‘His pumpkin head melted…’
The world of cinematic novelisations is a curious one. Most genre movies had a novelisation tie in from the 1960s until the ’90s. They essentially took the screenplay of a movie and expanded it by 40,000 words or so, usually by offering some extra plot details or character introspections missing from the source material. They were often ghost written, and for years would show up in charity shops and car boot sales (which is where I got my copy of the novelisation of Gremlins). In recent years, however, as with much of the pop culture ephemera of the last 50 years, the humble novelisation has become a sought after collector’s item. So much so that I couldn’t even find a copy of the novelisation of Halloween III: Season of the Witch for less than £50, and so, had to read it in PDF form on my phone. I say I had to read it…
Anyone reading this incredibly niche review probably has a fairly in-depth knowledge of Halloween III but just in case they don’t, this is the Halloween film that doesn’t feature Michael Myers and instead focuses on an evil toy company called Silver Shamrock who want to murder millions of children through boobytrapped Halloween masks. Derided for many years, this third entry in the Halloween franchise has (rightly) enjoyed something of a reappraisal in recent years and is now considered one of the most accomplished sequels in the entire franchise (although that is admittedly a fairly shallow pool).
Written by Denis Etchison (under the pseudonym Jack Martin), and published in 1982 to coincide with the release of the movie, the novelisation is a fairly straightforward adaptation of the movie. Etchison is a writer capable of some genuinely effective passages (his descriptions of violence are particularly enjoyable), and at its best, this novelisation work as more than just a companion piece to the movie. This version of the story enhances the original narrative rather than mimics it ensuring that fans of the film will undoubtedly find much to enjoy here. Etchison eventually wrote four novelisations for this franchise (from the second entry through to the fifth), and it is clear that he has a solid grasp on the characters and themes of the source material. That being said, the absence of The Shape or beloved characters such as Dr. Loomis and Laurie Strode, do harm this entry in comparison with his previous work within this franchise, but taken on its own merits, this novelisation of Halloween III: Season of the Witch made me excited all over again to re-watch the movie.
Novelisations are an acquired taste, of course, and are really only for insufferably dull horror nerds like me, but I enjoyed this one, and when the Halloweenies podcast inevitably covers the novelisation of Halloween IV next year I’ll be all over that one too.