him before blowing himself up in the hospital parking lot. Bothered by the incident, Dan begins to investigate the incident with Grimbridge's daughter Ellie (Stacey Nelkin, Bullets Over Broadway, The Twilight Zone). They travel to the small town of Santa Mira, home of the Silver Shamrock company. The town is practically abandoned other than the factory and it's workers. One night in their motel, a saleswoman for Silver Shamrock notices a small chip that falls off a mask. The chip shoots a laser into her face, burning her horribly and releasing bugs from her mouth. Dan and Ellie, who slept together the night before, receive a tour of the factory from the owner, Conal Cochran (Dan O'Herlihy, Robocop, Adventures Of Robinson Crusoe). Dan sees the men in suits near the factory and also notices Cochran's secretive “finishing” process for the masks. What does Conal Cochran have planned with his killer masks and will Dan be able to stop him in time?

"No, I'm not happy with my long-distance rates!"

Well, this is a pretty huge departure from the first two Halloween movies. And I mean that in more ways than one. Gone is the slasher theme, the large amount of gore and violence, the pacing, the fear, and just about everything that made the first two Halloween movies so good. I understand the desire to separate the third movie and I don't really have a problem with wanting to do something different. I have a problem with a story that is so convoluted it makes my head hurt. It's as if three or four different horror movies were blended together and someone forgot to have things make sense. I thought the movie was going to be something about supernatural masks that kill the wearers, but instead we have a goofy sci-fi plot with some magic thrown in for the hell of it. Cochran's plan is as confusing as it is silly. I still have no idea why the men in suits were needed in the movie, adding a strange and unnecessary subplot.

The first two Halloween movies had a lot of suspense and plenty of fears. Halloween 3 has neither. The middle is incredibly slow and devoid of atmosphere. There isn't much in the way of scares either. The movie is strictly by-the-numbers and, if not for the Halloween name, would probably have been lost to the campy 80's horror dustbin a long time ago. Co-writer John Carpenter manages to get in plenty of social commentary, taking shots at commercialism, consumerism, and marketing. It's good commentary that makes sense, though it comes wrapped in the extremely annoying theme music for Silver Shamrock's commercial. The acting is ok, but nothing special. Tom Atkins plays his usual tough and gruff self, which would have been fine if his character was a police officer or investigator. Instead, he's a doctor, but never really acts like it. The one truly good thing the movie does is the ending. I don't think I've seen a movie where I hated 99% of it, but loved the last 20 seconds. Those last 20 seconds were everything the movie wasn't. It was intense to the point where I was literally leaning forward in anticipation.

This calls for Green Jelly's "Rock And Roll Pumpkin"

Switching things up in Halloween may have been full of good intentions, but it ended up damaging the franchise to the point where they decided to just stick with Michael Myers. Halloween 3 did poorly at the box office and for good reason. The movie is simply not good. The story is all over the place, a hodge-podge of different ideas that don't work. There isn't a lot of action and almost no suspense or fear. The social commentary is good, but heavy at times. The movie isn't a total loss as the masks are cool to look at and the ending is intense. Sometimes it's good to mix things up, keeping a franchise fresh and interesting. Of course, having a good story helps.

3.5/10

Day 278: Chopping Mall

Chopping Mall

Chop till you drop

Ah, the great American shopping mall. Where else, other than a carnival or flea market, could you ride a carousel, eat a buttered pretzel, and buy clothes? Malls are no stranger to the horror genre. They were most famously used in Dawn of The Dead, but were also used in The Initiation, Hide And Go Shriek, and Phantom Of The Mall. In the 80's the mall was the mecca of consumerism so it's no surprise that they received the horror treatment. This location allows for a lot of possibilities for scares and action, but also good social commentary. Or it's just a big, cheap open space to shoot.

Chopping Mall (also known as Killbots) is a 1986 horror movie starring Kelli Maroney (Night Of The Comet, Not Of This Earth) as Alison Parks and Tony O'Dell (Head Of The Class, The Karate Kid) as Ferdy Meisel. The Park Plaza Mall has just installed a new state-of-the-art security system manned by three robots. Armed with tasers and tranquilizer guns, the robots are programmed to patrol the premises at night, asking any human for identification. One night, lightning strikes the mall, damaging the computer that controls the robots. They come to life, killing the scientist in charge of watching them and begin roaming the mall. At the same time, four teenage couples are partying in one of the stores after hours. While the other couples get down to “business,” shy Alison and nerdy Ferdy (see what they did there?) talk and watch and old horror movie. When one couple leaves the store to go buy cigarettes from a vending machine (hey, it's the 80's), they are killed by the robots. The men and women seperate with the women eventually going to a hardware store and the men going to a sporting good store. The men arm themselves with guns and the women create molotovs using gas cans and rags. When they think they have one of the robots defeated, another one appears, killing one of the girls with laser beams (yes, laser beams). As the night wears on, more of the group are killed eventually leaving only Allison and Ferdy. How will they be able to beat this futuristic killbots and survive?

Apparently, her giant hair is thinking of getting something to eat

When I heard the title “Chopping Mall” I actually expected the movie to be about a serial killer loose in a mall. Sure, it's been done before, but not with such a clever title. Instead, we get a movie about killer robots. Obviously, the name change has something to do with my confusion, but doesn't lessen my disappointment. In fact, I don't think there any significant chopping in “Chopping Mall”. What a bummer! The movie is very much entrenched in mid-80's culture with it's goofy characters and general attitude. It's fun to see things like cigarette vending machines, big hair, multiple pay phones, and all sorts now-antiquated items in the mall. Chopping Mall does reference other horror movies, such as one of the characters saying the phrase “klaatu barada nikto” from “The Day The Earth Stood Still” and “Army of Darkness”. There are also horror movie posters in a pizza shop, including one for Slumber Party Massacre.

I wasn't expecting much when I decided to watch this movie, but it managed to be entertaining. There isn't much to the story and very little in the way of any character development. That's not why you're watching the movie, though. Chopping Mall has a surprisingly good amount of action and violence. Much like Dawn Of The Dead, the protagonists use guns found in a store to fight off their enemies. Of course, these are some heavy-duty guns. I know the 80's were bad, but I didn't think assault weapons were necessary. The movie does try to utilize a few different stores in the mall, but I could have used more variety. When you have lots of options, you might as well use most of them, The robots look decent, though their lasers look like a poor-man's Star Wars effect. The acting is passable since not a lot is required other than running, screaming, and shooting. Kelli Maroney's character is a sweeter, less Valley Girl version of her character in Night Of The Comet and makes for a good heroine.

"Stop! I just wanted a hug!"

Chopping Mall is the epitome of B-horror movies: The idea is over-the-top, the budget is small, and there isn't much of a story, but it's still fun to watch. The robots look decent and there is enough violence and action to keep the audience from thinking about the story. The acting is passable and the direction is fine. I would have liked a little more variety in locations used and more creativity in fighting the robots. Best watched with a group of friends, Chopping Mall manages to be entertaining and ridiculous at the same time.

6/10