Hocus Pocus

When it was first released in 1993, the Halloween tale about three witchy sisters—played with panache by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker— ...

Though it doesn’t steer close to the campy magic of the original, that’s as good a reason as any to return to Salem. It’s probably the only way to tell the story in the modern age, though it may come as a disappointment to hardcore Hocus Pocus fans who miss the crass flavor of the original. If Hocus Pocus was a kid movie aimed at adults, Hocus Pocus 2 is a teen movie aimed squarely at tweens. Once they’re back, the sisters run amok, resuming their evil mission of stealing kid souls to stay youthful and alive forever. Directed by Anne Fletcher, the film brings us back to modern-day Salem, where the Sanderson sisters have gone from being a local legend to becoming a major commercial part of the town’s tapestry. When it was first released in 1993, the Halloween tale about three witchy sisters—played with panache by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker—stomping around modern-day Salem and trying to steal the souls of children was a critical and commercial misfire.

Disney's fan service project reunites Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker, but it's newcomers Whitney Peak and Belissa Escobedo who shine.

But before they do, Hocus Pocus 2 indulges in a delightful “women out of time” detour as the sisters—in the movie’s best and funniest scenes—confront the 21st century by way of a trip to a Walgreens. And all walk it in a way that conveys they “understood the assignment” here: Make a Goonies-lite, Amblin-adjacent entertainment that recaptures that Disney Channel Original Movie magic without sullying or degrading “the brand.” For a very passionate fanbase, their efforts have proven very successful. As fun as it is to see these nearly-30-year-old characters get the legacy sequel treatment, the real stars of the movie are its newer characters, especially Becca. The filmmakers’ affinity for the first movie is immediately evident, as Hocus Pocus 2 opens with a flashback to a formative 17th-century moment from the sisters’ teenage years. Snap to 29 years later and modern-day Salem has capitalized on the Sanderson Sisters’ mythos with just the right amount of “meta:” The Sandersons’ old home is now a magic shop run by the duplicitous Gilbert (Sam Richardson). Playing like a big-budget “Disney Channel Original Movie” for the millennial crowd but with a more character-driven narrative, this overdue sequel to the 29-year-old original offers a surprisingly clever and, at times (blushes) heartfelt continuation of the Sanderson Sisters’ bewitching ways.

Bette Midler returns with her child-killing sisters in a disappointingly flat follow-up that tries too hard to soften the villains.

So in Hocus Pocus 2, Hocus Pocus exists which begs too many questions to even begin trying to answer (I tried, got a migraine and promptly gave up). The dialogue is leaden with exposition, there are weird, indulgent musical sequences (that perhaps serve as a tease of the It’s a contemporary touch done with a heavy hand and is most discordant in the sugary finale as the tone swerves to moist-eyed emotion and the power of sisterhood, taking us so very far away from where we came from. [Sarah Jessica Parker](https://www.theguardian.com/film/sarah-jessica-parker) and Kathy Najimy) last showed up in Salem (why they didn’t wait for it to be a clean 30 is a mystery) and since then their legend has become commercialised and, for some, rewritten. It’s as tied to the day as bobbing for apples and being scared of teenagers, the kind of lived-in practice that happens without thinking about it, leading to huge, unquestioning pockets of affection, less for what it contains and more for what it represents. At times it feels more like an extended, if joke-free, SNL skit than a real movie, giving us the iconography we want but without any of the soul, propulsion or bare necessity we need to go with it, something that exists because it could rather than should.

The Sanderson sisters (played once again by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker) may threaten a teen or two and bewitch the adult population of ...

She was previously a reporter/producer at Decider and is a member of the Television Critics Association. This is all in the service of family-friendly mayhem, but there’s no remorse in these witches’ hearts. The threat of this is made real in the original film’s opening moments, as young Emily Binx is drained of her life while her brother watches on in helpless horror.

Two daring guests will sleep in the cottage on Oct. 20. · Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler, and Sarah Jessica Parker as the Sanderson sisters in ". 'Hocus Pocus 2' ...

“It’s a magnificently eerie scene certain to get guests in the Halloween ‘spirit.’” “We all know that the Sanderson Sisters’ story might not have ended when we turned to dust, nor did our shenanigans,” said Kathy Najimy, who plays Mary Sanderson in the films, in a statement. The privately owned and operated cottage will host two guests for an exclusive stay on Oct. Guests are responsible for their own travel “by broomstick or otherwise,” Airbnb wrote. A socially distanced concierge will show guests around and arrange meals, according to the listing, and guests will use “a modern outhouse just steps from the home.” The best things to do around the city, delivered to your inbox.

If you're not selected for the exclusive stay at the Sanderson Sisters' cottage, don't fret. You can mimic that spooky Hocus Pocus feel in your own home.

We like [this lattice window film from Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/VELIMAX-Frosted-Privacy-Lattice-Coveing/dp/B09NBRY2QC?tag=hocuspocusdecor-20&asc_source=browser&asc_refurl=https://www.bobvila.com/articles/hocus-pocus-cottage-decor-dupes). [candles](https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/20-new-uses-for-old-candles-49805) on every surface and in unexpected spaces. Duplicate the old-time feel of the Sanderson Sisters’ house by visiting a local used bookstore for vintage or antique books, or consider a decorative wooden box that’s made to look like a stack of books, like [this set of two wooden book boxes on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Tosnail-Decorative-Antique-Decorations-Vintage/dp/B08JQ5G6R1?tag=hocuspocusdecor-20&asc_source=browser&asc_refurl=https://www.bobvila.com/articles/hocus-pocus-cottage-decor-dupes). [antique books](https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/9-smart-uses-for-dusty-old-books-51884) strewn about, setting the stage for cobwebs. [DIY a haunted house](https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/the-greatest-haunted-house-you-could-ever-diy-48123), you won’t spellbind any guests without potion bottles. [this oversized cauldron on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Fun-World-14-Black-Cauldron/dp/B004AYPJ0S?tag=hocuspocusdecor-20&asc_source=browser&asc_refurl=https://www.bobvila.com/articles/hocus-pocus-cottage-decor-dupes)–in a central location or tucked into an unused fireplace hearth. You can simply place a green LED light, like [this puck light on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Cadrim-Changing-Lightings-Dimmable-Wireless/dp/B093BDTJVD?tag=hocuspocusdecor-20&asc_source=browser&asc_refurl=https://www.bobvila.com/articles/hocus-pocus-cottage-decor-dupes), inside or beneath the cauldron to mimic the effect. Just be careful not to light it on Halloween night when there’s a full moon–unless you want a visit from the grave. You could even glue on a few spiders, scorpions, and assorted insects to up the creep factor. Roll the clay out to create the long snakes and eyeballs featured on the spellbook from the movie. You can also surround the candelabra with old books, add a few spiders, and create a “Hocus Pocus” table centerpiece for a Halloween feast to remember. Bubble, bubble, and brew up trouble with a green-glowing cauldron for potions.

A long-rumored stage adaptation of the popular 1993 film starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker just got another vote of confidence. A day ...

In 2020, prior to the Covid pandemic, the original film’s director Kenny Ortega told Forbes magazine, “I’d love to do Hocus Pocus on Broadway. Talk of a possible stage adaptation has been circulating for at least a couple years. A day before Disney+ unveils the

For the first time ever, guests can book a stay at the Sanderson Sisters' cottage featured in Disney's "Hocus Pocus" and "Hocus Pocus 2" in Danver, ...

Tell us at [nj.com/tips](http://nj.com/tips). [Hocus Pocus](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107120/)” and “ [Hocus Pocus 2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11909878/?ref_=fn_al_tt_0)″ in Danver, Massachusetts. 30 on [Disney+](https://www.disneyplus.com/?cid=DSS-Search-Google-71700000084839542-&s_kwcid=AL!8468!3!610598193519!e!!g!!disney%2B&gclid=CjwKCAjwhNWZBhB_EiwAPzlhNpqEILJJgV4A21XloGbDMwvsqOCS4JAk3_d7xijSVY5JaJ0lfYE9wxoCRQkQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds). [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). [Airbnb](https://www.airbnb.com/a/stays?c=.pi0.pk36239956_25650614176&ghost=true&gclid=CjwKCAjwhNWZBhB_EiwAPzlhNoeh1ud6LfajlcvsXCySRe6ygu6-bXJs5Mtu23kMQ-JDYHWx1iJZzBoCmZAQAvD_BwE) is partnering with [Disney+](https://www.disneyplus.com/?cid=DSS-Search-Google-71700000084839542-&s_kwcid=AL!8468!3!610598193519!e!!g!!disney%2B&gclid=CjwKCAjwhNWZBhB_EiwAPzlhNpqEILJJgV4A21XloGbDMwvsqOCS4JAk3_d7xijSVY5JaJ0lfYE9wxoCRQkQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) to offer the spooky cottage stay in celebration of Halloween and the premiere of “Hocus Pocus 2″ on Sept. ET at

This makes sense. The project only exists to entice adults who convinced themselves that the first wacky-witches kid-friendly horror comedy was 'good, actually' ...

You’ll wish it were as good as Aladdin and the King of Thieves or Cinderella III: A Twist in Time. It’s not like the first film was Kenny Ortega’s finest hour (that would be, offhand, Michael Jackson This Is It, High School Musical 3 or Descendants 2), but it was at least somewhat unique alongside the likes of Jurassic Park, The Firm and Rising Sun. Otherwise, there’s no ‘there’ there, with (as expected) less explicit horror and no implicit lust making the film tame even by the standards of its predecessor. Anne Fletcher (who helmed much better films like Step Up, The Proposal and 27 Dresses) brings little to the table, although nobody wanted to use the protection of the IP to expand anyone’s horizons. And I will concede that I appreciated the role reversal of the popular girl (Lilia Buckingham) who feels ostracized from her previous peer group of less-popular kids (Whitney Peak and Belissa Escobedo). The critics were right in 1993, but I get the appeal.

With the release of Hocus Pocus 2, let's take a look at kid-friendly horror films, and why the first 90s movie remains so iconic.

These are only a few examples of movies that, after watching Hocus Pocus 2, can be watched by the whole family and be enjoyed. The heartwarming moral of the story combines really well with the silly horror factors of the movie, creating a feel-good type of story that can be enjoyed by every age. The plot is not perfect, there is more than one plot hole that can be found in the narrative, but the movie continues to be a go-to watch when the spooky season starts. One of the biggest kid-friendly Halloween movies is [Hocus Pocus](https://movieweb.com/movie/hocus-pocus/), which received a sequel after almost 30 years. An example is the upcoming young adult Netflix series by one of the most Therefore, it is not a surprise that various stories set during this period (and overall scary stories that are reminiscent of this night) are focused on children and their experiences.