“Hocus Pocus” Movie Review

📸: The Walt Disney Studios

I give this movie 8 out of 10 vomits

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🟢 Cast 🟢

Bette Midler – Winifred

Sarah Jessica Parker – Sarah

Kathy Najimy – Mary

Omri Katz – Max

Thora Birch – Dani

Vinessa Shaw – Allison

🟢 Plot 🟢

Three 17th century Salem witches are conjured up by unsuspecting children.

🟢 Non Spoiler Spew 🟢

I love this movie more and more every time I see it! It is fun, entertaining, and I am always laughing. When they do their signature walk together I always have the biggest smile.

Bette, Sarah, and Kathy are such an amazing trio. They all have such wonderful chemistry and it just oozes right off of the screen. All three are also equally funny and they all bring this movie to life. You can tell that they each bonded very well with their characters and truly became them once they started filming. They each brought their own shine to this movie so they all stand out on their own, as well as a group.

You know, I also have to give kudos to the child actors. Normally I get irritated with kids in movies. I get irritated because sometimes their characters are just too bratty or too unthankful or just too into themselves. I understand that is how most kids are, but it is annoying to see them in TV or movies. So I say kudos to these kids because their acting was great and their characters were thought out enough.

This movie is just so iconic and it makes sense as to why it is a classic. It just fires on all cylinders and I don’t think the love for this movie will ever go away. It appeals to children and adults. There is something in there for everyone. It truly is a timeless classic Halloween movie. Everyone on this film did amazing work.

When I recently saw this movie I could not believe that it was Kenny Ortega who directed this classic movie. If you don’t know, Kenny is the one who directed the “High School Musical” movies.

Overall, this is such an fun, entertaining, comical, and whimsical movie. I am happy to say that after all these years this movie still brings me joy. AND their OUTFITS! Perfection.

🔴 Summary Spoiler Spew 🔴

In 1693, in Salem, Massachusetts, Thackery Binx witnessed his sister, Emily, get taken away by the Sanderson sisters. They are three witches, Winifred, Sarah, and Marry. Binx tries to save his sister but fails. The sisters eat her life force, making them young again, and they turn Binx into a cat. The townsfolk find out about the murder and sentence the sisters to a hanging. Before they are hanged, Winifred casts a curse that will resurrect during a full moon on All Hallows’ Eve when a virgin lights the Black Fame Candle in their cottage. Knowing this, Binx guards the cottage so no one can fulfill the curse.

It is now 1993, in Salem, and Max Dennison takes his sister Dani trick or treating. Mac runs into his school crush Allison. All three of them head to the Sanderson sister cottage, which is now a museum. Max lights the candle and the sisters come back to life. The sisters try to drain the life force of Dani, but Max comes to her rescue and steaks Winifred’s spellbook by Binx’s request. Binx takes them all to a cemetery because the witches can’t go there. Winifred resurrects her old love, Billy Butcherson so he can go after the kids.

Mary is able to smell children and uses this trick to follow them. Winifred tells her sisters that if they do not take the life force of a child by the time the sun rises, they will turn to dust.  While searching for the kids, the sisters find an adult party and they sing “I Put a Spell On You”. The kids lure them to the High School and they trap the witches and kill them in the pottery kiln. They think they got them, but because of the curse, they are resurrected again.

There being a song and dance part of the movie made complete sense to me. It made sense because Kenny Ortega directed the movie. And like I said earlier, Kenny directed the “High School Musical” movies.

Max and Allison open the spellbook thinking the witches are dead. They look for a spell to turn Binx into a human again. Opening the book gives the witches a signal. The witches kidnap Dani as well as Binx. Sarah uses her singing powers to lure all the children of Salem to their cottage. Max and Allison are able to free Dani and Binx. They trick the sisters in believing that sunrise comes an hour early.

At the cemetery Billy gets to the kids and takes Max’s knife to cut his stitched mouth and tells stuff to Winifred before coming over to the children’s side. Winifred tries to take Dani once more, but Binx saves her. The sun rises and the witches turn to dust. Because of this, the curse over Binx is broken and he is able to head to the afterlife with his sister. The Spellbook’s eye opens, indicating that the book is still alive, so this means the witches could return once more.