Do you believe in curses? Ghosts? Witches?
Well, I don't.
But, you can have fun believing in those potions of entertainment as it supplies a Halloween film for mostly the younger demographic. I confess that I did grow up on watching Hocus Pocus on VHS and on cable because it came out around the right time as I watched this along with my sister. It is a fun experience watching the Halloween flick as a kid. Now, the movie was a financial failure back in 1993, but the movie has grown over time as a cult film, thanks to cable channels such as Freeform. So, it is the 25th anniversary of the film and thanks to some votes, I have decided to review the film and to venture an answer to whether or not the movie holds up. After watching the movie recently, I had fun with the comic inspiration from the three actresses but it see-saws back to an un-focused story with bland child characters who spurts out a few memorable lines but that is it. Nevertheless, it is a fun cable watch.
On October 31, 1693, in Salem, the Sanderson sisters - Winifred, Mary and Sarah (Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker) cast a spell on a girl named Emily to become youthful. They suck the soul out of her to regain their youth but unfortunately, she dies. Her brother, Thackery Binx (Sean Murray), feels guilty for not saving her sister so Winifred casts a spell on him to turn Thackery into a cat, so he can feel guilty for the rest of his life. The townsfolk capture the witches and before they get hanged, Winifred's spell book casts a curse in which a virgin lights the Black Flame Candle during the full moon on All Hallow's Eve, the witches will be resurrected.
300 years later, Max Dennison (Omri Katz) is in a bitter mood, feeling lonesome after moving to Salem. His family tells him to go trick-or-treating with her little sister, Dani (Thora Birch). While out trick-or-treating, they run into Max's high school crush, Allison (Vinessa Shaw). Max wants to make a great impression on her so both Dani and Max make a deal before visiting the Sanderson cottage, in which Allison's family owns. While inside the cottage and snooping around, Max accidentally lights the Black Flame Candle, resurrecting the witches. They plan to suck the souls of the Salem children, however, alongside, Alison, Dani and Thackery (as a cat), Max escapes with the spell book.
How can I take this review so seriously? The answer is that I can't. It is a children's Halloween movie. What do I expect? A high-concept scary movie. No. Even as a child, I did not think it was that high-concept but the story is a bit scary because the witches' mission involves killing children. But, there is one big problem with the film. It abandons that dark tone to focus more on the comedic abilities of the actress as they wander around the Salem neighborhoods. It is reliant on slapstick comedy and funny lines and most of the lines work, especially in my favorite scene, which they encounter their "master" which is a man dressed up as a devil who is hilariously played by the late Garry Marshall. It is also a bit creepy that Penny Marshall, his sister, plays his wife. (I don't know. Weird casting.) The special effects are dated but it is a 90s film and sometimes, you got to enjoy the cheesy comfort of its effects and a bit of the comedy. There is a huge flaw in the movie in which the witches kidnap Dani and Sarah sings a siren-like lullaby to lure the children to their cottage. They are never mentioned again and we don't see the after-effects after the climax.
The movie is a lot of fun with the three actresses in the spotlight, bantering and reciting funny lines. I could tell that all three of them are having a good time especially Bette Midler, who has a moment in which she and the two actresses sing "I Put a Spell on You" at a Halloween party where the adults are dancing around. But, before watching the movie again, I remembered them and not the children because I don't find them as memorable. Believe it or not, I found the bullies more memorable than the main children. I do like the pay-off with the bullies towards the end. Besides Dani, I felt like the teenagers did not have as much personality.
My conclusion is that I have fun watching this as a Halloween flick and I do not go back to this movie as many times as I hoped I would. But, when I get bored or wanting to take a break from dark horror films, this or Beetlejuice would be great options. The latter is more preferable. I recommend it as a cable watch and it would not hurt to give Hocus Pocus a shot if you have not seen it.
**1/2
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