Halloween III: Season of the Witch remains an oddity in a series with more than its share of unusual chapters. As the only Michael Myers-free installment of the whole horror franchise, the standalone 1982 film was an attempt to rebrand the slasher saga as an anthology series, though things didn’t go quite as planned.
Unhappy with the change in approach, the feature was widely rejected by fans at the time, prompting the franchise to resume its regularly scheduled programming with 1988’s tellingly titled Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. In the year’s since, however, the defenders of this red-headed stepchild have only grown in numbers, to the point that many would hold Season of the Witch up as the finest of the sequels.
It’s a sign of this ongoing reappraisal that the cult flick is even getting its own fan-made follow-up, named Return of the Witch in what sounds like a rebuttal to the Halloween 4 subtitle. A new teaser for the project has now made its way online, and though it has no actual footage to offer, it does provide some familiar imagery as well as a callback to the insanely catchy Silver Shamrock theme song of the original movie.
The project comes courtesy of filmmaker Brandon Tobatto, who provided Bloody Disgusting with a breakdown of the details:
“The film will release on Youtube on October 27th, and promises an all-new take on the original story, all the while continuing those events directly, as well. The film will feature an updated cast, diverse locations, and the return of the infamous Silver Shamrock masks, used with permission from Trick or Treat Studios!”
Tobatto also offers a quick synopsis, which suggests that just as the next Halloween will be introducing us to the daughter and granddaughter of Laurie Strode, Return of the Witch will also see the horror pass down between generations:
“After finally coming to terms with the fact that his family’s legacy has been forever tarnished by the events of Halloween 1982, Connor Cochran, grandson of Conal Cochran and heir to the ‘Silver Shamrock’ company, has decided to re-emerge from the shadows and rid the world of the stigma it has placed upon his family name. With this new ‘Shamrock Unlimited’ brand looming over the nation, will Connor Cochran right the wrongs of his grandfather… or FINISH what Conal Cochran started all those years ago?”
The fan film will be coming to YouTube just over a week after the October 19th release date of the official Halloween sequel. And if you’re upset that the Myers movie is the one with the bigger budget, at least director David Gordon Green took the time to throw in a little nod to Halloween III.
