HOCUS POCUS :: FANTASY:: 083

HOCUS POCUS (1993)

The year 1993 was the time for making terrific movies and according to IMDB, the Halloween classic Hocus Pocus was the most popular of them all! Listed among other classics like Schindler’s List and Mrs. Doubtfire… Hocus Pocus (directed by Kenny Ortega) rose to the top – which surprised me.

PLOT
A trio of 17th century witches are brought back to life in 1993 when a teenage virgin lights the magical, black-flame candle. To save the lives of the community, the protagonists must find a way to reverse the spell and send these evil spell-doers back to the abyss.

CHARACTERS

The Sanderson sisters (played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy) were absolute magic together (pun intended). You had Winifred the leader and master sorceress (Midler), Sarah the ditsy and boy-crazy (Parker), and Mary (Najimy) the witch with a bloodhound ability to sniff out children.

One trivia that stood out was that the lead kid role of Max Dennison – the Salem transplant from sunny California- (played by Omri Katz) was originally cast for Leonardo DiCaprio. However, Leo turned it down to star alongside Johnny Depp in the film What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993). But had Leonardo DeCaprio played the role of in Hocus Pocus, I am fairly certain he wouldn’t have gotten his Academy Award nomination, so…. well-played Leo!

The performance from the rest of the main cast was subpar. To my surprise, Max’s younger, eight-year-old sister Dani (Thora Birch) was the most natural actor of the bunch (excluding the witches) – though her sobbing could have been worked on.

Sean Murrey, who plays Thackery, was horribly bad. However, similarly to The Room, his overacting was forgivable as it gave the movie a comedic touch for the wife and me. Additionally, the performances may have been overlooked because of the intended target audience – children.

THE REVIEW
Since the first day of October, social media was flooded with people of all ages recounting their evenings watching Hocus Pocus. As the Disney film leads on the popular scale (ahead of movies like Jurassic Park), it is obvious nostalgia is the reason for its success. Nonetheless, after watching this holiday-themed classic, it’s pretty easy to see how Hocus Pocus is a great choice for family-friendly entertainment.

My wife did gripe about the length of the movie as the storyline was stretched thin. Once the group of kids rally together, after what they think is the end of their horrors, the witches find a way back into their lives. It was quite unnecessary to us, but let us know below if you disagree in the comments below!

In conclusion, Hocus Pocus garnered more of a cult following than any fortune-teller could foretell. Though you can clearly identify the age of the film from its special effects, theatrical acting, and adventurous storyline, who can fault a children’s movie in the 90s; especially when it takes you back to those trick-or-treat nights as a child. I certainly can’t! But alas, I must critique this film objectively as possible, so I tried to analyze it with my little boy hat on. I hope I did it justice.

Do you agree with my review?

Yes or no… please let us know in the comments.

• As a little Easter Egg… spot Doug Jones (from The Shape of Water) as Billy Butherson, the man brought back from the dead.

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