Halloween III: Season Of The Witch has finally started receiving the attention it deserves with a dedicated cult following, but its legacy has been felt in the movie franchise despite being unpopular on release. As some fans of the franchise and its third installment may realize, there are several Easter eggs and references to it that frequently appear in each of its subsequent sequels, reboots, and remakes. From the subtle use of Silver Shamrock all the way to more blatant appearances of their masks, here's every time a Halloween movie features an Easter egg or references Halloween III: Season Of The Witch. 

John Carpenter's 1978 slasher horror movie, Halloween, introduced the world to the iconic killer Michael Myers, who continually hunts down Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). Michael appeared in the direct sequel, which premiered in 1981, but, much to the disappointment of fans, did not come back for the third installment. Carpenter's original concept for Halloween was an anthology movie series that would feature new and unsettling stories that all take place on All Hallows' Eve. After the poor reception of Halloween III: Season Of The Witch, Myers returned and prompted the franchise to focus solely on his story arc as he wreaks havoc every Halloween. Subsequently, the third movie is considered a standalone and was largely ignored until recently when it garnered an impressive following. It is speculated that fans of the franchise returned to the movie based on the theory that Michael Myers or his mask were created in the Silver Shamrock lab and the presence the iconic skull, pumpkin, and witch masks that appeared in the latest reboot, Blumhouse's Halloween.

Related: How Michael Myers Fits Into Halloween 3: Season of the Witch

While there has never been a direct connection made between any other Halloween movie to Halloween 3, the Easter eggs and references allude to its standalone status being questionable. In fact, it's plausible that the goals of the Silver Shamrock company are in constant motion based on these overt and covert appearances. Regardless of how they play into the larger timeline of the Halloween movies, each Easter egg and reference is incredibly well thought out with strategic placements.

Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers

Michael Myers attacking someone in Halloween 4 The Return of Michael Myers

Following Halloween 3, Michael Myers made his official comeback in Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers. There are several major references to the third installment in the franchise within the first five minutes of the movie. As the title cards flash through each cast member, Donald Pleasance's (Dr. Loomis) appears next to a banner with a skull on it. This is a direct reference to one of the three masks that Silver Shamrock markets to the masses. They include a skull, a jack 'o lantern, and a witch. As names continue to cross the screen, each of them are present.

It may not be an overt reference to the movie, but it is undoubtedly influenced by it. Halloween decorations commonly feature these three characters. The fact that they are only used in the first few minutes of the movie in a scene that never resurfaces may have been used by the filmmaker to express that the franchise is abandoning the possibility of creating an anthology series.

Halloween 5: The Curse Of Michael Myers

Halloween 6 The Curse of Michael Myers Axe

Halloween 5: The Curse Of Michael Myers features a very subtle reference to Halloween 3. In Halloween 3, the name Minnie Blankenship is mentioned in passing. In Halloween 5, she plays a role in the cult that supposedly cursed Michael Myers, making him invincible. It isn't a major nod to the standalone story, but it took the opportunity to create a connection between the two movies, despite the fact that this aspect is never explored further. If the story had delved deeper into the connection, it could've filled an incredible gap that exists between Halloween III: Season Of The Witch and the rest of the franchise. Harry Grimbridge was supposed to meet with Minnie Blankenship. Considering his involvement with the character who is heavily involved in the cult that supposedly cursed Michael, it could've posited that he was part of it.

Related: Halloween 3: What Happened After The Movie (Do The Kids Die?)

Halloween (2018)

Halloween 2018 Silver Shamrock reference masks

Halloween III: Season Of The Witch was not referenced again until Blumhouse's 2018 reboot of the Halloween series. After successfully convincing Jamie Lee Curtis to return as Laurie Strode, the movie picked up where Halloween 2 left off approximately 40 years after the Haddonfield Hospital face-off. It completely erased every timeline that was created after Halloween's first sequel and recreated by each director who came after John Carpenter. Per the Blumhouse reboot, no longer did Laurie Strode have a son, such as was the case in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later — this time, she has a daughter and granddaughter instead.

Considering the fact that Halloween 2018 continues from 1978's Halloween, it makes the third movie completely irrelevant to the franchise. However, via the use of some major Easter eggs, it pays homage to the newly popular Halloween 3. For example, as trick or treaters run through the streets of Haddonfield, Illinois, some don the original masks from Silver Shamrock. David Gordon Green purposefully included several references to each movie that preceded his own addition to the franchise. The Silver Shamrock Easter egg was one of the most surprising, considering its current disconnect from the overall story of Michael Myers, regardless of the timeline being followed.

Halloween Kills

Halloween Kills Trailer Reveals and Secrets

The trailer for David Gordon Green's second movie in his Halloween trilogy, Halloween Kills, revealed that the Silver Shamrock masks will make a reappearance as Halloween decorations. Among the other nineteen major reveals, a black flag with a skeleton on it indicated that Green wasn't done including references to previous movies in the franchise. It shares striking similarities with Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers and their Easter egg on Donald Pleasance's title card. As they are returning to Haddonfield Hospital—and Pleasance famously portrayed Dr. Loomis—this Halloween 3 reference runs far deeper than being merely that. It could be intended to hint at Loomis' return in some capacity. While Halloween III: Season Of The Witch hasn't been regarded as an integral installment in the Halloween franchise, it has played a major role by continually allowing directors to give subtle hints and clues to major plot reveals and character changes throughout through subtle ways.

More: Jamie Lee Curtis' Halloween 3 Cameo That Nobody Noticed