Disney Month III- Hocus Pocus

Hocus Pocus (1993)
Starring: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimi
Directed by Kenny Ortega


Plot Summary: Winnie, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson are three sister witches that are bent on sucking the lives out of the children of Salem, Massachusetts in order to make themselves younger and more beautiful. After being hanged 300 years ago, they are accidentally resurrected on Halloween night when the new kid in town Max Dennison lights the Black Flame Candle. Now, Max, his sister Dani, his crush Allison, and a talking cat named Binx must stop the Sanderson sisters from sucking the lives of the children of Salem until sunrise, when the witches will turn into dust and be gone forever.


We're nearing my favorite time of the year again: Halloween. This year, I'm going to spend the month of October reviewing the sequels of my 3 favorite horror franchises. That can get a little daunting for some and even a bit one dimensional for some to read, so I thought I'd throw in some other Halloween themed movies at the end of my Disney month. Starting things off is one of my all-time favorite movies to watch around Halloween, Hocus Pocus. The film, while nothing groundbreaking, has struck a chord with the '90s Disney crowd and has become a staple of the season. I can honestly say I've seen the movie maybe 2 or 3 times every Halloween season ever since I was a child. So what is it about the movie that stands out for so many people that it's still considered one of the most beloved modern Halloween specials?

The answer is very simple actually. It's the Sanderson Sisters. Winnie, Sarah, and Mary, played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimi. All of the sisters have different characteristics that make them differ. For example, Winnie is the brains of the operation (that's not saying much though), Mary is the the dumbest and often used for comic relief, and Sarah is the one who's boy crazy (that's the Disney way of saying slut right?). The performances really stand out here, as they are three very funny ladies who are having an absolute blast playing these bumbling sisters. They're the reason why you go to see the movie and the reason you keep coming back all these years later. They've become as big a Halloween figure for Disney as Jack Skellington (we'll get to him next time).

The human characters are fine, but again, they aren't why you're there. The only who is a little different in terms of what you normally get in movies like is Max, played by Omri Katz. Do you wanna know what that is? I'll tell you at the very end. But the other characters in his life are as generic as they come. His sister Dani, played by Thora Birch, is the generic child. Allison, played by Vinessa Shaw, is the generic love interest. We have generic parents, generic bullies, and generic extras running around the film. They aren't bad, but they're nothing we haven't seen before.

We do have some supernatural side characters though that stand out pretty well. The first is Thackery Binx, a former human turned talking cat voiced by Jason Marsen. After failing to save his sister 300 years ago, Binx vows revenge on the Sanderson Sisters by making sure that they don't succeed in sucking the lives out of the children a second time. He's actually pretty funny and it's always great to add the image of a black cat in a movie about witches. We also have a clumsy zombie named Billy Butcherson, played by Doug Jones. He's loads of fun thanks to his slapstick antics and his disdain for Winnie.

The production crew really knew how to capture the spirit of Halloween in this film. You've got scenes of the witch's roots in Salem 300 years ago, modern day trick-or-treating, black cats, zombies, tons of decorations and costumes. The whole film just looks great. I'm not surprised, since director Kenny Ortega worked with Disney to make Newsies, Descendants, and the High School Musical movies. All those films have a large scope and look to them, so it's no different here with Hocus Pocus. It's a great film visually to show the entire family about how fun Halloween can look. There may just be ONE thing wrong with it in order for you to maybe (big maybe) consider not showing to your kids. Remember when I was talking about Max earlier?

So, that thing about Max that makes him stand out is that he's a virgin. Normally, especially with Disney, it wouldn't be a bad idea to teach kids that there's nothing wrong with being a virgin. Yet, in Hocus Pocus, they go to an uncomfortable level to hammer in the idea that the entire reason our characters are in a mess is because Max is a virgin, which is then considered BAD. What the crap Disney? Talk about something that went over my head as a child. Why wasn't there some form of line or dialogue in which Max accepts that he's a virgin and acknowledges that there's nothing wrong with it. Would it have felt like an After School Special? Absolutely, but with how much they make it look and sound like a bad thing, I think it deserves some form of retribution. Heck, the virgin term is the punchline in one of the last lines in the movie. Why is Disney picking on virgins? Your main demographic is for family entertainment, so shouldn't you have that in mind when depicting a wholesome concept like virginity as a character FLAW? Moral of the film, Disney is mean to virgins. Thankfully, the rest of the movie is a lot of fun to watch that you can maybe look passed this massive flub up.


Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Definitely campy but dripping with Halloween atmosphere, Hocus Pocus serves as some great Halloween entertainment for the whole family. If you're a Disney fanatic, add this to your collection in time for Halloween. If you're a casual moviegoer, feel free to check it out on cable. I'm sure it's bound to be on many channels during the season.

Hocus Pocus and movie images are copyrighted by Walt Disney Pictures