Halloween III (1982) - The Big Giveaway

It’s really the last twenty or so minutes that lose me. Yes, again, maybe I shouldn’t be so annoyed and just take what it gives me, but “Halloween III” leaves gaping holes of logic that drive me nuts.

Ellie, the robot, would never allow Challis to endanger Conal Cochran’s Big Giveaway. In fact, why would Cochran create an Ellie robot to start with? He could be rid of her just like the bum, or the coroner’s assistant (who gets a drill to head while trying to contact Challis and the police) or Harry. It isn’t like it would be that difficult. And why wouldn’t Cochran have henchmen stationed at the cell to make sure Harry doesn’t escape. He has more henchmen, it seems, than he knows what to do with, so why not station them everywhere that Challis might try to escape? And if Cochran knew that Challis would go after Ellie (he even shows Challis where he has the Ellie robot held…why?), why not already have guards there just in case he somehow made it out of his cell in one piece? And the Stonehenge…laughably, Tommy Wallace isn’t even about to explain that one. He gives Cochran the line of…you wouldn’t believe me if I told you. He’s probably right. How the planets are aligned and none of them decides these things…Cochran has plenty of cosmic witchcraft Celtic Samhain jargon for Challis and us the viewer. It is more or less plot points to get to the punch in the gut final scene as Challis screams for it all to stop. But not before broken Ellie the robot tries to strangle him with her severed arm. Little bits of Stonehenge in the metal trademark of Silver Shamrock causing snakes and bugs and spiders to emerge out of some other dimension when a pumpkin signal (and sound from the infamous jingle that burrows deep in your mind to plant itself for a while) “triggers” it for shock value because all bets are off when a kid lies dead on the floor, one eye looking out from the crumbling mask…trying to explain it isn’t as fun as showing the results of Cochran’s evil. And Cochran’s smile as his face transitions to dopey silver-faced blob before this light emanates and vanishes him while this beam encircles him (he gives Challis a “you got me” nod which just leaves me struggling to understand how he could have been so easily susceptible to defeat) is included just so when the final scene does happen we at least got to see Challis better him before realizing that children all across the country would perish.

When Challis asks Ellie, the robot, to "Wait here" as he set in motion his plans to thwart Cochran's efforts, why didn't she just inform her creator of what he was up to? Yes, I know...