The Greatest Sequel to This Slasher Classic Officially Rewrote the Formula

*Halloween III: Season of the Witch* broke with the slasher formula by dropping Michael Myers and telling a standalone story. Its initial critical and box-office failure helped make the series more cautious, but the film later gained a cult following and is now praised for taking a bold creative risk.

The story follows doctor Dan Challis as he investigates a conspiracy involving mask-maker Silver Shamrock and its owner, Conal Cochran, after a patient is murdered. The film shifts the franchise from slasher horror to science-fiction folk horror, with robot henchmen, witchcraft and masks linked to a threat against millions. Its anthology approach was a deliberate attempt by producers John Carpenter and Debra Hill to make each film a separate Halloween-themed story.