Hocus Pocus (1993) Disney/Comedy-Horror RT: 96 minutes Rated PG (mild language, some scary scenes, bullying, children in peril) Director: Kenny Ortega Screenplay: Neil Cuthbert and Mick Garris Music: John Debney Cinematography: Hiro Narita Release date: July 16, 1993 (US) Cast: Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, Sarah Jessica Parker, Omri Katz, Thora Birch, Vinessa Shaw, Doug Jones, Charles Rocket, Stephanie Faracy, Sean Murray, Amanda Shepherd, Larry Bagby III, Tobias Jelinek, Kathleen Freeman. Box Office: $39.5M (US)
Rating: ***
The only mistake Disney made with Hocus Pocus was NOT releasing it around Halloween, instead opening it during the highly competitive summer movie season where it grossed just under $40 million. At the same time, I get it. The slot was already filled by Tim Burton’s stop-motion animated The Nightmare Before Christmas, one of the year’s most highly anticipated films. They didn’t want to go up against one of their own. If not for that, Hocus Pocus would have done well. It’s a whole lot of fun.
The story involves a trio of witches, the Sanderson sisters, resurrected from the dead after being hanged 300 years earlier. Naturally, the action takes place in Salem, home of the infamous Salem Witch Trials of the 17th century. Any and all similarities to The Crucible end here. Bette Midler (Ruthless People) plays eldest sister Winifred. She, along with her sisters Mary (Najimy, Sister Act) and Sarah (Parker, Honeymoon in Vegas), abduct a little girl from a nearby village and cast a spell to absorb her youth. They also turn her older brother Thackery (Murray, NCIS) into a cat when he shows up to rescue his sister. For their crimes, the sisters are hanged, but not before putting a curse on the town. If a virgin lights the Black Flame Candle on All Hallows Eve, they will return from the dead.
Jump ahead to present day- well, 1993 anyway- where new kid in town Max (Katz, Matinee) is having a difficult time adjusting to his new surroundings (he’s from L.A.). He has a crush on Allison (Shaw, Ladybugs), the prettiest girl in his history class. He’s forced to take younger sister Dani (Birch, American Beauty) trick-or-treating while his parents attend a Halloween party. They end up at Allison’s house and decide to go explore the old Sanderson house which is now a museum owned by her parents. Of course, Max lights the Black Flame Candle, bringing the sisters back to life. Their plan is to suck the souls from all the children of Salem, but in order to do that, Winifred needs her spell book which the kids have absconded with on the advice of Thackery, now a talking cat, still alive after three centuries. The spell also caused him to live forever or until somebody breaks it.
The sisters pursue Max, Dani and Allison around town. Of course, they’re confused by 20th century things like paved roads and buses. They need to get back the book and cast the spell before the sun comes up. If not, they die again.
Okay, here’s the deal. Hocus Pocus isn’t high art. It doesn’t provide an iota of insight into the human condition. It doesn’t redefine cinema. It won’t change the world. It does, however, entertain which is precisely what the makers set out to do. Mission accomplished, guys and gals! I’ve always liked Midler and while I wouldn’t call this one of her top performances, you can see she’s having fun with the role. The ugly makeup and prosthetic teeth are initially off-putting, but you get used to it. Likewise, Najimy and Parker appear to be having a ball playing the somewhat dimwitted younger sisters. I love Sarah’s free-spiritedness. The scene where she dances around singing “Amok, amok, amok!” is a prime example. The three actresses have great chemistry, even taking the stage to sing an enchanting rendition of “I Put a Spell on You”. The kids are also a delight. Birch is cute and precocious, only occasionally slipping into brattiness. The budding romance between the two teens is sweet and innocent. Likable kids make for more pleasing entertainment, don’t you think?
The special effects are pretty good. Director Kenny Ortega (Newsies) throws in some clever touches like the sisters having to improvise after their broomsticks are stolen, one of them flying around on a vacuum cleaner. There’s also a zombie (Jones, Hellboy I & II), a former lover of Winifred’s, with his mouth sewn shut.
Hocus Pocus has just the right mix of horror and comedy, both PG level. It’s an ideal movie to show grade schoolers around Halloween. It’s a little bit scary, but in a comical way. It’s fairly well-written. Most importantly, it’s highly enjoyable. Disney’s release strategy may have been faulty, but they know how to make a decent family flick. There’s a reason why some stations still show Hocus Pocus every year at Halloween.
