[Interview] Stacey Nelkin Talks ‘Halloween III: Season of the Witch’

October 9, 2015September 10, 2016 Matt Artz 0 Comments Flashback Weekend, Halloween III, Silver Shamrock, Stacey Nelkin

Among the highlights of this summer’s massive Halloween franchise reunion at Flashback Weekend in Chicago was meeting the very cool and talented Stacey Nelkin, who was kind enough to give us her memories of making Halloween III: Season of the Witch and how the most controversial of all the sequels as recently come into its own and is now finding a great deal of much overdue respect.

Read on for our full interview with Silver Shamrock’s number one weapon, Stacey Nelkin!

Why have the public and fans embraced Halloween III so much in recent years?

“I think in a certain way it has become a cult classic, to the surprise and pleasure of all of us, because when the movie came out it did not do well,” Nelkin tells Halloween Daily News, “I think it was in and out of theaters in a week or two, if that long.

“All of us as actors, I think, just kind of wrote it off.

“I think when people see the movie (today) and they can get past the fact that there’s no Michael Myers, and they just see it because they’ve heard from a friend that this is a cool movie, then people end up really liking it. So I think it’s been a slow build over 30 years. Word of mouth.

“And I think there’s something else about the movie. It does have, first of all the whole computer aspect of it, and the fact that all of these things can be projected to and through the media, people are now picking up on. I think Tommy Lee (Wallace, director)and Debra Hill (producer), God bless her, kind of had a foresight about them because the movie really does show that in a huge way, and that’s what makes it very chilling and very creepy and scary. They were really ahead of their time in their thinking about that.”

What was one of the bigger challenges you remember about filming Halloween III?

“As far as moviemaking goes, this one actually did have a few more challenges than most of the movies and TV I’ve done, and I’ve done a lot over the years. The first part would be the love scene, because I had never done a nude scene.

“There was all these stipulations in the contract, like the no nipple clause. There was a no nipple clause, which made it a lot harder I think for Tommy Lee and Tom (Atkins, costar) to shoot around. You know, it’s like two inches to the left, now to the right.

“And then there’s all of the body paint that you get put on you at six in the morning, and it’s freezing to begin with, and then you have a freezing cold sponge all over your naked body. It was not fun.

“Another thing was the masks. They had to make these masks and a copy of my arm, and the mask making in and of itself is difficult because you’re sitting and being covered by all of this stuff.

“The most interesting part of the filming for me was when I was a robot and my head and arm got cut off. My stand-in was exactly my body size and was wearing the same outfit I’d been wearing for the last part of the movie, which was now several weeks of filming. So every time I’d look down I’m wearing the same sweater and jeans.

“So when they did that scene with my head getting cut off, I thought it was so cool, because I was under a platform with my head sticking up through some hole, and then they covered it with grass, and she was about three or four feet away from me with her head down a hole and her body lying there.

“Here was this body that looked exactly like mine wearing the exact same clothing but separated from me. It was really freaky. It was bizarre.”

(photo: Getty Images)

What are you up to now?

“I have a website called TheDailyAffair.com, and I talk about relationships and parenting issues. I go on the air a lot as a parenting and relationship expert. I go on local news in New York City and I go on Fox and CNN and whoever will have me.

“I am about to write a book about a lot of my – some more famous and some less famous – relationships.

“I am also about to become certified as a drug and alcohol counselor. I like helping people, and I think we all need to be part of helping each other. For me it’s a very personal issue because my father died from heroin.

“I’ve got my three kids and I’m keeping busy. Acting, I do a little bit here and there, whenever I get hired or asked to do it.”

(photo: Getty Images)

If they asked you to consider coming back in another Halloweenmovie, would you be interested?

“If they could resurrect my arm and my head and put them back on, I would be there in a heartbeat.”

Or even if it was like a cameo as a different character?

“Absolutely. This has been a real pleasure and a complete honor, and I’m so flattered and just shocked that people have found this movie.

“And I must say, the horror fans are fucking awesome. They are really smart, interesting people who get into it, and I love that, and they’re passionate and I think that’s what life is about. I am thrilled to be able to go to these conventions and meet them all.”

Well thank you so much for talking to us.

“My pleasure. And you guys keep up the good work, because it’s keeping all of us together. It’s great.”