H3 Memorabilia: Smaller Promotional Campaign...Or

[Myers63]

H3 memorabilia seems to be few and VERY far between. What items we do see on eBay are the same old items listing after listing.

My 2-part question:

Did Universal Pictures artificially minimalize their advertising/promotional campaign in reflection of the fact that Carpenter/Hill insisted that H3 have nothing to do with the Myers storyline(despite Uni's agreement to distribute it).....

OR

Did UNI in fact match their promotional campaign to that of H2, but the holders of H3 memorabilia nowadays realize it's a "weak" sequel and feel their collected memorabilia wouldn't be of interest to the general HalloweeN fans/collectors?


(Not HalloweeN series collectors re-selling their items...but the general movie memorabilia collectors who might be aware of H3's lack of appeal to the majority of the Myers storyline fans)

[Franchise]

I think Universal realized that there would be a backlash to this movie and limited the advertising. I wasn't a fan of the stuff back when the movie came out, but I do think that there is a lack of memorabilia for it. But, I think it's also possible that some of this stuff is sitting somewhere in storage like all the H3 rolled 1 sheets that are on eBay all the time now.

[DarthMyers]

I could swear I read about this somewhere. When the film was released I remember the original trailer being very vague almost as if they didnt want people to realize Michael wasnt in the film.

I think they were a bit gun-shy. Seeing as how JC had some box office weight at the time. I think Uni went along with his plan of doing a anthology type of film even though they felt it wouldnt succeed.

[Philo Bedo]

Here’s a question for you, Myers63. Why would ‘Universal’ want a movie that they are putting out not to do well?! That wouldn’t be smart for they’re stock holders, don’t ya think? Someone gave this movie a ‘GO’ after it was pitched to ‘Universal.’ You can find Posters and Stills on this movie VERY easily. Like all movies that have EVER come out, some people liked this movie, some didn’t. I have seen almost ALL of the advertising for this movie, and unlike most of you, I was alive when it came out.

NOTHING IN THE ADS EVER SAID ‘MYERS’ WAS IN THIS MOVIE.

People went to it assuming ‘Myer’s was in it, saw he wasn’t, got mad, told other people and the movie didn’t do well. That’s it. Simple! It’s weird, the original was a word of mouth movie, which made it a hit, the third ‘TANKED’ because of word of mouth.

"Did Universal Pictures artificially minimalize their advertising/promotional campaign in reflection of the fact that Carpenter/Hill insisted that H3 have nothing to do with the Myers storyline(despite Uni's agreement to distribute it)....."

Are you nuts. Why would a studio want a movie to fail. They put up money for it. If they didn't want to put it out, they wouldn't have. When I talked to the guy who did the art, all he was instructed was, 'No Pumpkins.'

"Did UNI in fact match their promotional campaign to that of H2, but the holders of H3 memorabilia nowadays realize it's a "weak" sequel and feel their collected memorabilia wouldn't be of interest to the general HalloweeN fans/collectors?"

Collecting was not that big at that time, not like it is today. Now they release TONS of stuff for the collectors so that can help make the money back for advertising, that was not the case in the early 1980's.

[DarthMyers]

pheyelooooo bedoooo

I always enjoy saying that name...

[larry-new]

Philo buddy...I have a feeling you and I are probably among the oldest on here.............I am 36 and vividly remember seeing H3 and loving it...a product of its time and very well done.........Larry

[H-field Hero]

You guys who have posted (and Paul also) are pretty knowledgable over movie promotion items. What types of promo items were released for the rest of the halloween films, but not for Halloween III?

[Myers63]

Originally posted by Philo Bedo
Here’s a question for you, Myers63. Why would ‘Universal’ want a movie that they are putting out not to do well?! That wouldn’t be smart for they’re stock holders, don’t ya think? Someone gave this movie a ‘GO’ after it was pitched to ‘Universal.’ You can find Posters and Stills on this movie VERY easily. Like all movies that have EVER come out, some people liked this movie, some didn’t. I have seen almost ALL of the advertising for this movie, and unlike most of you, I was alive when it came out.

NOTHING IN THE ADS EVER SAID ‘MYERS’ WAS IN THIS MOVIE.

People went to it assuming ‘Myer’s was in it, saw he wasn’t, got mad, told other people and the movie didn’t do well. That’s it. Simple! It’s weird, the original was a word of mouth movie, which made it a hit, the third ‘TANKED’ because of word of mouth.

"Did Universal Pictures artificially minimalize their advertising/promotional campaign in reflection of the fact that Carpenter/Hill insisted that H3 have nothing to do with the Myers storyline(despite Uni's agreement to distribute it)....."

Are you nuts. Why would a studio want a movie to fail. They put up money for it. If they didn't want to put it out, they wouldn't have. When I talked to the guy who did the art, all he was instructed was, 'No Pumpkins.'

"Did UNI in fact match their promotional campaign to that of H2, but the holders of H3 memorabilia nowadays realize it's a "weak" sequel and feel their collected memorabilia wouldn't be of interest to the general HalloweeN fans/collectors?"

Collecting was not that big at that time, not like it is today. Now they release TONS of stuff for the collectors so that can help make the money back for advertising, that was not the case in the early 1980's.


I believe that you've missed my point, Philo Bedo. :)

I'm not nuts...I'm one of the biggest dis-believers that UNI pulled a bait and switch where Myers and H3 are concerned.

I know WHAT can be found on this title very easily, but I'd stated that what we DO see are the very same items over and over and over again(posters and lobby cards like you've mentioned, with the exception of a publicity still here and there). (I'm only speaking of what is to be found on eBay)

For Example: I've seen H2 press books 10:1 over H3 press books. Ad sheets,press books,and trailers are 100% easier to find for H2 than H3(that goes for most of the other sequels as well besides H1). (Again, I'm only speaking of what is sold on eBay).

I don't believe that UNI wanted H3 to fail...but it's a foregone conclusion that studios hype certain titles far more than others.

I'm a die-hard HalloweeN series collector, and in my years of collecting, H3 has been the hardest title in the series to score memorabilia from--especially U.S. memorabilia. So, in that tradition, the whole point of my thread was to gain opinions as to why H3 memorabilia is so much harder to find. I firmly believe the H3 stuff is out there and waiting to be found---it's just the non-fan owners of the stuff don't part with it--perhaps due to the fact that H3 is generally disliked across the board of series/Horror fans, and they don't feel like it's worth their while to go through the motions of listing an ad.

[MyersFan927]

This topic has been on my mind for a considerable amount of time, and it's hard for me to take an educated guess on exactly what happened. I always suspected there was a minimalization of H3's advertising and promotional campaign, mainly because we hardly see items of the sort on Ebay the way we see them for other sequels. Universal clearly did not have enough faith in the movie because of the absence of Michael, even though I cannot say the advertisements were necessarily misleading since I don't know enough in that department. What is clear is that Universal could have done more to promote the movie. So perhaps they minimalized their ads, pressbooks, etc., which ultimately screwed any hopes of acheiving a strong success in the movie. Moviegoers generally feel they were cheated, and you can't blame them because Universal did not do everything in their power, such as having a promotional campaign matching that of H2.

I'll say it before, and I'll say it again. H3 would not have had such a negative reaction if Universal decently treated the movie before it came to theaters...letting people know in EVERY shape and form that it would be different than the other two. At least the trailer is blatant enough.

[Myers63]

Originally posted by MyersFan927
This topic has been on my mind for a considerable amount of time, and it's hard for me to take an educated guess on exactly what happened. I always suspected there was a minimalization of H3's advertising and promotional campaign, mainly because we hardly see items of the sort on Ebay the way we see them for other sequels. Universal clearly did not have enough faith in the movie because of the absence of Michael, even though I cannot say the advertisements were necessarily misleading since I don't know enough in that department. What is clear is that Universal could have done more to promote the movie. So perhaps they minimalized their ads, pressbooks, etc., which ultimately screwed any hopes of acheiving a strong success in the movie. Moviegoers generally feel they were cheated, and you can't blame them because Universal did not do everything in their power, such as having a promotional campaign matching that of H2.

I'll say it before, and I'll say it again. H3 would not have had such a negative reaction if Universal decently treated the movie before it came to theaters...letting people know in EVERY shape and form that it would be different than the other two. At least the trailer is blatant enough.

I agree with you 100%, Vincent.


Between the Teaser and Regular theatrical 1-sheets, along with the trailers and the radio/TV spots, it should've been crystal clear that there would be NO rehash of Myers in H3. It's for the casual moviegoers(and the fans who couldn't put 2&2 together) that UNI should've brought the lack of Myers to the forefront of their promotional campaign.

In hindsite, John and Debra should've been allowed more control of what UNI did to promote H3, as I'm almost certain they'd have been all for a full blown Myers-less promotion, considering they'd both laid him to rest in H2 and were onto brighter horizons with the Anthology idea.

In the end, UNI did their barest minimum to stress that Myers wasn't going to be in the film--yet I feel they did enough to show moviegoers that H3 was going to be different. They just could've and should've done more, IMO.

One has to wonder how much differently H3 would've been received had Nigel Kneal remained as the credited writer with the film playing out how he'd written it. His version of Cochran's demise was SO much better,IMO.

[MrTaft]

Well, when you look at the H2 ad campaign compared to the H3 ad campaign, they're exactly the same with both amount and variety of promotional items available. So I believe the answer is, as one Josh gave, whoever has all this stuff tucked away doesn't believe there's a market for it given the film's box office results. A great shame.

[MyersFan927]

Originally posted by Myers63
In the end, UNI did their barest minimum to stress that Myers wasn't going to be in the film--yet I feel they did enough to show moviegoers that H3 was going to be different. They just could've and should've done more, IMO.

One has to wonder how much differently H3 would've been received had Nigel Kneal remained as the credited writer with the film playing out how he'd written it. His version of Cochran's demise was SO much better,IMO.

Universal's actions in promoting the movie was senseless and idiotic. They were afraid of the idea behind H3 and didn't even give the movie a fair chance to fare better. They had the opportunity to help H3 to be well received, but again, their option of limiting advertisements - and above all, explanations - is what essentially indicates why H3 is thought to be such a poor sequel. And of course, this is why the average Halloween fan so easily thinks Halloween = Michael Myers.

How did Kneale write Cochran's demise? And if possible, please fill me in on any other alternates he had planned.

[larry-new]

Here is an example of one different trade ad art for H3...I believe there was a bootleg insert made from this ad and it circulated on Ebay some time ago....Really neat idea I think.............Larry

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/knewby/h3advance.jpg

[MyersFan927]

Originally posted by larry-new
Here is an example of one different trade ad art for H3...I believe there was a bootleg insert made from this ad and it circulated on Ebay some time ago....Really neat idea I think.............Larry

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/knewby/h3advance.jpg

That's the U.S. Advance sheet, yes. :) I believe they were pulled out of circulation early on, and therefore, they're rare on Ebay. Cool looking poster, isn't it?

[larry-new]

Yes it sure is....I've never seen one for sale either

[MrTaft]

One was on eBay last year, but it was laminated. Our friend bought it.

[MyersFan927]

Originally posted by MrTaft
One was on eBay last year, but it was laminated. Our friend bought it.

The amazing Billy? :p

[Myers63]

Originally posted by MrTaft
One was on eBay last year, but it was laminated. Our friend bought it.

I remember that listing, Paul. That had been the 3rd time that I'd seen it listed on eBay(in fact, I'd commented on it within a thread at the UHMB). All 3 times that I'd seen it on eBay it was laminated(and from the same seller). That reason alone was why I never bidded on it--although it'd be just as cool to own a copy as a mere filler piece until an original could be scored.

[Philo Bedo]

“I believe that you've missed my point, Philo Bedo.”

No I didn’t. ‘Halloween III’ did NOT do well. The movie has been given a bad rap despite the advertising for this movie. I remember watching the rebroadcast of ‘Halloween’ in 1982 and watching during the commercial breaks the TV Spots for ‘Halloween III.’ I saw ads in newspapers, heard the Radio Spots and even saw the poster at a local theatre. The movie was backed, and full potentional was supposed to be gained by it. Word of mouth is what hurt this movie, not advertising.

‘Halloween III’s’ poster was not really that exciting when compared to ‘Halloween’ or ‘Halloween II.’ So that is why you see a lot of them, no interest in purchasing them.

The ‘Trailer’ and the ‘Teaser.’ Ever heard of the ‘Big Reel’ publication? That’s where I got 2 of each and Billy got his as well. They are VERY easy to find in that publication. Also, remember Union Projectionists were required by their contacts to send back ALL NSS material to there studios for destruction.

Ad Slicks, Pressbooks, Presskits. Again, this goes back to demand for this title. ‘Halloween II’ sells more than ‘Halloween III.’ A major plus for ‘Halloween II’ is ‘Jamie Lee’ is in it. A LOT of people collect just on her.

Movie Collectors World in the mid 1990’s had EVERYTHING that you’re looking for. Sales drive ebay, and if things don’t sell well, why put them up. Billy and I both have found these items on ebay, off ebay or before they were put on ebay.

Before you post a reply, ask someone who has not seen ‘Halloween III’ about what they heard about it. They will tell you it didn’t have ‘Myers’ so 'I heard it sucks.' Or if they saw it, was upset that ‘Myers’ wasn’t in it and told a TON of people.

"bait and switch where Myers and H3 are concerned."

That's tough call. I can see where people would assume that 'Halloween' is a 'Myer's' film. However, after the 'ending' they gave 'Myers' in 'Halloween II' people should of seen this as a new beginning with the advertising. The 'Teaser' really dose not give anyone a clue to what the movie is about, so I'd give that to the the 'bait.' However, the Posters, ads, Radio Spots and the normal Trailer basically give you the 'New' story. During the trailer there is subliminal messages said during it. I’ll check that out tonight and post whats said.

UPDATE!
Here's what is said. During the trailer, you hear VERY subliminally...Kill the Children, Bloody, Warlock, Joke, Kill the Children, Bloody. All of this is said VERY slowly but you can hear it. You have music playing through out, dialog from the film and in the background you hear that during the entire trailer. VERY Cool!

[larry-new]

How hard is the H3 British quad to find? I love that groovy witch used for their advertising...the only copy I can find is pretty beat up and on black background posters the damage really shows up......................Larry

[MrTaft]

It doesn't come up that often, Larry.