‘Oh, look. Another glorious morning. Makes me sick!‘
While the ‘Halloween movie’ isn’t its own subgenre in the same way that a ‘Christmas movie’ is, there are some films that will forever be associated with the season. Despite being originally released in the midst of summer, Hocus Pocus is one such film, and while I didn’t love it as some do, I can see why it has endured for so long…
After being hung in the 1700s, a trio of witches and sisters Winifred (Bette Midler), Mary (Kathy Najimy) and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) return to the town of Salem 300 years later after being accidentally revived by Max (Omri Katz), a 16-year-old kid who just wants to fit in after only moving to the town a few weeks previous. Elsewhere, Max has eyes for classmate Allison (Vinessa Shaw) and his little sister Dani (Thora Birch) simply wants to go trick or treating.
Now, Hocus Pocus isn’t a horror film, it is, after all, a kid’s film, but it was co-written by horror royalty in the shape of Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) and David Kirschner (Child’s Play). The twisted tendencies of those two ensure that Hocus Pocus retains a dark edge despite the target audience. Also, the general atmosphere created by Garris, Kirschner and director Kenny Ortega isn’t a million miles away from that of Haddonfield. Both Halloween and Hocus Pocus take place on Halloween night. They both feature extensive shots of cute kids in costumes collecting candy. They both take the adults out of the equation. That being said, Hocus Pocus is nowhere near as effective as John Carpenter’s creation. Even on its own terms, even at just over 90 minutes, there are sections that drag, and the whole thing is predictable in terms of plotting, even for a kid’s movie. Bette Midler doesn’t care about any of this, however, instead concentrating on having the most fun anyone has ever had on a movie set. I mean this in the nicest way possible, but Midler really was born to play an insane witch. She is perfect. Najimy and Jessica Parker do an admirable job in merely trying to keep up with Midler, but really, this is her movie. The younger cast members do a good job too with Katz and Shaw sharing an authentic chemistry and Birch putting in a great shift as the adorable/annoying younger sister (delete as applicable).
Overall, I think there are some rose-tinted glasses kicking around when it comes to this film, coming at it with fresh eyes, I found Hocus Pocus to be an above-average kid’s film that is admittedly a lot of fun to watch at Halloween.
