The Suits of Silver Shamrock

I’ve always been fascinated by Halloween III, not just because it’s a movie that many horror folks shun upon but also because it gives a message about corporations. See, film historians have stated that this movie is sort of anti-corporations and it’s one of the main reasons why I love this movie. To me, it’s not just a cheesy b-movie but it says something about the 80s and it’s a film that can be looked at years from now so that people can study that era. However, before I get into the aspect of Halloween III that I like, I first want to briefly discuss what Halloween III means.

Throughout the film Cochran is psychotically obsessed with ‘playing a trick’ on all the kids of America by turning their heads into real Halloween masks. He uses TV to brainwash kids into wanting the Silver Shamrock masks, which can be seen as corporations trying to promote a more technology driven future that would only end in the destruction of the American family. The montages of children flooding stores in order to buy the masks goes further to show a ‘cynical’ outlook on the consumerism that has overwhelmed American cultures. It’s also rather interesting to see Cochran use the very holiday that he hates against itself to destroy children; ironic considering that Halloween is one of the biggest consumer holidays next to Christmas. Although, there was one thing that I always loved about this movie and that was the way Carpenter portrayed the ‘suits’ of Silver Shamrock.

I originally thought they were just your typical hulking henchmen but as the movie progressed, they seemed to be a little more dehumanized and that’s when it was revealed that they were in fact robots. It would explain why they hardly portray any emotions and why they just blindly follow Cochran’s bidding.

It fits perfectly with the rest of the film’s point because it’s basically Carpenter comparing to corporate execs to mindless, emotional drones that only do what their superior says. They are like robots that are programmed to do what they are told and it’s something that is so subtly referenced that I almost passed it up. I also, whether or not this is what Carpenter’s intention was, like how the robots brutally kill and maim the people that get in the way of Silver Shamrock… it’s sort of parodying corporate takeover. It’s also rather funny to see them dress up in gray suits; a color that is so dull and neutral and has no ‘flavor.’