With changing attitudes to the history of witchcraft very much a thing in 2022, let’s look back to one of the seminal works on the subject; 1993’s ‘witch-hunt’ romp Hocus Pocus, which features the three-witch configuration featured in Macbeth, but played for laughs with a trio of female comics in the leads. And yes, that means giving the ‘Divine Miss M’ Bette Midler centre stage, but also with some added zing in the cauldron in the form of Sister Act star Kathy Najimy and even Sarah Jessica-Parker in an untypically un-Carrie-like Harpo Marx performance. With Hocus Pocus 2 finally arriving this fall, it’s time to figure out why Kenny Ortega’s kids movie is gaining in stature as the years go by…
We starts in 17th century Salem, and three women are done for witchcraft; they are actual witches, so it’s a fair cop, to quote Connie Booth in the Holy Grail. Skip forward to 1993, and Max Dennison (Omri Katz) re-boots the three sisters one Halloween night, and he and his little sister Dani (Thora Birch) are chased all over their Massachusetts town by the evil women. Winnie (Midler) Sarah (Jessica-Parker) and Mary (Majimy) Sanderson find that their cottage has been turned into a museum, but seek a magic book to replenish their powers, with only the resourceful Max and Dani standing in their way…
During the pandemic, with many cinemas closed, re-issues of Hocus Pocus came first and second at the US and UK box-office respectively; clearly there’s something about this movie that kids remember fondly. Yet Hocus Pocus was unloved by critics and audiences at the time, and it’s taken decades for it to become a pop culture item. That quality is largely due to the cast, with Midler the obvious stand-out, singing I Put A Spell on You in her own inimitable style, with choreographer Ortega giving the routine the requisite oomph; it’s shame they didn’t make this a full blown musical at the time, although one suspects it’s on the way…
So, moving forwards, what should we expect from Hocus Pocus 2? More of the same, most likely; this is a very lightweight film that, if you deem the themes appropriate, should work for kids with a bent towards Halloween fare. It may not put a spell on audiences, but it’s likeable, silly fun, and also has a particularly good talking cat; CGI hadn’t quite hit in 1993, and it was the best of times for articulate moggies like the one featured here.
I had no idea they were making another Hocus Pocus! I’d rather an Eastwick redux, but this HP2 would get my butt in a theater seat!
Well, I think it’s a Disney+ exclusive, so the only seat you need is your own….
Hmmm……I don’t think I want to see it enough to subscribe to Disney+
What kind of Hocus Pocus fan are you?
A true one. I refuse to watch it on any screen but the largest one possible. I will begin the small screen boycott!
A true Hocus Pocus fan could watch it on a black and white monitor through a letterbox; there’s no limit to what I’d go through to see the Sanderson sisters. facT!
Double Nope. Not a patch on the Eastwick witches.
Sigh…tough crowd.
Hocus Pocus 2 eh? When does Princess Bride 2 come out then?
After Top Gun 2 and before The Rescuers Down Under 2.
I thought TG2 was already out? I see lots of ads for it when watching stuff on freevee now….
So this would be after TG2, but part of the 80’s revival. Seen any trailers for The Rescuers reboot? Don’t hold your breath…
Yeah, I learned that whole “hold my breathe” lesson yesterday. Especially when I woke up alive this morning and wasn’t living impaired anymore, so no free handouts.
What’s a guy gotta do to mooch off of everyone else nowadays anyway?
Well, I’ll keep hoping for a rescuers reunion. They can reuse Gabor’s voice digitally too…
Chip n Dale Rescue the Rescuers?
That’s more Mrs B’s balliwick. And she doesn’t like the look of the mixed animation, so we’re a No-Go on the rescuer rangers for anything right now.
Tough crowd.
She’s even pickier than me. So yep, VERY tough crowd…
Well, you got me to look up moggies.
Look up at them, look down at them, just don’t look to them in a crisis. It’s notable how Hocus Pocus takes an idea that Shakespeare couldn’t make work in Macbeth (three witches influencing someone’s life) and makes something far superior; I genuinely don’t know what Shakespeare bothers getting out of bed in the morning…
It’s been getting harder for him recently.
I think he was disheartened when Hocus Pocus proved to have such long-standing appeal. Probably best for him to jack it in.