Classic Review: Hocus Pocus (1993)

Released 27 years ago, Hocus Pocus has become a cult classic family film. Set during Halloween in Salem, the story is pretty thin, but it still entertains and holds its own after all this time.

The Sanderson sisters are three witches who need to drain the energy of children to remain young. Led by Winifred (Midler) the trio end up being persecuted by town folks in the 1700’s and become an urban legend in town. Once a teenager named Max (Omri Katz) accidentally brings them back to life in modern times, they have only a few hours to drain another child before dying again. Max, his kid sister Dani (Thora Birch) and Allison (Vinessa Shaw), the girl he’s in love with have to fight to stop them fulfilling their wish.

Being totally objective, Hocus Pocus is not the best film out there. The script is thin, the subplots are not all that developed, and it could (and should) just be a passable kids film. However, it has something about it that makes it ascend not to a masterpiece status but at least to a good entertainment: it’s a quite charming and heartwarming film. Most of its charm comes from the trio of witches; Parker, Najimy and Midler all look to be having a blast as the Sanderson sisters, creating a trio of distinct and independent characters. Midler, in particular, is having the time of her life as the most powerful of the three, using her larger than life personality to imbue her character with strength and charisma.

Meanwhile, the younger actors also work very well together. Katz and Saw  as Max and Dani are a good teenage couple while Birch is just so charming and charismatic as Dani. They are the heart of the film, and their bond push us forward and make us care for everything that happens on screen. Besides that, the “witches coming back to life after 300 years on Halloween” is a great set up for plenty of “fish-out-of-water” jokes, and the Sanderson sisters have very funny moments while adapting to the 20th century. Even stepping on a paved road is a new adventure, and the three actresses have a blast in those moments. And for a 27-year old film, the visual effects to the most part hold their own, even the talking cat. It may not be Jurassic Park’s T-Rex perfection but it’s pretty decent.

At the end of the day. the charm and wit favor the lack of a stronger dramatic drive to the story, and a lot of situations come and go without a tighter construction. It’s not a huge problem because Hocus Pocus is targeted to younger audiences, but it wouldn’t hurt if it were just a bit more complex and developed. The film is still quite fun and a fun movie to enjoy during Halloween.

still courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

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