No October is complete without a viewing of Hocus Pocus. It’s not only among the best Halloween movies ever made, but the film’s heady blend of capital-A acting, scary witchcraft, and adult subtext turns a pretty basic story into a cult classic.
Hocus Pocus wasn’t a hit when it was released in 1993, but it’s become a minor sensation since. Part of that is due to the movie’s wickedly subversive streak. It’s an anomaly among Disney’s filmography, and that’s what makes it so good.
The Sanderson Sisters Are A Perfect Trio
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The Sanderson sisters, played by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker, are perfect. It’s not just that they tear through the film like the Marx Brothers crossed with Spinal Tap (they do). It’s that they commit themselves so fully to acting like crazy people for an hour-and-a-half that you begin to believe they really are the Sanderson sisters – even when Bette Midler takes a mid-film break to sing a song.
The characters have a secret meaning, too. Each sister represents a part of the Freudian Trio: the id, the ego, and the supergo. In this case Winifred (Bette Midler) is the superego who masterminds all of the group’s plans. She’s buoyed by Mary (Kathy Najimi), the somewhat logical ego, and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker), the id who only cares about her carnal and instinctual desires.
The Acting Is Great, The Pacing Is Spot-On, And Everyone Looks Like They’re Having Fun
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Simply put, Hocus Pocus is just a good movie. From top to bottom, everything about the film works. None of the actors look like they don’t want to be there, and it’s paced so well that by the time 45 minutes have passed you don’t even realize that the movie is halfway over. Even towards the end the film, when the witches suddenly know everything about the 20th century, the movie has gotten into such a groove that it deflects all criticism. This might be the greatest spell that Hocus Pocus casts.
There’s No Moral Lesson
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Pretty much every Disney movie has a moral lesson the characters are supposed to learn by the end. In Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs it’s “don’t talk to strangers,” and “real beauty comes from within,” and in Peter Pan it’s “you have to get older, but you don’t have to grow up.”
Hocus Pocus doesn’t really have one simple message. Instead, it’s just about teaming up for survival. That makes it less stodgy and a whole lot more fun.
Everyone LOVES Halloween
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The citizens of real-world Salem, MA, probably like Halloween well enough, but no one loves Halloween the way the fictional residents of Salem do in Hocus Pocus. If you don’t pick this up from all of the elaborate decorations and over-the-top costume parties, there’s one scene that tells you all you need to know about how Salem feels about Halloween.
Early in the first act, when California boy Max talks about how “Halloween was invented by the candy companies,” he immediately has his butt handed to him by Allison, who points out that Halloween is based on a pagan ritual. The entire classroom erupts into frenzied applause. Don’t mess with Halloween in this town.
The Set Design Is On Point
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Hocus Pocus could’ve taken place on a bunch of anonymous, cloud-filled sound stages, but instead it’s filled with great set design. It feels quintessentially Halloween in its visual elements, from broomsticks to jack-o-lanterns. The Sanderson sister’s house is filled with spooky easter eggs, and the fictionalized version of Salem looks like a real-life town.
It’s Not A Musical
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For a Disney movie centered around a specific holiday, it’s weirdly refreshing that there aren’t more than two songs in the entire feature. Bette Midler belts out a very Broadway version of “I Put A Spell On You,” and Sarah Jessica Parker has a weird child hypnotizing song, but that’s about it.
Compare that to the average Disney flick. Sure, some of the songs are classics, but do you really need another tune stuck in your head?
The Adults Actually Act Like Adults
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In most children’s movies, whether made by Disney or not, adults are made out to be these arch creatures who only exist to torment children and banish them to their rooms without dinner. Hocus Pocus offers a different view of adults as sometimes goofy, but ultimately reasonable humans. These parents aren’t overbearing, they’re not mean, they just want wear costumes and party. Just like every other adult in the world.
Thora Birch Is A National Treasure
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Hocus Pocus wouldn’t be the same without Thora Birch’s Dani, Max’s little sister and the true hero of the film. From the moment Dani bursts on screen it’s obvious she’s the character any real Halloween fan identifies with.
Dani loves Halloween, is smarter than everyone else onscreen, and has a report with a talking cat. She confronts bullies and witches, and trolls her brother for checking out his crush’s chest. Plus, she does it all with an intensity not normally seen in child actors.
How does anyone watch this movie and say, “Yes, I identify with Max, a tie-dye wearing virgin who willingly gives his shoes to a bully named Ice”?