Review: Hocus Pocus

#113 - Hocus Pocus


Hocus Pocus takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, a town that believes in an old tale about the Sanderson witches and a curse they placed upon the town's residents centuries ago. One night, a teenager named Max, enters the old Sanderson house and lights a candle that brings back the three sisters. They are in search of the souls of children, so they can retain their youth and beauty. Max, his sister, his girlfriend, and a cursed cat name Binx set out on a mission to kill the Sanderson sisters before daybreak. Though it proves to be quite a difficult task, Max outsmarts the witches, and they are destroyed as the sun rises.

When you think about it, this movie is kind of dark for a Disney film. Witches stealing the souls of children, a virgin lighting the candle to bring back said witches...and then the deaths of course. However, despite it being slightly adult-themed for a children's film, Disney does a good job of masking all of that with a delightful main cast and a heartfelt story. Casting Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson sisters was spot on. This was back when Sarah Jessica Parker could actually act. Nowadays, it feels like she has given up...or thinks she's well-known enough to take on crappy roles and still be loved. She really shines when she plays an odd character. Sarah Sanderson is her only role EVER that has allowed her to do that.

This movie has quickly become a cult classic, which is watched by everyone I know each and every Halloween. It's a cute movie, and I can see the allure it has. However, I can't give it 5 out of 5 stars because I simply hate most of the acting in it. When you put a cast up against three powerhouses like Midler, Parker, and Najimy, the others look like fools unless they bring it. Thora Birch holds her own, but then again, she went on to achieve great things in the cinema world. The other actors faded away and are simply known as being "those kids in Hocus Pocus"...oh, I'm sorry, the girl that plays Max's girlfriend was also in the movie Ladybugs with Rodney Dangerfield and Jonathan Brandis...not sure what her name is though, so that proves my point.


Therefore, I give Hocus Pocus 4 out of 5 stars.