Hocus Pocus [VHS]
This big, fat theatrical bomb has a lot going for it. There’s the three leads, Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker, playing three resurrected witches who wreak havoc on Salem, Massachusetts, 300 hundred years after they were hung. There’s music, special effects, and magic. There’s a surprisingly horror-filled plot. Whoops, hold up on that last one. It’s probably the extremes that this film goes to (displaying a Disney label), such as the witches sucking the life out of a little
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Review by Monty Moonlight for Hocus Pocus [VHS]
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In the 1600s, the Sanderson sisters bewitched people. The three aging women, lusty Sarah, portly Mary, and sinister leader Winifred, were particularly fond of performing a certain spell that would keep them alive and young forever, with repeat use of course. Unfortunately, that particular spell required a living child as the key ingredient! One fateful Halloween night, that unpleasant honor went to adorable little Emily Binx, sister of teenaged Thackery, who immediately ran to his sibling’s aid when he heard she’d been lured by Sarah Sanderson to the witches’ home in the woods. This was not a well thought out plan though, and the cost was not only the life of his sister Emily, but his own humanity as well. Emily’s lifeforce was drained from her body by the three Sanderson witches, and big-brother Thackery Binx was transformed into an immortal black cat, cursed to live forever with the guilt of his failure to save his sister! Luckily for the rest of the children of Salem, the Sanderson sisters were captured that night and hung for their crimes, but not before their living book of spells revealed to them a curse to bring the three back from the dead on All Hallow’s Eve when a virgin lights the black flame candle.
300 years later, teenager Max Dennison is a newcomer to Salem, struggling to adjust after growing up in a California lifestyle. It isn’t going well for Max. Bullies are stealing his sneakers right off his feet, the girl of his dreams snubs him due to his lack of interest in Halloween, and his little sister, Dani, is ever the pest. Now, he must spend the evening escorting her door to door for trick or treating while their parents enjoy the town Halloween dance. Things are about to go from bad to worse for Max, however. Just when he believes things are looking up after he and Dani convince dream-girl Allison to take them to the old Sanderson house, Max’s efforts to impress the girl lead him to light the black-flame candle himself, bringing Sarah, Mary, and Winifred Sanderson back from the dead! From there on out, it’s a non-stop, fun-filled chase as the witches pursue the children, determined to make sassy-mouthed Dani the subject of their next youth spell, which must be performed before dawn or else the witches will be gone forever! With the immortal, talking black cat Binx guiding them along, Max, Dani, and Allison work together to outrun, outwit, and outlast the evil trio and their magical arsenal, with the fate of all the children of Salem hanging in the balance!
In “Hocus Pocus,” director Kenny Ortega, who also gave us the equally underrated and enjoyable cult-classic “Newsies,” brings us a perfect Halloween movie that’s actually great fun any time of year! With a fantastic cast headed up by the legendary Bette Midler and “Eerie Indiana’s” Omri Katz, awesome music (Hey, Disney, where’s the soundtrack?!), a hilarious script that incorporates all the Halloween essentials, and brilliant special effects, “Hocus Pocus” easily ranks as one of my favorite films of all-time! Moments such as the bus ride, the encounter with the motorcycle cop, the visit to the Master’s house, and, of course, the Sanderson sisters performing “I Put a Spell On You” at the town party just make this movie fun, fun, fun! The witches may be creepy at times and totally dangerous, but they have a Three Stooges vibe going throughout that keeps things from getting too scary. However, this film CAN be a bit much for younger kids. Yes, despite feeling generally like a typical Disney live-action flick from the `90s (a great time for Disney live-action), there are some surprising moments. The witches do off little Emily in the beginning of the film by stealing her “essence,” they do use some mild swearing and the virgin joke is unnecessarily hammered into the ground, and, yeah, some folks might find certain aspects scary, but only the very young I’d wager. Basically, this film was targeted at `tweens and teens, and, had they gone to see it, it would probably have been a hit. Unfortunately, it wasn’t till repeat airings on the Disney Channel that most people discovered this gem of a holiday film. As for me, I saw it in theaters and am so glad I did! I wish we’d get more Halloween films like this one! This is how I like to see witches on Halloween! Cackling, riding brooms across the sky, and hunting trick or treaters! That’s the concept of Halloween witches that scared me as a kid, and that’s what I’d like to see more of in Halloween films today! The DVD is sadly bare-bones. Totally disappointing for such a spectacular cult classic! Still, it is without a doubt a must own for annual viewings at the very least!
For more must watch Halloween viewing, check out “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” “Sleepy Hollow,” “Ichabod and Mr. Toad,” the original “The Worst Witch,” “Garfield Holiday Celebrations,” the Casper, Addams Family, and Harry Potter films, “Return to Oz,” “Raggedy Ann and Andy and the Pumpkin Who Couldn’t Smile,” “The Night Dracula Saved the World,” “The Monster Squad,” “Ernest Scared Stupid,” “The Witches,” “Mad Monster Party,” “Spaced Invaders,” “Love At First Bite,” “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein,” and see my Halloween listmania lists for more! Also, for more great `90s Disney live-action films, check out the Mighty Ducks film series, “The Adventures of Huck Finn,” “Dick Tracy,” “Cool Runnings,” “Newsies,” “Tom and Huck,” the “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” films, “101 Dalmatians,” “Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book,” “The Santa Clause,” “Tom and Huck,” “White Fang,” “Heavyweights,” “The Rocketeer,” “Three Musketeers,” “Iron Will,” and more! But don’t forget about classic Disney live-action either, or their great `80’s stuff, like my number one favorite film, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit!” With great new stuff like “Herbie: Fully Loaded,” “Holes,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and the upcoming “Chronicles of Narnia,” it seems that Disney live-action is still going strong!
Review by Barry for Hocus Pocus [VHS]
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This movie is criminally underrated. First of all, the film wasn’t the flop people think it is. It did over 45 million at the box office. Okay, that settled, let’s dig in. Three witches from the 1800’s are hung for taking the souls out of children in Salem, Mass. Present day Salem, a lonely teen resurrects the three hags accidentally while visiting their old cottage that has turned into a mini museum. The witches, well cast and perfectly played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy, set out on Halloween night to take the souls from the children as they trick or treat. The three lead actresses are perfect in their roles. They really bring them to life. This is a fun, light hearted film that the whole family can enjoy. The setting and decoration is perfect and has that great Halloweeny feel. There’s also a funny cameo by Penny Marshall and Garry Marshall as husband and wife(but who are real life brother and sister in case you didn’t know). This is a real great vehicle for Bette Midler. She fits perfectly. You’ll also recognize Thora Birch(American Beauty)as the little sister. The film is a wonderful family treat that will delight and entertain the whole family.
Review by Bubbles for Hocus Pocus [VHS]
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I have loved this movie ever since my mom took me to see it in the theater when I was 6 years old. Ever since (even after I was allowed to watch actual scary halloween movies) this has been my very favorite movie to put in the DVD player, pop some popcorn and have fun.
If you are looking for a movie to laugh all the way through or something to watch with the kids I suggest you pick up a copy of this movie. You won’t regret it!
Review by Rebecca for Hocus Pocus [VHS]
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I looooove HOCUS POCUS! This is the best flick you could possibly find for a Halloween night. It’s humorous and lighthearted, and can be pretty scary for kids under the age of 8. I’m 17 years old, and I still think HOCUS POCUS is the best Halloween flick. This movie is basically about the three Sanderson witch sistes who lived long ago in the 1600s during the Salem Witch Trials, in Massachusetts. Winifred, Sarah, and Mary want to make themselves look younger and more beautiful. So in the beginning, they create a spell that will suck the lives out of children who are more beautiful then they are and then they will receive all that beauty and youthfulness. Anyway, Thackery Binks is a young boy who lived during the time of the Sanderson witches. One morning when his kid sister, Emily Binks, runs off, he realizes that she’s being hypnotized by the Sanderson sisters to go to their home in the middle of the woods so they can take her life. Thackery races off to rescue his sister, only to find that he is too late. The Sanderson sisters find Thackery in their house and attack him, turning him into a black cat forever, unless someone can break the spell. That night, the Sanderson sisters are found by the townspeople and are hanged for killing Thackery. The Sanderson sisters promise the townspeople that they will come back to life when someone lights the black candle in their home. Then 300 years go by and it is the present day. Max is a young teenage boy who moves with his family to Salem, Massachusetts from Los Angeles, California. On Halloween, his teacher tells his class the story on the Sanderson sisters, like she always does every year. Max, being new in town, doesn’t believe the story of the three witches. Allison, a girl in his class whom he has a crush on, tells Max that the story is true, even though Max still doesn’t really believe her. On Halloween night, when Max takes his little sister Dani out trick-or-treating, they end up going to this large house which happens to be the home of Allison. When he sees Allison, Max suggests to Allison and Dani that they all go to the Sanderson witches home – which has been turned into a museum – to see if the story his teacher told them really was true. Dani believes the story and doesn’t want to go. But Allison agrees to it and then Dani, who has to go since their parents are at a Halloween party, agrees to go. They get to the home of the Sanderson sisters and find Thackery, who is still a black cat. Thackery tells them about the Sanderson sisters and Max, who still wants to prove that he is right that the witches don’t exist, lights the black candle, bringing the Sanderson sisters back to life. Now, Max, Allison, and Dani are on a wild and hilarious chase to catch and destroy the Sanderson sisters before it is too late (which would be at dawn the next morning) and before the Sanderson sisters can suck the lives out of all the children in town. Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker are excellent in this film, so are Omri Katz (who plays Max), Kathy Namijy, Vinessa Shaw, and a very young Thora Birch. I recommend this movie to anyone who loves Halloween!
Review by Catie for Hocus Pocus [VHS]
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I’m a 16 yr old who still watches Disney(So sue me, I hate MTV and the Pop rage). I never knew this movie was in theatres until I read these reviews! I just finished watching Hocus Pocus on TV tonight and thought I’d look it up on Amazon to see if it were on DVD/VHS. This movie is a classic, and I watch it every time it comes on. I have the soundtrack, which consists of like 2 songs, on Kazaa Media. It’s the greatest halloween movie of the 90s for kids, and even teenagers, because I know alot of kids at school like it as well. Hope this review will help someone out! I would recommend this movie to anyone-my dad says it’s one of the few things SJP did that was decent acting, lol!