Remember the days when Disney Channel original movies used to actually be good and not ditzy as hell? Once upon a time, Hocus Pocuswas slated to be a TV movie until Disney decided it had too much star power in Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker and put it on the silver screen instead. And ever since then, it’s turned into a cult classic and there aren’t enough words in the universe to express how much I adore this film. It’s been a must-watch Halloween movie since I was a kid and October just isn’t the same if there are no Sanderson Sisters hell bent on terrorizing the children of Salem.
My friend, who doesn’t quite understand what the big hoopla is about, hopes that this article will shed some light as to why Hocus Pocus is so awesome. I hope to give the film the justice it deserves. And while there isn’t just one word to describe the awesomeness that is this movie, it’s also hard to pinpoint the reasons for its awesomeness. The fondness might come from nostalgia, a keen tradition to see the movie at least once every October, or the movie itself. We all know the story (and for those who don’t, for shame!) of the Sanderson Sisters stealing children and taking their youth to keep themselves young and beautiful (though that term is used loosely here). Enter Max and his sister Dani, who have just moved from L.A. to Salem, Max’s crush Allison, whose mother used to run the Sanderson Sisters museum, a talking cat, and a black-flame candle and you've got a great, fun-filled adventure with a dash of sibling togetherness.
This movie is probably the happiest Halloween movie you’ll ever come across and in a lot of ways that’s part of its appeal. It’s funny. There’s never a time I don’t chuckle when I watch this film. The Sanderson Sisters are worthy of their own Halloween costumes and their crazy, cuckoo, and the questionably stupid way they go about their business makes for a very entertaining watch.
Bette Midler sports bright red hair, buck teeth, and looks like she put on her lipstick in the dark. It’s amazing that Kathy Najimy is able to keep her mouth twisted in that angle the entire film, and Sarah Jessica Parker is ditzy and boy-crazy. What’s not to love about that? They’re completely psycho and that’s why they’re so memorable. They even get to visit the devil’s house—director Gary Marshall in a costume—and ride vacuums and mops in place of flying brooms. They’re really the most unique and best witches to ever come out of Hollywood. One of the reasons this film is so awesome is simple: I’m a sucker for sibling relationships portrayed in movies. There are plenty of romance movies to go around, but it’s rarer to find films about siblings and great onscreen families are sorely lacking most of the time. It’s Thora Birch at the beginning of her career. She and Max (Omri Katz) act like most siblings do. They hate each other one minute and are protective and love each other the next.
And they’re not the only siblings in the film. They kind of parallel the witches and their relationship with each other. Granted, Dani and Max are much more willing to save each other; unlike Winnie, who would easily give up her sisters to remain young and alive. But the witches also fight one second, get along the next. They obviously care about each other, even if it’s not to the point of self-sacrifice, which is ironically what helps destroy them in the end. Hocus Pocus is the epitome of Halloween. It’s just a great representation of fun and brings back nostalgia of celebrating the holiday as a kid. I know most of the lines by heart and love to imitate the Sanderson Sisters in random conversation. What? It’s one of the most quotable Halloween movies out there. It’s filled with silly fun and is the best of the non-scary Halloween films ever made, so I’ll agree with Winnie Sanderson in saying that it’s not just “a bunch of hocus pocus.”
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