Hocus Pocus (1993)

Hocus Pocus is a good family-friendly horror movie. It's cheesy and clichéd, but that helps tone down the scariness when the witches are threatening and harming children. This feels much more like a made-for-TV movie than an actual Disney film. Nevertheless, kids will enjoy it and it may help parents get into the Halloween spirit.

There are certain movies that I look forward to watching every time the leaves change color and that spooky time of year comes around. One of these is the delightful 1993 "Hocus Pocus" from Disney. Ever since I was a kid, it's a movie I've always cherished, and I think anyone who loves Halloween will too. When a group of kids decide to light the black candle, they unknowingly release a trio of witches who are determined to kill every last child in Salem to prolong their existence forever, unless they can be stopped first. Bette Midler shines in the role as head witch Winifred, bringing the right mixture of comedy and menace, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy equally shine as her comedic sisters bent on mischief and malice. Mick Garris and Dave Kirschner wrote a magical script that's all too delightfully directed by Kenny Ortega. Oh, did I mention there's a talking cat? If you want some Halloween magic, this is not to be missed!!!!

In terms of plotting, HOCUS POCUS has a little in common with the great children's horror flicks of the 1980s; I'm talking THE MONSTER SQUAD and its ilk. A bunch of kids accidentally summon up some centuries-old witches who once again go around spreading havoc everywhere, and said kids must team up to stop them. There the similarities end, however, because this noisy nonsense is an example of the Disney style of film-making at its very worst.By worst I mean that this is a noisy, pointless mess of a film where no line is spoken when it can be shouted instead. The acting from the trio of main actresses is indescribably bad; Bette Midler is the worst culprit and seems to think she's in some kind of pantomime and needs to shout to keep the audience in the back row awake. The whole film is full of their shouty nonsense as they fly around, curse people, and generally give viewers a headache.It's this kind of over the top style that makes me avoid anything Disney put out. Surely a little restraint here and there wouldn't have been out of the question? The kid actors like Thora Birch are by contrast subdued in the face of the hamming adult stars, and the only one who comes out of it with reputation intact is the reliable Doug Jones, whose zombie supporting character is the best in the film. Elsewhere it's a mess of special effects and zaniness, and I watched it with my finger hovering over the 'off' button all the way through. If you want to watch a similar children's fantasy about witches then go no further than Nic Roeg's THE WITCHES, a model of restraint and class compared to this.

It's been 300 years since the Sanderson sisters Winifred (Bette Midler), Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Mary (Kathy Najimy) were hung for sucking the life force from a girl. They vow to return to Salem with the help of a virgin and suck the life force from all the children. Max Dennison is a new in town. He's not into Halloween. Pretty girl Allison (Vinessa Shaw) gives his number back to him. Bullies steal his shoes. He is forced to take his sister Dani (Thora Birch) trick or treating. Trying to impress Allison, he and Dani go with her to the old Sanderson house and light the black flame candle. This brings the sisters back from the dead.This is definitely a children's horror movie. There is nothing here for everybody else. I don't like the kids. I really don't like the boy. Thora Birch is fine but she's more bratty than lovable. Vinessa Shaw is a blank. The three witches are not funny. They're not scary either, at least for adults. This may work for the kids. That's the best that I can say about it.