Hocus Pocus Review (1993) (Throwback Thursday #14)
Director: Kenny Ortega
Writers: Mick Garris and Neil Cuthbert
Starring: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Omri Katz, Thora Birch, Vinessa Shaw, Doug Jones
Release Date: July 16, 1993
Rating: PG
There are a few movies that will forever remind me of being a kid, and Hocus Pocus is one of them that practically screams Halloween to me, which is funny considering Disney decided to release the damn thing in July. July! Nothing says Halloween quite like the middle of summer, when it’s ninety degrees outside and everybody’s thinking about swimming pools and cookouts instead of witches, black cats, and trick-or-treating. But Disney did what Disney does, and the movie came and went without exactly setting the box office on fire.
I was seven years old when Hocus Pocus came out in 1993, but I didn’t see it until the following year, when I was eight and rented it from Movie Gallery around Halloween 1994. I remember being outside raking up leaves and stuffing them into one of those big pumpkin bags, wanting to hurry up and get done so I could go inside and watch it again. I loved it. It was funny, it had witches, a talking cat, a pretty girl to crush on, and just enough Halloween atmosphere to make it feel like the perfect movie to watch with a bowl of candy nearby. What more could an eight-year-old possibly want?
Well, besides a Super Nintendo game and more candy. I’m surprised they didn’t make a game out of this, considering The Lion King somehow got one, and Disney certainly wasn’t shy about whoring out their films for a cheap cash-grab game.
More than thirty years later, I still enjoy Hocus Pocus, and while I wouldn’t call it a masterpiece or one of the greatest movies Disney ever made, it’s a rather good family Halloween movie that has aged considerably better than a lot of the garbage the studio has put out in recent years.
And since we’re revisiting childhood favorites during October, I figured it was time to light the Black Flame Candle and see whether the Sanderson sisters still have a little magic left.
The movie begins in Salem, Massachusetts, back in 1693, where the Sanderson sisters are busy doing what apparently passed for entertainment in seventeenth-century Salem: kidnapping children and stealing their youth to remain young and beautiful. Winifred, Mary, and Sarah Sanderson are eventually caught and hanged, but not before Winifred casts a spell that will allow them to return if a virgin lights the Black Flame Candle on Halloween night. They would’ve made excellent politicians, and probably wouldn’t have gotten punished for any of it if they’d done it today.
Fast-forward three hundred years to 1993, and we’re introduced to Max Dennison, a teenager who has recently moved to Salem from California and isn’t particularly thrilled about it. Max thinks Halloween is stupid, which already makes him suspicious in my book, and he’s considerably more interested in impressing a girl named Allison than participating in any of the town’s Halloween traditions. I can’t say I blame him.
Naturally, Max ends up at the old Sanderson house with Allison and his little sister Dani, where he decides to light the candle despite being repeatedly warned about what might happen. And wouldn’t you know it, the witches come back to life. It would’ve been a short film had he said, “You know what? You’re right. Let’s go.” Or, for that matter, had Max gotten lucky with Allison beforehand, the damn candle wouldn’t have worked anyway. Poor bastard.
Now, I’m not going to criticize Max too much for doing something stupid in front of a pretty girl, because I was once a teenage boy myself and can confirm that rational decision-making wasn’t always our strongest quality. But when somebody tells you a candle can resurrect three murderous witches, perhaps you should just leave the damn thing alone. If you light it, and nothing happens, who cares? So why even risk it? Stupid boy.
With the Sanderson sisters back, Max, Dani, and Allison have until sunrise to stop them from stealing the lives of Salem’s children, and helping them along the way is Thackery Binx, a boy who was turned into an immortal black cat three centuries earlier. Talking black cats were all the rage in the ’90s, as a few years later we’d get Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and damn, I loved Sabrina. Or rather, Melissa Joan Hart, who I had a crush on even before Sabrina, back when she was Clarissa explaining it all on Nickelodeon (which was a much better network than Disney back then, although it’s a shame they both suck today). Melissa isn’t in this, but she should’ve been.
Anyway, it’s a simple story, but it works, and the movie never gets so caught up in explaining its mythology that it forgets it’s supposed to be entertaining.
The biggest reason Hocus Pocus works is the three actresses playing the Sanderson sisters, because Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker are clearly having a blast with these characters, and their performances are just exaggerated enough to be funny without completely turning the movie into a cartoon.
Midler is the standout as Winifred Sanderson, the leader of the trio and the only one who seems particularly interested in keeping everybody focused on the task at hand. She’s loud, theatrical, bossy (she’s basically playing herself), and constantly annoyed with her sisters, especially Sarah, who spends much of the movie being considerably more interested in boys than whatever evil scheme Winifred is attempting to carry out.
Najimy is great as Mary, the goofy middle sister with an extraordinary sense of smell, and her reactions and facial expressions provide some of the movie’s funniest moments. Najimy is perfect for stuff like that, and she was a hoot in Rat Race, however many years later that was (2000ish?). I realize I just asked readers instead of searching and finding out, but it’s ultimately not important to this anyway. And then there’s Sarah Jessica Parker.
Now, I don’t know how else to put this in a way that might be somewhat respectable and nice, so I’ll just say it: this might be the only time in my life that I ever thought Sarah Jessica Parker was hot. I knew her as “horse face” before I finally made the connection that she was the hot one in this. Eight-year-old me thought she was hot as hell in Hocus Pocus. Maybe it was the blonde hair, maybe it was the witch outfit, or maybe it was just the fact that I was eight years old and thought practically any pretty blonde was the greatest thing I’d ever seen. Eh, even watching it back, she’s still hot in this. What the hell happened?
Whatever the reason, Sarah Sanderson certainly had my attention.
But the three actresses have wonderful chemistry together, and much of the humor comes from watching these three witches, who have been dead for three hundred years, attempt to navigate modern Salem. They’re powerful enough to be dangerous, stupid enough to be hilarious, and theatrical enough that you never really forget you’re watching a Disney movie.
And that’s exactly what the film needs.
While the Sanderson sisters understandably get most of the attention, I think the younger cast deserves some credit for making the movie work as well as it does.
Omri Katz is perfectly fine as Max, a teenager who spends much of the movie making questionable decisions and then trying desperately to fix them, but Thora Birch is particularly good as his younger sister Dani. She’s funny, outspoken, occasionally annoying in the way little sisters are supposed to be, and never feels like she’s just there to give Max somebody to rescue.
And then there’s Vinessa Shaw as Allison.
Remember how I said young me thought Sarah Jessica Parker was hot? Well, Allison was the one I actually had a crush on. I don’t remember exactly what it was about her, but I thought she was absolutely beautiful, and watching the movie again all these years later, I can certainly understand why eight-year-old Gary was so taken with her.
Allison is also more than just the pretty girl Max wants to impress, because she actually knows something about the Sanderson sisters and frequently has a better understanding of what’s happening than Max does. Which, granted, isn’t exactly a high bar to clear considering he’s new in town and doesn’t know shit except that the girl talking to him is hot, but she’s a likable character who contributes to the story rather than just tagging along. Actually likable as a character, and not just “hot, so we’ll tolerate it.”
And of course, there’s Binx, the talking black cat who helps the kids battle the witches. The whole idea of a boy trapped in a cat’s body for three hundred years could have been incredibly depressing if the movie wanted to dwell on it, but Hocus Pocus handles it with enough humor and heart that he becomes one of the most memorable characters in the film.
His story also gives the movie an emotional element beneath all the comedy, and the ending is genuinely sweet.
One of the things I appreciate most about Hocus Pocus is that it manages to capture the Halloween atmosphere without being particularly scary, which makes it an excellent movie for younger kids who want something spooky but aren’t quite ready for actual horror movies. Or a certain other kind of horror movie that our resident goddess of chaos likes to watch. Basically, you might not let a seven-year-old watch The Exorcist or Nightmare Sisters, but Hocus Pocus is a perfectly acceptable film for kids.
You’ve got witches flying around Salem, graveyards, an old haunted house, a talking black cat, a zombie named Billy Butcherson, and plenty of Halloween decorations, but almost everything is played for laughs rather than genuine terror. Even the Sanderson sisters, who are technically trying to murder children, are so ridiculous that it’s difficult to be particularly frightened of them.
And speaking of Billy Butcherson, Doug Jones does a wonderful job as Winifred’s unfortunate former boyfriend, who gets resurrected as a zombie and spends much of the movie shambling around with his mouth sewn shut. It’s a terrific character design, and one of several examples of how well the movie’s makeup and practical effects hold up. This was my favorite character in the whole film. Not my favorite to look at, of course, because why would he be when we’ve already established I enjoyed watching Sarah and Allison? But seeing this dude stumble around with his mouth sewn shut and losing his head will never not be funny. And yes, I know that’s a double negative. Sue me.
The visual effects are good, too, especially considering the movie came out in 1993. The witches flying around on broomsticks, the magical effects, again, Billy’s head flying off, and Binx’s transformation all look perfectly acceptable today, and while some of the computer-generated work obviously shows its age, none of it is distracting enough to pull me out of the movie.
I also love the look of the Sanderson house, the costumes, the nighttime streets of Salem, and the general atmosphere of the entire production. There’s something about Halloween movies from this era that feels different from what we get today, and I think part of it comes down to the sets, the lighting, and the willingness to create a slightly exaggerated fantasy world without making everything look like it was assembled inside a computer.
The movie also has some legitimately funny moments, particularly when the witches encounter modern technology, mistake a man dressed as the Devil for their actual master, and generally demonstrate that being three hundred years old doesn’t necessarily make you wise. Well, I mean, they were seemingly the Three Stooges of witches in their day, so you can’t expect much from them. But then, they would’ve gotten away with it had it not been for those meddling kids.
And then there’s Bette Midler performing “I Put a Spell on You,” which is probably the movie’s most recognizable scene and still a lot of fun. “Actually, this scene was more recognizable, and this one too, and so was this one.” Alright, my review, so it’s my most recognizable scene.
It’s just a good Halloween movie. Sometimes that’s enough.
For years, I wanted a sequel to Hocus Pocus. I loved the original as a kid, continued enjoying it as an adult, and thought it would be great to see the Sanderson sisters return for another adventure. Surely there was another good story to tell with these characters, especially with the original actresses willing to come back.
Well, it took twenty-nine years, but Disney finally gave us Hocus Pocus 2 in 2022, and I learned a valuable lesson about being careful what you wish for.
Because that movie was dog shit. I read reviews and “fan” opinions before watching it, and saw plenty of praise. You people obviously don’t know a good movie from a shit one.
Don’t get me wrong, it was fun seeing Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy together again, and there were a few moments that reminded me why I liked the original so much. But beyond the nostalgia of seeing the witches return, I thought the movie was a massive disappointment that lacked much of the charm, humor, and atmosphere that made the first one work. And by massive disappointment, I mean it’s like stepping in dog crap. It’s not going to harm you, but now you’ve got to spend five minutes scraping it off your shoe. Frankly, I’d rather do that than watch this movie a second time.
And really, should I have expected anything different? This is modern Disney we’re talking about, a company that seems determined to dig up every beloved property from our childhood, slap a familiar name on something new, and hope everybody is too busy remembering how much they loved the original to notice that the new movie isn’t particularly good.
Of course, after the sequel disappointed me, I figured that would be the end of it. We got the reunion; it wasn’t very good, and everybody could move on. Silly me. Apparently, enough people enjoyed part two that Disney decided to make another one. Actually, I don’t know if enough people liked it or not. Disney has a habit of releasing crap that nobody wants to watch these days, so I’m not going to pretend to be some ratings expert on Hocus Pocus 2 and whether or not it deserved another sequel. Ya know?
But apparently Hocus Pocus 3 is in development, because the second movie didn’t piss on a childhood classic enough, and now they apparently need to shit on it to flush the entire franchise down the toilet.
Will I watch it? Probably. Because I’m an idiot who keeps hoping these things will somehow turn out better the next time. And surely CGI can’t make Sarah Jessica Parker somewhat hot a third time, can it?
At least I’ll always have the original. Speaking of the original, that’s what we’re supposed to be reviewing, and we’re nearing 3,000 words on Hocus Pocus. I’ve also been at this for two hours on a Wednesday night (yes, it’s Throwback Thursday to you, but it’s Throwback Wednesday to me when I write it)… so it’s probably best to wrap this up.
Hocus Pocus isn’t a perfect movie, and I’m not going to pretend that it is simply because I loved it when I was eight years old. The story is fairly predictable, some of the humor is childish (even for a kids’ movie, don’t @ me), and there are certainly better fantasy movies out there, but none of that really matters when I’m sitting down in October looking for something fun to watch that reminds me of Halloween when I was a kid.
The cast is great, the Sanderson sisters are memorable, the effects hold up surprisingly well, and the movie manages to be funny, charming, and just spooky enough to make it a perfect choice for families who want to celebrate Halloween without giving the kids nightmares.
I rented Hocus Pocus from Movie Gallery around Halloween 1994 (man, imagine walking out of there with Nightmare Sisters instead; that would’ve been awesome), fell in love with Allison (well, not really, but you know what I mean), developed a rather unexpected appreciation for Sarah Jessica Parker (that’s unexpected now; it wasn’t then because I didn’t know her as “horse face” at the time), and had a damn good time watching three witches terrorize Salem. Thirty-two years later, I can put the movie on and still enjoy myself, obviously, which is more than I can say for the sequel I spent nearly three decades wanting.
So yes, Hocus Pocus is staying in the physical collection, and I imagine it’ll continue making an appearance around Halloween for years to come.
Hocus Pocus gets a three out of five: SUBSTANTIAL.
If you enjoyed this one, there are plenty more old favorites, forgotten gems, childhood classics, and the occasional movie I probably have no business defending in the Throwback Thursday archives. You might like my review of Death to Smoochy or perhaps First Kid.
Love Hocus Pocus too, think I’m insane for only giving it three stars, or somehow believe Hocus Pocus 2 was actually a good movie? Say so in the comments. Just don’t expect me to agree with you on that last one.
