“Hocus Pocus” Review
(From Left) Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker star as the villainous Sanderson Sisters in “Hocus Pocus,” a cult classic of Halloween watched annually by many.
Every Halloween, there’s certain things we expect: candy, trick-or-treating, pumpkins, cider, a bunch of idiots on social media complaining about whose costumes were problematic and/or slutty (seriously, remove the stick you’re sitting on and get a life) and, of course, a bunch of classic films. But while the majority of movies I watch for Halloween are purely horror, there’s plenty that fall into family-friendly territory. Most of these are very good and deserve much praise, like “The Goonies” or “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” but one film has a strange cult following that has steadily grown over the past thirty years. That film is 1993’s “Hocus Pocus.”
In the late 1600s, Winifred, Sarah and Mary Sanderson (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy) are witches who plot to consume the life force of children to keep them youthful. However, they are hanged by the townsfolk, in what I’m pretty sure was the only successful Salem Witch Trial, before they can succeed. Three centuries later, a high schooler named Max Dennison (Omri Katz) accidentally summons the witches back from the grave. Along with his little sister Dani (Thora Birch), his classmate Allison (Vinessa Shaw) and Thackery Binx (Jason Marsden and Sean Murray), a young boy who was transformed into an immortal cat by the witches long ago, Max must stop the Sandersons before they dominate all of Salem.
When it comes to “Hocus Pocus,” my biggest question is why has the film become such a cult classic that everyone, including myself, watches on Halloween? Is it because it was a success at the box office? Not really because this film didn’t even break even during its July theatrical release. What moron releases a Halloween themed film in the middle of summer?
Is it because “Hocus Pocus” is one of the greatest spooky family films of all time and it just naturally found a wider audience? No and there’s definitely better films in this subgenre like “Coraline,” “Paranorman” and “Edward Scissorhands.” In my opinion, the reason this became a classic is due to two factors: constant exposure and nostalgic charm.
While “Hocus Pocus” didn’t do well in theaters, Disney kept airing it annually on television during Halloween which caused more people to discover the film. And let’s face it, the reason why a lot of us watch “Hocus Pocus” on Halloween now is because that’s what we grew up with every October 31st. It’s the same reason why my family watches “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” on Christmas Eve every year even though my grandfather always complains that he’s sick of that film. It’s the only way we know.
But it’s not just nostalgia that keeps us coming back to “Hocus Pocus” every year. I know I’ve broken the unspoken code by saying this film isn’t perfect and, no doubt, you all want to burn me at the stake for heresy. However, I do want to point out what makes this film work because there is a lot of entertainment to be found, especially in the Sandersons.
Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy gave these performances all of their energy and it clearly shows. Their dynamic as sisters is so infectious with a lust for evil, a lot of dramatic gestures and plenty of physical abuse. Seriously, I would be shocked if The Three Stooges weren’t an influence on the actors and I think the scene where Winifred repeatedly slaps Mary confirms my theory.
All three actors playing the Sandersons bring an incredible amount of comedic energy to their roles and are what makes “Hocus Pocus” so entertaining.
The three even bring a great deal of laughs to run-of-the-mill humor. A lot of the jokes concerning the Sandersons involve their perpetual confusion to modern America, technology and how we celebrate Halloween. One set-up involves a little girl, dressed as an angel, saying “bless you” to the witches and they act horrified since they don’t know about costumes and trick-or-treating. On paper, this doesn’t sound that funny but Midler, Parker and Najimy overreact so much to this line that you laugh hysterically. They commit that kind of energy to every joke.
Sometimes the film makes me laugh just because of how random it can be like when the Sandersons see director Garry Marshall in a devil costume and think he’s Satan. They then go into his home and meet his wife, who is played by Marshall’s sister Penny, and there’s almost a love triangle that forms between all of them. What else can I do but laugh when I see the director of “Pretty Woman” and the director of “A League of Their Own” (who is still his sister and I think that everyone needs to know that) as an old married couple trying to deal with the unhinged members of The First Wives Club, the “Sex in the City” ladies and Saint Katherine’s choir. That’s a lot of references I just made in one sentence but I hope you could follow all of that.
“Hocus Pocus” is also dripping with the atmosphere of Halloween complete with costumes and candy galore, beautiful colors and the rich autumn aesthetic that came from on-location shooting. While most of the film was shot in Los Angeles soundstages, they did shoot a lot of the daytime exterior scenes in Salem, Massachusetts. This really helps the film capture an authentic fall aesthetic that just makes you feel like putting on a sweater and having a mug of hot cider. The importance of these exterior shots cannot be overstated in how they contribute to the film’s cult classic status.
For example, look at “Halloween” which is set in Illinois but was shot in California. While that film had a low budget and still tried to make it feel like a Mid-Western fall, you can still tell that there’s a level of authenticity missing from “Halloween” despite it being one of the great horror films. Some things can only shine through if they’re truly real.
What’s not authentic are the teenage protagonists. I don’t know what else I can say about Max and Allison except that I don’t expect them to be starring in a John Hughes film anytime soon. They just don’t have anything memorable about them and feel kind of stale. Omri Katz and Vinessa Shaw are clearly trying but the writing is just not there. Thank God for Dani because her writing is actually pretty good as a sensitive and tenacious kid who has an enthusiasm for Halloween that cannot be beat. Thora Birch’s performance definitely is what keeps the protagonists somewhat interesting instead of an anchor dragging down any scene without the Sandersons.
But these protagonists could star in a production of “Hamlet” when compared to the bully characters (Larry Bagby and Tobias Jelinek). I know they aren’t in the film that much but these characters are so poorly written and unrealistic that they would get the shit kicked out of them by the kids in after school specials who are pressuring the main character to start smoking.
Despite a lot of energy from the antagonists, the teenage protagonists of “Hocus Pocus” feel underdeveloped and bland when compared to the forces of evil they’re fighting.
Most of the film’s flaws come from an inconsistent tone. It’s like “Hocus Pocus” can’t decide if it wants to be a zany comedy with a dark edge like “Beetlejuice” or a lighthearted Disney Channel film like “Halloween Town.” Not that Disney Channel films don’t have their own personality and can’t be endearing but pick one or the other. Instead, the film falls somewhere in the middle.
It’s because of this tonal indecision that, when the film does have moments of dark or sexual humor for adults, it comes out of nowhere and feels more awkward than funny. Like why does everyone focus on Max’s virginity? I know that the spell to bring the witches back to life involves a virgin lighting an enchanted candle but they bring it up four or five times and it’s just a bad running joke that you have to shrug off.
I do wish the film leaned more into the dark humor because a lot of those jokes really work and could have been expanded upon. The main villains of the film do want to kill children so you'd think that morbid jokes would be a specialty of “Hocus Pocus.”
But while I can talk about the film’s flaws, it has become a beloved cult classic nevertheless and I definitely see why. “Hocus Pocus” is like a beautiful piece of handmade jewelry made by a really stoned hippie. There’s imperfections throughout but plenty of personality as well. If a more commercial and sanitized version was made, it just wouldn’t be as fun. I mean, look at “Hocus Pocus 2.” But the original film has got so much atmosphere and an endearing charm to it that I, like most of you, feel the need to watch it every Halloween.
